Chocolate Bark

This stuff is to die for. And it's super easy! No one will ever guess that it doesn't have sugar in it. But like the brownies in my last post, it is pretty intense. I had to take the whole thing over and store it in Kendall's freezer so I wouldn't eat it all in one sitting. But that was only after I ate half of it in one sitting.

The real trick is waiting until the chocolate has actually hardened before eating it all. Because I speak from experience that that can get kind of messy.

 I didn't have enough almonds and also didn't want to buy hazelnuts, so I used a combo of walnuts, cashews, and almonds. That was a win! Play around with what you add to this. I usually just do peanuts now, but you can use any nut, you can leave out the coconut altogether, whatever you like. I don't necessarily recommend adding dried fruit like raisins, as they become extra hard in the freezer. 

 Chocolate Bark

Oh She Glows

1/4 cup raw hazelnuts (or other nuts--see above note)
1/4 cup raw almonds
1/3 cup unsweetened shredded coconut (or large flake)
1/2 cup virgin coconut oil
1/2 cup cocoa or cacao powder, sifted if necessary
1/4 cup pure maple syrup or agave
1 tablespoon smooth almond butter, optional
pinch fine sea salt

1. Preheat oven to 300F. Line a 9" square pan or a small baking sheet with two pieces of parchment paper, one going each way. Set aside.
2. Put nuts on a baking sheet and roast in the oven for 10 minutes. Remove baking sheet and add the coconut flakes and spread out. Continue roasting the nuts and coconut flakes for another 3-4 minutes, or until the coconut is lightly golden. Watch closely to avoid burning - coconut burns fast!
3. Place hazelnuts on several sheets of damp paper towel. Wrap the hazelnuts and rub them vigorously with the paper towel until the skins fall off. It’s ok if some skins don’t come off. Discard the skins and roughly chop the hazelnuts and almonds.
4. In a medium saucepan, melt the coconut oil over low heat. Remove from heat and whisk in the cocoa (or cacao) powder, maple syrup, and almond butter (if using) until smooth. Add a pinch of sea salt to taste. Stir in half of the almonds and hazelnuts.
5. With a spatula, spoon the chocolate mixture onto the prepared parchment-lined pan or sheet and smooth out until it's about 1/4-1/2 inch thick. Sprinkle on the remaining nuts and all of the coconut flakes. Place into freezer on a flat surface for about 15 minutes, until frozen solid.
6. Once frozen, break apart into bark. Store in the freezer until ready to eat. I don't recommend keeping it out on the counter long because it melts fast.