~Amanda~
I love making bark over the holidays because it is so incredibly easy to make (it really only takes about 5-10 minutes), it is really really tasty, and it looks so pretty and festive so it’s a fun treat to give away as a gift to family, friends and coworkers. It’s also a great thing to throw in the mix when you’re making other cookies that are really time consuming and just want to do something quick and simple too. I almost always make Peppermint Bark (see our recipe HERE) because it’s my favorite – I love the combination of the dark chocolate and peppermint – but my husband really really dislikes peppermint (weird, I know) so this year I decided to make something a little different so he could enjoy it too and it turns out I might like this recipe almost as much as the peppermint version. I think next year I’ll be making both!
The base of this bark is white chocolate and just white chocolate. When I make bark, I just melt my chocolate in the microwave rather than setting up a double broiler. It’s much quicker and I have never had any issues with how it turns out. The trick is to microwave the chocolate in 30 second increments stirring between each one until the chocolate is melted, shiny and smooth. You just want to make sure that you don’t overheat the chocolate or it will clump and turn into a big inedible mess! Once the chocolate is melted, I mix in half of the pistachios, dried cranberries and sunflower seeds. I like to do this so that those delicious bits are actually in the bark rather than only sprinkled on the top where some pieces might fall off. Once those are all mixed in, you spread the mixture on some parchment paper in a rectangle(ish) shape. The thickness is up to you, but I try and do about ¼ inch thickness.
The next step is to sprinkle the remaining pistachios, dried cranberries, sunflower seeds and mini chocolate chips over the top of the melted chocolate mixture. This adds a lot more flavor and texture, plus the green from the pistachios and the red from the cranberries looks so festive. I also love adding some mini chocolate chips in so you get just a little bit of that yummy chocolate flavor without it stealing the show. I also love to add just a tiny bit of sea salt over the top, but again, this is totally up to you. I love the combination of sweet and salty and I think it really makes the other flavors pop! Once you’ve got everything on there, just press down with your hands a bit to make sure it’s all stuck to the chocolate well and the chill in the fridge for a while until it’s set up. Once it’s ready just break up the chocolate and enjoy or wrap it up in cute little baggies to pass out to people. Enjoy and Merry Christmas!
- 16 ounces white chocolate chips
- ⅓ cup pistachios, shelled and roughly chopped
- ⅓ cup dried cranberries, roughly chopped
- ¼ cup sunflower seeds
- ¼ cup mini chocolate chips
- Optional: pinch of sea salt
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Set aside.
- Place the white chocolate chips in a medium, microwave safe bowl. Heat in microwave in 30 second increments, stirring between each one, until melted and smooth (I usually only need 2-3 increments at most, you don’t want to overheat it or it can become dry and lumpy).
- Mix half the pistachios, cranberries and sunflower seeds into the melted white chocolate.
- Spread the mixture on the parchment paper in a rectangle shape about ¼ inch thick.
- Sprinkle the remaining pistachios, cranberries, sunflower seeds and mini chocolate chips over the top of the white chocolate mixture and press down gently with your hands to make sure everything ‘sticks’. Top with a pinch of sea salt if you prefer.
- Chill in the refrigerator for about an hour until set.
- Break the bark apart into pieces using a knife (if you want cleaner lines) or with your hands.
- Serve immediately or store in an airtight container in the fridge until you’re ready to enjoy.
