How to make chocolate bark
Move over rocky road – the new treat in town is chocolate bark, studded with riches from stroopwafels to pistachios. It’s a cinch to create, a much more personal present than an Easter egg, and you can take inspo from around the world in your ingredient choice. Here are three ideas – each makes six generous shards.
1. Club Med chocolate bark
Close your eyes and feel the Mediterranean sun beating down on you as you take a bite out of this seriously sophisticated chocolate, studded with pistachios, rosemary-flavoured salt and little bursts of candied peel.
1. Melt 200g finely chopped dark chocolate in a heatproof bowl set over a pan of simmering water (ensuring the base of the bowl doesn’t touch the water). Meanwhile, whizz or grind the finely chopped leaves of 1 rosemary sprig and 1 tsp sea salt. 2. Pour the chocolate into a small oven dish or container lined with baking paper and tilt it to swirl the chocolate in an even layer. Decorate the chocolate with 1 more rosemary sprig, a handful shelled pistachios, the rosemary salt and 2 tbsp mixed peel or candied citrus.
3. Leave to cool for 10 minutes, then put in the fridge for 2 hours to set completely. Snap into shards and pack in gift bags or keep in an airtight container for up to a week.
2. Après-ski chocolate bark
This snow-white slab of sweetness takes you to the top of Mont Blanc with chestnuts and meringue alongside hot-choc-inspired marshmallows and crunchy stroopwafels. See you on the slopes!
1. Melt 200g finely chopped white chocolate in a heatproof bowl set over a pan of barely simmering water (ensuring the base of the bowl doesn’t touch the water). 2. Pour into a small oven dish or container lined with baking paper and tilt it to swirl the chocolate in an even layer. Scatter over 6-8 halved mini stroopwafels, 6-8 halved vac-packed cooked chestnuts and 1 small handful mini marshmallows. Crush 1 small meringue nest in your hands and scatter over.
3. Leave to cool for 10 minutes, then put in the fridge for 2 hours to set completely. Snap into shards and pack in gift bags or keep in an airtight container for up to a week.
3. USA city break chocolate bark Hop across the pond for a starsand-stripes-soaked getaway full of sweet-meets-salty flavours
From left to right: Après-ski, Club Med, USA city break.
by combining crunchy pretzels, chewy jelly beans and little nuggets of candied smoky bacon.
1. Melt 200g finely chopped milk chocolate in a heatproof bowl set over a pan of simmering water (ensuring the base of the bowl doesn’t touch the water). Meanwhile, fry 80g bacon lardons for 6-8 minutes until crisp, then add 2 tbsp light brown sugar and cook for 3 more minutes. Drain on kitchen paper.
2. Pour the chocolate into a small oven dish or container lined with baking paper, then tilt it to swirl the chocolate in an even layer. 3. Decorate the chocolate with 20 mini pretzels, 2 tbsp jelly beans and the candied bacon, then scatter over 1 tsp popping candy, if you like.
4. Cool for 10 minutes, then put in the fridge for 2 hours to set completely. Snap into shards and pack in gift bags or keep in an airtight container for up to a week.