Studded with buttery pecans and salty smoked almonds, this decadent Dark Chocolate Bark should be on your To Make (Soon!) list. This rich bark recipe ticks all the boxes: super simple to make, just 4 ingredients, and no fancy equipment or techniques required. And of course, you’re on not not nutritious.com, so that means it’s easily made vegan or vegetarian, whatever suits you.
Dark Chocolate Bark: A Dessert for Non-Cooks
I’m going to let you in on a ‘not so secret’ secret: Even non-cooks can make this Dark Chocolate Bark. Short version: you chop nuts, melt chocolate, and stir the two together. Then just pop your creation in the fridge to harden.
The Ingredients and Choosing Chocolate
This recipe is just four ingredients: chocolate, pecans, smoked almonds, and brown butter or vegan brown butter. Since there are so few ingredients, the ideal situation is to choose high quality dark chocolate.
If you’re shopping for vegan version, per sure to check the label. Dark chocolate is not necessarily dairy-free chocolate.
Variation
Sometimes I swap out the smoky almonds with other types of store-bought nuts. If you want this to be vegan, be sure to check the label as dairy sneaks into so many things.
The Process
First, find a large flat plate or low-rimmed baking sheet, about 8 or 9 inches or 20 to 22 centimetres. Cut out a piece of parchment paper big enough to almost cover the surface. Set aside the plate for now.
Grab the pecans and almonds, a chopping board and knife, and give those lovely nuts a really rough chop, leaving some of them whole.
Bark always has a rustic beauty to it, you don’t want the nuts to look perfectly uniform.
After you’ve chopped the pecans, gently saute them for a few minutes over low heat in butter, or even better brown butter. If you’re vegan, and in you’re not in a big rush, first make my Easy Vegan Brown Butter recipe, and use the pecans from that for this bark recipe.
Now combine half of the pecans with half of the almonds. You will end up with two piles of nuts — each half pecans/half almonds. This does not have to be a perfect distribution.
Let’s get that chocolate melted. I melt mine in a small saucepan over low heat. You could also do this in a microwave on a low setting. Once the chocolate is melted, stir in half of the nuts, getting them coated in the chocolate.
Pour the chocolate/nut mixture onto your prepared parchment, spreading the chocolate around so it’s relatively equal in height.
I am repeating myself, I know, but perfection is neither necessary nor desired. Keep that thought in mind as you randomly sprinkle your other pile of nuts on top of the melted chocolate.
Our last step is to pop the bark in the fridge until it’s hardened. If you’re in a hurry, you can even just throw it in the freezer. When you’re ready to serve the bark, place it on the counter for a few minutes, remove the parchment paper, and break the bark into uneven pieces.
That wasn’t so bad, was it?
Making Dark Chocolate Bark for Mixed Groups
This recipe is just four ingredients: chocolate, pecans, smoked almonds, and brown butter or vegan brown butter. If you want to make both a vegan and vegetarian version of this bark, you’ll melt the chocolate in separate pans. The nuts are common ground, so you can get a big pile of those chopped up for everybody.
Dark Chocolate Bark
Ingredients
- 300 grams dark chocolate
- 1 cup pecans
- 1 cup smoked almonds
- 1 tablespoon brown butter or vegan brown butter See links below, or you can sub with regular butter or margarine
Instructions
- Prepare a low-rimmed baking sheet or large plate by lining it with parchment paper.
- Roughly chop the pecans and smoked almonds.
- Saute the pecans in the butter or brown butter. You can skip this step if you are using the pecans left over from making Easy Vegan Brown Butter
- Combine half the pecans with half of the almonds. You will have two piles of pecan/almond mixture. Set aside.
- Melt the chocolate over low heat, or in the microwave.
- Stir in one of your piles of pecan and almonds, so they are coated in the chocolate.
- Pour the chocolate/nut mixture on to the prepared plate.
- Sprinkle the remaining pile of pecan/almonds on top of the bark.
- Refrigerate until the bark is hardened. Then remove the parchment paper and break the bark into serving-sized pieces.
Notes
Choosing Chocolate
Use your favourite brand of dark chocolate for this. I used a 70% dark for the vegetarian version, and the Enjoy Life brand for the vegan version. (This is not a sponsored post.) You could also make this with milk chocolate if that’s what you prefer.Brown Butter or Vegan Brown Butter
You can make this recipe using regular butter or margarine, but if you have the time, try the version with brown butter or vegan brown butter. Making vegan brown butter involves using margarine and pecans. This chocolate bark recipe is a perfect way to use up on those buttery pecans.Storage
The small amount of butter/margarine in this recipe makes the bark a little bit softer than traditional bark. I keep mine stored in the fridge. It will keep for at least 3-4 days, if not longer. If you can avoid eating it for that long!Nutritional Information
Nutrition information is based on using butter, and is an estimate only.Nutrition
Looking for Other Dessert Ideas?
- Chocolate Barkies (Vegan and Vegetarian Options)
- Pear Zucchini Bread (Vegan and Vegetarian Options)
- Ginger Molasses Cookies (Vegan)
- Pear Tart with Brown Butter Crust (Vegan and Vegetarian Options)
- Rhubarb Tarts (Vegan and Vegetarian Options)
