I love chocolate and there are many brands of what I call “fancy” chocolate bars out there, most of which I’ve tried and many of which I absolutely love. But there’s nothing quite like having control over the exact balance of nuts, seeds, cacao and sea salt in a chocolate bar to make my dream chocolate. This Chocolate Bark has a high concentration of nuts/seeds compared to most off-the-shelf chocolate bars with nuts, teasing me into thinking it has more protein, healthy fats, fiber, and therefore maybe I shouldn’t worry about eating several pieces. Hint, I don’t worry about it! I mean, dark chocolate itself is full of antioxidants, so I rarely worry about having a piece or two of plain dark chocolate, much less this Chocolate Bark with all the additional benefits.
Sometimes I need an evening snack of something like 10 almonds. Sometimes I need an evening snack of a square or two of dark chocolate. And sometimes, I can’t help but have one and then the other. This Chocolate Bark combines the two things into one exponentially more delicious treat that leaves me wanting for nothing more.
I chose 70% plain dark chocolate without any milk solids, the current on-sale brand, without resorting to chocolate chips (which are not as high quality). And, I dug out my favorite nuts and seeds for it: pumpkin, sunflower, and sliced almonds. Sliced so that there were not thick pieces of almond to chomp into, keeping the finished bark texture light and flaky. I happen to love sweet and salty, so the sea salt on top is a necessary and magical touch for me. But, if you don’t like salted chocolate, feel free to skip the salt.
One serving is FODMAP-friendly! And, as long as the chocolate you use is vegan, the final recipe is vegan and gluten-free.
Feel free to use 1 cup of any of your favorite nuts and seeds in place of the ones listed here. Just be sure they are all somewhat the same size, chopping larger ones as needed. Heat and roast the thickest nuts and seeds first, adding in thinner, smaller ones toward the end of roasting, as they’ll roast much quicker. You can also add in any dried fruit pieces. I’m going to be trying dried cranberries plus pumpkin seeds for the holidays. Can’t wait!
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