Pantry Clean-out Dark Chocolate Bark
There’s nothing I like more than a pantry clean-out recipe, especially when my cabinets are lined with half-empty jars of dried bulk ingredients. This recipe is a quick and easy way to use up a last handful of nuts, seeds, dried fruit, or all three. For nuts and seeds, I use whatever is lingering in my cabinets, which typically comes down to almonds, hazelnuts, pecans, pistachios. walnuts, and pumpkin seeds. For dried fruit, anything will do, but my favorites are cranberries, cherries, and apricots. I’ve also seen chocolate bark made with pretzels and other salty snacks - the best thing about this recipe is that you can adapt it easily and on the fly and of course it costs nothing since the point is to use the last bits of your favorite snacks. Makes 12-24 pieces (depending on how you cut them).
Ingredients
12 ounces dark chocolate chips
¾ cup nuts and/or seeds
¼ cup dried fruit (cranberries, cherries, apricots)
About ½ teaspoon coarse sea salt (optional)
Direction s
1. Cover a large, rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. Bring a small pot of water to a boil. Set a heat proof bowl on top of the pot and place the chocolate chips inside the pot. With a wooden spoon, stir the chocolate chips until they’re completely melted.
3. Using a rubber spatula, spread the chocolate evenly over the center of the parchment paper to a 1/4” thickness. It probably won’t reach the sides of the baking sheet - that’s okay!
4. Sprinkle your chosen toppings over the chocolate and gently press bulky pieces into it.
5. if you’re short on time, place the baking sheet on a flat shelf in the refrigerator for 30-45 minutes, or until the chocolate cools and hardens. Otherwise, let the chocolate cool and harden at room temperature for 2 to 4 hours. The latter way yields a prettier final product, in my experience.
6. Once the chocolate hardens, use your hands or a sharp knife to break it into pieces.
7. Serve immediately or store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 week.