Salted Cranberry Bark with Cocoa Nibs
Chocolate bark is easy to make and so easy to change up! I love this dessert because it is so simple yet looks so great. (Tastes even better!) Dried cranberries, cocoa nibs, puffed quinoa, and salt flakes make for one amazing and crunchy treat. They are a perfect gift or Valentine’s Day treat! Make them for yourself or someone you love!
There might only be five ingredients but this dessert delicious. Don’t let the instructions scare you off! Tempering chocolate, toasting quinoa, they may sound difficult but all it takes is a little attention to detail and you will be fine!
Toasting Quinoa
Toasting or “puffing” quinoa isn’t hard, just don’t burn the quinoa and your golden! Heat a sauce pan to medium high. Add quinoa to the bottom of the pan and cover. Shake the saucepan frequently until you hear the quinoa stop popping. Remove from heat right away. Check out this post on livestrong for more details about puffed quinoa.
Tempering Chocolate
Tempering chocolate can get complex but I like to keep it simple. Here are my rules:
- Use a double boiler. Put 1 inch of water in the lower pot. Make sure the water doesn’t touch the upper pot.
- Heat Boiler to medium low.
- Add 1 cup of chocolate chips to the double boiler and stir continuously with a spatula.
- Once the chocolate has melted remove from heat and add remaining 1/2 cup of chocolate chips.
- Stir in until melted, if the chocolate chips don’t melt completely place back on heat until melted.
- Done!
It is important not to over heat your chocolate or you will lose the tempering and shine of the chocolate. It also will be more prone to melt.
The next step in making this chocolate bark is to stir in your ingredients! Add puffed quinoa, dried cranberries, and cocoa nibs. Then pour out the chocolate onto parchment paper and smooth out with a spatula to about 1/4 inch depth. Sprinkle some additional cranberries, cacao nibs, and flakes of salt on top. Allow to cool at warm temperature for several hours or Chill in freezer for 30 minutes. Break bark into pieces and enjoy!
You can go so many ways with chocolate bark. Don’t get stuck on my recipe! Try your own toppings!
- Crushed candy canes
- Pine nuts
- Chopped pecans
- Cocoa Nibs
- Salt Flakes
- Seeds
- Coconut flakes
- Crushed red pepper
While your thinking about sweets check out one of our other dessert recipes:
Salted Cranberry Chocolate Bark with Cacao Nibs
Ingredients
- 1/4 c chopped dried cranberries
- 1/8 c cacao nibs
- 1/8 c puffed quinoa
- 1 1/2 c chocolate semi-sweet or 60% cacao
- 1 Pinch of sea salt flakes
Instructions
- Puff (Toast) quinoa in medium saucepan at high heat. Heat pan to high temp, then add quinoa. Place lid over top and shake sauce pan continuously until popping of quinoa stops. Remove from heat and pour quinoa out on to plate to cool.
- In double boiler melt 1 cup of chocolate chips, stirring constantly over medium heat. Once melted remove from heat and add in additional 1/2 cup of chocolate. Stir in the chocolate until all melted, if needed place over heat again.
- Stir chocolate, cacao nibs, puffed quinoa, and chopped cranberries together in medium mixing bowl.
- Pour mixture onto parchment paper.
- Spread out to thickness of 1/4 inch.
- Allow to cool at room temp until hardened (several hours). Or alternatively place in freezer for 30 min.
- Break bark into chocolate shards.