Christmas Chocolate Bark Recipe

#vegan #dairyfree #glutenfree

I think it would be a safe assumption to say that the gift of time would be on everyone’s Christmas Wish list this year. As we hit December, we hit “busy” mode on overtime! Generally, there are a lot of functions to attend, lots of “bring a plate” gatherings and little time to prepare festive feasts! That’s where this Christmas Chocolate Bark recipe can work a treat as a gift, or a dessert plate. It is relatively simple to whip up and it’s loaded with dark chocolate, freeze-dried raspberries, macadamias, and pistachios, and looks festive and fun to boot. It’s dairy and gluten-free, and vegan-friendly. EnJOY every bite, Merry Christmas! 

Ingredients:
500g of 70% cocoa or above dark chocolate
¾ cup of freeze-dried raspberries (or cranberries for a cheaper but equally delicious substitute!)
¾ cup of roughly chopped pistachio nuts
¾ cup of roughly chopped macadamia nuts
½ teaspoon of sea salt

Directions:

1. Bring about 2 inches of water to a simmer in a medium pot. Set a dry heatproof bowl over the pot, making sure the water is not touching the bottom of the bowl. Place the chocolate into the bowl and let it melt slowly, stirring occasionally, keeping the water at a bare simmer.
2. Meanwhile, line a baking tray with parchment paper. Once the chocolate is melted, pour it in the middle of the parchment paper and spread out to about ½ cm thick over the paper. 
3. Sprinkle ¼-½ teaspoon of seal salt onto the top of the melted chocolate. 
4. Place into the fridge for 5 minutes, until the chocolate has hardened slightly but is not fully set.
5. Then, remove from the fridge and sprinkle all of the ingredients over the chocolate, pushing them in lightly as you go to help stick them into the chocolate.
6. Return to the fridge to set for 30 minutes – 1 hour. Once set, remove from the fridge and break with your hands into pieces of your desired size. 
7. Keep in an airtight container, and refrigerate if the weather is hot! 

Health Bite: Quality 70% and above cocoa dark chocolate is generally dairy-free, and so suitable for those who are dairy intolerant or vegan. Dark chocolate is high in free-radical scavenging antioxidants, and is also high in magnesium. Magnesium helps our body manage stress, and so is an important mineral to ensure we are getting enough of when we are busy and potentially burning the candle at both ends. Like we needed any excuse to eat chocolate, right!?