I think I’m in a chocolate mood. It’s funny, I don’t even have such a sweet tooth, but recently, I’ve been indulging a little more than usual. Nothing wrong with that though, as long as you don’t go overboard with anything, everything is good in moderation!

If you missed my last post – PB & B Bites – definitely check those out. The combination of chocolate, banana and peanut butter is so classic and delicious. The bites are frozen so they would be the perfect treat on a hot summer day.

Keeping with the chocolate theme, today’s post is a really simple Chocolate Bark. It takes minutes to make (and some time in the freezer) but it looks so impressive. You can make a batch and give it to friends and family for the holidays, that would be a super cute gift. The beauty of bark is that there is no such thing as a perfectly shaped piece – they are imperfectly perfect.

Bark is very versatile. You can also use any kind of chocolate or toppings that you’d like. I used semi-sweet chocolate, but a little white chocolate would be good with that too, if you made a marbled design. As for toppings, I used shredded coconut, sliced almonds and dried cranberries. You could use other dried fruits or nuts, sprinkles or even granola. Just be sure that if you are using larger dried fruits or nuts, cut them up into smaller pieces before sprinkling on the chocolate.

The best part about making this is breaking it up when it’s ready. Normally you’re told to not play with your food, but with bark, you’re supposed to get in there and smash it up. Just be careful to not lose all your toppings when doing this step. So fun… and tasty!

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Ingredients:

• 3/4 cup semi sweet chocolate chips (DF/vegan: use DF chocolate chips)
• 1 1/2 tbsp coconut oil
• 2 tbsp dried cranberries
• 2 tbsp sliced almonds
• 1 tbsp shredded coconut (sweetened or unsweetened)

Directions:

1. Melt the chocolate, using a microwave or double boiler. Once the chips are almost fully melted, remove from the heat and stir in the coconut oil and let the residual heat of the chocolate melt that in.
2. Pour chocolate onto a small baking sheet covered with a silicone mat. Use an offset spatula to spread it into an even thin layer.
3. Sprinkle toppings all over the melted chocolate, ensuring equal distribution. Place pan in freezer for 1 hour until hard.
4. When frozen, remove the silicone mat and break the bark into pieces. Place in airtight container and store in freezer up to 1 month.