Birthday Chocolate Bark
Today is my birthday (not that I need to show off) and I am definitely in a mood for a special treat. Something yummy but also healthy without feeling low afterwards. Do you remember the line in the Frozen movie (yes, I have three girls at home and they love the movie, because which little girl doesn't?) where both sisters gasp with astonishment: Chocolate!
Well, I feel that way most of the time. Plus, seriously, who doesn't like chocolate. This chocolate bark is made with cocoa butter and honey and is refined sugar free and lactose free (for those of us who have trouble digesting dairy products). You can add different kind of dried fruit such as cranberries or goji berries and different kinds of nuts as well. Wrap it in some decorative wrap and you have a nice gift for someone's birthday! Just remember, heat and chocolate don't match.
Birthday Chocolate Bark (with goji berries and pistachios)
Ingredients
1 cup melted cocoa butter
1/4 cup cashew or for a darker chocolate bark, whole almond butter
3 tbsp raw honey (use lighter version such as e.g. lavender honey)
1 vanilla bean (seeds only)
pinch of salt
1/3 cup unsalted pistachios
1/3 cup dried goji berries
Instructions
1. Line a medium baking pan with parchment paper.
2. Coarsely chop pistachios.
3. Melt cocoa butter in a double boiler.
4. Remove cocoa butter from heat. Add cashew or almond butter, honey, salt, and vanilla seeds. Stir until combined.
5. Add mixture to a blender and blend for about 30 seconds. This step is very important as it prevents the ingredients from separating as they chill. You don't want to have honey on the bottom of your chocolate bark!
6. Spread mixture onto prepared pan in an even layer. Sprinkle with goji berries and pistachios.
7. Place tray in freezer, and set for 1 hour. Remove from freezer, roughly chop into pieces, and enjoy!