A dark chocolate bark covered in freeze-dried strawberries and pistachios, and studded with homemade caramel popcorn – break into shards for a festive treat to be shared with friends!
Chocolate bark, peppermint bark, almond bark, sweet-shop bark, unicorn bark, chocolate slab… no matter what you call it, chocolate bark is quick to throw together and leaves you with lots of hands-off time, so you can get to other festive chores while it sets.
Then all you need to do is break it up into shards and wrap it in some cellophane as a thank you gift to your host, or store it at home for those unexpected guests that always seem to pop up around the holidays. It’s also a great last-minute holiday gift and hamper filler.
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What is Chocolate Bark?
Chocolate bark is a slab of melted chocolate which is then studded with nuts, dried fruit and other pieces of candy and allowed to set. The most common type you might be familiar with is peppermint bark, which is topped with candy canes and served during the Christmas holidays.
The more rustic cousin to the delicate French mendiants, chocolate bark can be made with any kind of chocolate, and looks quite festive when two or more different coloured chocolates are swirled together.
Although this recipe has a bit of a Christmasy theme going on, chocolate bark doesn’t have to be saved just for the holidays.
Make it your own
Chocolate bark can become an everything-but-the-kitchen-sink deal. Don’t have pistachios but do have some almonds or walnuts? Use those. Sesame and sunflower seeds and pepitas work well too and can cover more surface area, if you want a more bulked out bark.
Can’t find freeze-dried strawberries or raspberries? Use your favourite dried fruit. Look for something with a bit of tartness to offset the sweetness of the bark.
Can’t be bothered making caramel popcorn? Fresh, salty-sweet popcorn will work just as well and look just as festive.
Don’t like dark chocolate? Use milk or white or ruby instead. Though I find the caramel popcorn can be too sweet for anything other than a dark chocolate bark.
A Note on Melting Chocolate
Melting chocolate sounds easy enough, but it can very easily seize or burn, resulting in a grainy, clumpy mess that can be difficult to salvage. Water and aggressive heat are chocolate’s enemies.
The two methods for melting chocolate are: on the stovetop using a double boiler/baine-marie, or in the microwave.
Personally, I prefer to use the double boiler method as I can control the heat a lot better than in the microwave, where I inevitably forget to lower the power settings. The trick is to keep the flame low, stir the chocolate frequently with a silicone spatula (NOT a wooden spoon!), and to use a towel to quickly wipe away any condensation on the bottom of the bowl, so no steam or water gets into the chocolate as you pour it out. There’s some further info in the recipe notes below on how to construct a double boiler.
A Note on Cooling and Setting
Ideally, you’ll let the chocolate bark set at room temperature. Remember, this is a great hands-off treat you can make, set aside, and work on something else while it sets. Depending on the time of year, how warm or cool your house is, how thick your chocolate layer is, a chocolate bark can take anywhere from 8 to 12 hours to fully set. I tend to make it at the end of my day and let it set overnight.
If you’re really in a time crunch, you can put it in the fridge to help speed things along, but there’s a good chance your chocolate bark will become discoloured. Sugar bloom, or chocolate bloom, is when water (from the condensation in the fridge) evaporates into the chocolate and recrystalises on the surface. Try to at least let the bark set at room temperature for a few of hours before transferring it to the fridge to finish setting.
And hey, if you have a lot of toppings, no one will probably even notice a sugar bloom!
Don’t have enough time for the chocolate bark to set? Make spiced shortbread with orange buttercream frosting instead!
Dark Chocolate Bark with Caramel Popcorn
Ingredients
Caramel Popcorn
- 84 g unsalted butter
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 90 g popcorn kernels
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons honey
- ¼ teaspoon flaky sea salt, plus extra to finish
Chocolate Bark
- 200 g good-quality 70% dark chocolate, chopped
- 50 g whole pistachios
- 30 g freeze-dried strawberries
Instructions
Caramel Popcorn
- To make the popcorn, add the oil and 14g (1 tablespoon) of the butter to a medium saucepan over medium heat. When the butter has melted and is starting to bubble, add the popcorn kernels and stir to coat.
- Put the lid on and lower the heat to low. Once the popcorn kernels start to pop, give the saucepan a shake every now and then to stop the popped kernels from catching and burning.
- When the popping stops, empty the popcorn out into a heat-proof bowl, remove any un-popped kernels and set aside.
- To make the caramel sauce, place the remaining butter, sugar and honey into a saucepan, and over medium heat, stir until the butter has melted and the sugar has completely dissolved.
- Without turning up the heat, allow the mixture to come a boil and cook – without stirring at all – for 5 minutes, or until it’s a deep golden colour.
- Working quickly, immediately drizzle the caramel over the popcorn, and stir to coat. Turn out the caramel popcorn onto a baking paper-lined tray and allow to set.
Chocolate Bark
- To make the chocolate bark base, line a baking tray that’s bigger than 10 x 25cm or a 15 x 15 tray with baking paper. Set aside.
- Using a food processor, chop the freeze-dried strawberries and pistachios until they’re around crumb size and easy to scatter. Set aside.
- Set up a double boiler* and add a little water to the bottom pot, enough that it covers the surface area but not too much that it touches the bottom of the heat-proof bowl siting above. Once the water is simmering – not boiling – add the chopped chocolate and let it slowly melt, stirring it frequently until it’s just fully melted, smooth and glossy. Lift the bowl out of the saucepan and away from the steam, and immediately wipe the bottom of any water droplets.
- Working quickly, pour the melted chocolate into your prepared baking tray and spread it out fairly evenly with an offset spatula or back of a spoon (it doesn’t matter if there are any ridges, it just adds to the charm). Scatter the freeze-dried strawberry and pistachio crumb all over the melted chocolate slab and top with clusters of caramel popcorn.
- Set the entire tray side to set at room temperature for 8 to 12 hours, or overnight.
- When set, break the chocolate bark into shards and serve, or wrap in cellophane as a gift, or store in a baking-paper lined airtight container for around a week.
Cook along with me
Notes
- A note on white chocolate: for the best results, look for a white chocolate that’s high in cocoa butter as it will set better and not leave an oily residue.
- You can create a double boiler at home with items you already have. All you need is a saucepan, filled with a little bit of water and a heat-proof bowl. The water should not touch the bottom of the bowl, and the bowl should fit snugly on top of the saucepan, leaving no gap around the side for steam to escape from and ruin your chocolate.
