After I packaged up all the chocolate bark I made for the holidays in little boxes, I got to thinking that it was a bit like a chocolate salad. The idea came from @OiselleSally who brought in a cookie salad for her team.
Chocolate bark is one of those simple things to make for a gift.
The Gollish Family OG bark is a roasted almond milk chocolate bark. Again, this comes from the Bub's, my dad's mom. I do not know the genesis of this but she would make this every so often. Because she roasted the almonds herself, they always had this fresh, smoky taste to them when combined with chocolate was simply divine. She would make various roasted almond barks, using white, milk, and dark chocolate but my favourite was always the milk chocolate one. Every holiday season I make a big batch of this to share with the ones I love.
You can use anything from chocolate chips to molding chocolate to baking chocolate. My Bub's always used Merckens molding wafers so it is my go to when I make it. If I'm in a pinch and I cannot find Merckens molding wafers I usually looking the bulk section for other types of melting chocolate.
Prep: 20 mins
Set time: 10 - 60 mins (you can accelerate this by placing the cookie sheet flat in your freezer)
Ingredients:
4 C chocolate (white, milk, or dark)
Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.
Melt the chocolate in a double boiler. Don't have a double boiler?! Neither do I. I rest a smaller pot inside a larger pot. Add ~2.5 cm/ 1 in of water to the bottom pot. Try not to let the water touch the upper pot. Heat the water but do not let it come to a boil; boiling water will burn your chocolate.
Once the chocolate is melted remove the pot from the double boiler or larger pot and bring to a rest on a counter. Add in your 'mix' (see below for ideas).
Wipe off all water from the bottom of your pot, because chocolate does not like water and you do not want it dripping into your beautiful bark. Pour chocolate mixture on to the parchment paper. Use a spatula to spread to your desired thickness. Also, use the spatula to unclump and clumps that might have formed.
Allow chocolate to completely cool before breaking apart.
Favourite combos:
1) 2 C roasted almonds* + milk chocolate, but as I said this is also good with white and dark chocolate
2) 2 C roasted hazelnuts (kind of like Nutella)
3) 1/8 C or 2 to 3 whole smashed candy canes + white chocolate
4) 1 C roasted praline pieces + 1/2 cup skor bits + milk chocolate. Tastes like a chocolat Turtle. I usually mix the pralines in and sprinkle the Skor bits on top so I don't melt the Skor into the chocolate.
5) 1/8 C finely ground espresso + dark chocolate
6) 1/8 C course seat salt + milk or dark chocolate
7) 2 C roasted almonds + 1/8 course sea salt + milk or dark chocolate. I usually sprinkle the sea salt on top of the mixture once I've spread the almonds out.
*To roast your own almonds purchase unroasted, unblanched unsalted almonds. Spread on a cookie tray and bake for 35-45 minutes at 300F.