Chocolate nut bark is an easy-to-make and delicious treat that gets even better with the addition of dried fruit and marshmallows. White chocolate looks festive, but you can use any favorite chocolate with this recipe. This also works well with toasted slivered almonds.
By Dwayne Ridgaway
Dwayne Ridgaway | The Gourmet's Guide to Cooking with Chocolate | Quarry Books, 2010
“Blueberries, cherries, cranberries and strawberries are all popular dried fruit options now – we've come a long way since the days of California raisins and prunes. A bit more decadent than they are on their own, cranberries, blueberries and golden raisins are bathed in a velvety white chocolate in this bark recipe.” – Dwayne Ridgaway
Yield: About 2 dozen pieces
Ingredients
12 oz. white chocolate chips or squares, chopped
1/2 tsp. orange extract
1/4 cup chopped golden raisins
1/4 cup dried blueberries
1/2 cup mini marshmallows
1/2 cup dried cranberries, divided
3/4 cup coarsely chopped pecans
Method
Melt the chocolate in the top of a double boiler. Add the orange extract, golden raisins, blueberries, marshmallows, ¼ cup of the dried cranberries, and ¼ cup of the pecans. Stir to combine. Line a 9 x 12-inch sheet pan with waxed paper. Spread the mixture evenly over the waxed paper into an 8 x10-inch rectangle. Sprinkle the remaining dried cranberries and pecans over the top, pressing them into the chocolate just so they stick. Let stand to cool for about 10 minutes. Cover and refrigerate until hardened, about 2 hours. When ready to serve, cut into bars or simply break into pieces.
The Gourmet's Guide to Cooking with Chocolate © 2010 Dwayne Ridgaway. Photo © Quarry Books. All rights reserved.