Valentine's Day Heart-Healthy Chocolate Bark
 
Prep time
Cook time
Total time
 
Dark chocolate with yummy fruits and nuts makes the perfect healthy snack.
Author:
Recipe type: Dessert
Cuisine: Dessert
Serves: ~12 pieces
Ingredients
Candied Kumquats
  • 1 c. water
  • ½ c. granulated sugar
  • 1 c. sliced, seeded kumquats
Bark
  • 1 c. bittersweet chocolate*
  • 1 c. semi-sweet chocolate*
  • 1 c. roasted, salted almonds, roughly chopped
  • 1 c. dried cherries, roughly chopped
  • ⅔ - 1 c. candied kumquats (depending on how many you want on your bark)
Instructions
For the Candied Kumquats:
  1. Remove stems from the kumquats. Cut off the stem end of each (about ⅓ of the length of the fruit), and cut off the bottom ⅓ of the fruit. Roll/squeeze the middle section between your finger and thumb and the large seeds should fall out. (You may need to use the tip of a sharp knife to get them out, if they’re stubborn.)
  2. Once all the seeds have been removed, slice each kumquat thinly.
  3. In a small sauce pan, add water, sugar and kumquats. Bring to boil and simmer on low for about 15 minutes.
  4. With a slotted spoon, remove kumquats from the liquid and spread on a plate to cool (try to ensure they’re not sitting in too much liquid). Reserve the syrup in case you decide to save some of the candied kumquats for snacking later.
For the Bark:
  1. Spread a piece of parchment paper over a large baking sheet.
  2. In the bowl of a double boiler, add the chocolate. Bring to boil then reduce to low simmer. Stir frequently so it melts slowly.
  3. Remove the bowl from the simmering liquid and towel dry off the moisture.
  4. Pour the chocolate onto the parchment-lined baking sheet and spread with a rubber or offset spatula, until you have about 3” all around (you can make your bark thin or thick, depending on how much you spread it).
  5. Sprinkle the chocolate with almonds, cherries and kumquats. Press them into the chocolate a bit, so they won’t all fall off later :)
  6. Refrigerate or simply allow to cool at room temperature for at least 2 hours.
  7. When the chocolate has set, break apart in large chunks.
Notes
1) Try to use the best quality chocolate you have. For this batch, I simply used a good brand of chocolate chips/morsels found in the grocery store, but it's ideal if you can use Valrhona, Scharffen Berger, Ghirardelli, etc.

2) If you decide not to use the whole cup of candied kumquats on your chocolate bark, save some with their cooking liquid. Simply refrigerate them in an airtight container and snack on them when you crave something sweet!
Recipe by My Delicious Blog at https://www.mydeliciousblog.com/valentines-day-heart-healthy-chocolate-bark/