Chocolate Bark

Last night I got together with some friends and I wanted to bring a quick dessert but (as often happens at my house) we had no butter or eggs. This is my go to quick dessert because it seriously took me all of 10 minutes to make and even though it is incredibly easy, it looks so impressive! 

This is French Chocolate Bark because instead of American bark where all the goodies are mixed into the chocolate, they are displayed on top of it. Which really makes for lots of pretty color :) I originally saw the recipe from Ina Garden (of course.... my fav!) and have done so many variations of it since then. The original recipe is here if you would like it! 

Since I was serving it that night I didn't worry about tempering it this time, but it is a great skill to know how to do if you want to check out this video. Tempering is important so that you don't end up with cloudy colored chocolate or a crumbly consistency. You want it to be glossy and have a nice crunch to it. There are a couple different methods to tempering....I don't have a candy thermometer so I've always done it either in the microwave or the double boiler (which for me is just a pot with simmering water and a glass bowl over it!) If I do it in the microwave I keep stirring every minute or so until just melted, then I add in about a half a cup or so of chocolate and stir it in till melted. Of course you could use chocolate buttons or a block of chocolate cut up but I always just use chocolate chips. (dark!!!!! Is there another kind??) 

Here is what I had in my cupboard :) 

Have a cookie sheet with parchment paper ready as well :) 

I chopped up my raw almonds then toasted them (microwave for a couple minutes). It gives an amazing extra boost of flavor.

Another tip I learned is to never use a wooden spoon because it can trap water and release it into the chocolate. Water + Chocolate = NO GOOD! It will seize! I've done this countless times :(

Once you've stirred in the last of the chocolate chips and they melt, plop the whole thing onto the parchment paper. 

Spread evenly :) 

And then the fun part! Sprinkle the toppings all over! In the past I've used white chocolate shavings, cashews, pistachios, coconut, etc! Anything will work :) 

YUMMMMMMMM!!!!!!!!! One dry cut into pieces. If you need to pop it in the fridge to get it all the way hardened it should be fine if tempered correctly! 

Enjoy! We all did!