Chocolate Bark
For Christmas presents this year I decided the food gifts should be chocolate bark and caramel/chocolate popcorn. I'll be posting my recipe for the popcorn soon but right now I wanted to talk about the chocolate bark. Making chocolate bark is not difficult but I feel it does help to temper the chocolate rather than just melt it (higher melting point and a sharper snap when you break it) so I did that, which does increase the difficulty level. But if tempering is too much fuss for you (or you don't happen to have a candy or probe thermometer laying about), you can certainly melt instead with quite lovely results! I have a pile of different thermometers around for working with gelatin and caramel and other temperature sensitive items so I found it interesting to try and temper chocolate. (I had never done it before!)
Peppermint Bark, Cherry Walnut Bark, Cranberry Pistaschio Bark
There are a number of different guides to tempering chocolate but I liked THIS ONE on About.com. It seemed quite clear (with a video you could look at) and included the temperatures for both dark and milk/white chocolates. Whether you temper or melt, the rest is the same. One more note: if you are going to temper, DO NOT use chocolate chips. They are treated to retain their shape when melted and don't temper properly.
Peppermint Bark
12 oz semisweet chocolate, chopped
12 oz white chocolate, chopped
8 peppermint candy canes - standard size
Unwrap the candy canes and place them in a large plastic bag and seal tightly. Use a rolling pin to roll/smash the candy canes until they are the size you desire. Prepare a cookie sheet by covering it with smooth aluminum foil and spraying with cooking spray.
Melt or temper the dark chocolate. Pour the chocolate onto the prepared cookie sheet and use an offset spatula or knife to spread it to an even thickness, a little more than 1/8" thick. The chocolate does not have to reach all sides of the sheet, as it will be broken up later anyhow. Allow to firm up before adding the white chocolate. While the dark chocolate hardens, melt or temper the white chocolate. Stir in most of the candy cane bits, reserving about a quarter of the mixture to put on top. Spread the white chocolate in an even layer over the dark chocolate.
While the white chocolate is still wet, sprinkle the remaining candy cane pieces over the entire surface evenly. Press down very slightly to ensure they stick. Once the peppermint bark is completely set, break into small, uneven pieces by hand.
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Fruit and Nut Chocolate Bark
The combinations I used were Cherries, Walnuts, and Crystallized Ginger with White Chocolate and Dried Cranberries, Pistachios, and Orange Zest with 85% cocoa dark chocolate.
8 oz semisweet chocolate, chopped
1/2 c dried fruit, chopped
1/2 c nuts, toasted and chopped
1-2 tsp accent flavor
4 oz contrasting chocolate, chopped
Cover a cookie sheet with foil and spray with cooking spray.
Melt or temper the semisweet chocolate. Pour the chocolate onto the prepared cookie sheet and use an offset spatula or knife to spread it to an even thickness, a little more than 1/8" thick.
Immediately add the fruit, nuts, and accent flavor; sprinkling them evenly over the surface of the chocolate. Press them down a little to ensure they stick.
Then melt or temper the contrasting chocolate. When ready, drizzle it over the the chocolate, fruit, and nut base. Once the bark is completely set, break into small, uneven pieces by hand.
This entry was originally posted here and has
comments. Comment here or there.
Peppermint Bark, Cherry Walnut Bark, Cranberry Pistaschio Bark
There are a number of different guides to tempering chocolate but I liked THIS ONE on About.com. It seemed quite clear (with a video you could look at) and included the temperatures for both dark and milk/white chocolates. Whether you temper or melt, the rest is the same. One more note: if you are going to temper, DO NOT use chocolate chips. They are treated to retain their shape when melted and don't temper properly.
Peppermint Bark
12 oz semisweet chocolate, chopped
12 oz white chocolate, chopped
8 peppermint candy canes - standard size
Unwrap the candy canes and place them in a large plastic bag and seal tightly. Use a rolling pin to roll/smash the candy canes until they are the size you desire. Prepare a cookie sheet by covering it with smooth aluminum foil and spraying with cooking spray.
Melt or temper the dark chocolate. Pour the chocolate onto the prepared cookie sheet and use an offset spatula or knife to spread it to an even thickness, a little more than 1/8" thick. The chocolate does not have to reach all sides of the sheet, as it will be broken up later anyhow. Allow to firm up before adding the white chocolate. While the dark chocolate hardens, melt or temper the white chocolate. Stir in most of the candy cane bits, reserving about a quarter of the mixture to put on top. Spread the white chocolate in an even layer over the dark chocolate.
While the white chocolate is still wet, sprinkle the remaining candy cane pieces over the entire surface evenly. Press down very slightly to ensure they stick. Once the peppermint bark is completely set, break into small, uneven pieces by hand.
===============
Fruit and Nut Chocolate Bark
The combinations I used were Cherries, Walnuts, and Crystallized Ginger with White Chocolate and Dried Cranberries, Pistachios, and Orange Zest with 85% cocoa dark chocolate.
8 oz semisweet chocolate, chopped
1/2 c dried fruit, chopped
1/2 c nuts, toasted and chopped
1-2 tsp accent flavor
4 oz contrasting chocolate, chopped
Cover a cookie sheet with foil and spray with cooking spray.
Melt or temper the semisweet chocolate. Pour the chocolate onto the prepared cookie sheet and use an offset spatula or knife to spread it to an even thickness, a little more than 1/8" thick.
Immediately add the fruit, nuts, and accent flavor; sprinkling them evenly over the surface of the chocolate. Press them down a little to ensure they stick.
Then melt or temper the contrasting chocolate. When ready, drizzle it over the the chocolate, fruit, and nut base. Once the bark is completely set, break into small, uneven pieces by hand.
This entry was originally posted here and has
comments. Comment here or there.