Presenting the 2020 Holiday Bark Recipe Collection — three unique bark recipes to commemorate this very special year. Our first bark, I Need A Lockdown Project, is dedicated to all the gourmands hankering for a special holiday baking project. White chocolate bark is infused with lemon oil and green tea and painstakingly garnished with hand-shelled pistachios and oven-dried lemons. If you have time on your hands and an adventurous palate, this bark is for you.

Our second bark, I’m Supposed to Be in the Caribbean, is for those mourning the loss of a winter break in the sun. One bite of this delicious bark and you’ll be transported to the tropics.

This milk chocolate bark is chock full of dried mango, crunchy banana chips, toasted coconut, and $20 worth of macadamia nuts.

Our final bark recipe is an ode to harried parents everywhere. Dubbed Sheltering in Place With a 4 Year-Old, our version features white chocolate, peppermint, food colouring, pink and green rock candy, silver stars and a profusion of red sparkles.

We’re rather fond of our fearless snow lady, her back to the world, gazing quizzically into the star-studded night sky. But this bark should be all about you and your child. Designed for maximum flexibility in ingredients, styling, and flavour profile, let go of any last vestiges of control and allow Sheltering in Place with a 4 Year Old to truly reflect your child’s enthusiasm and creativity.

Which leads us nicely to these frequently asked questions…

FAQ

Can I add wine to it?

Sadly, wine is not a good idea, anything with a high water content will cause your chocolate to seize, meaning instead of being creamy, your chocolate becomes dry and lumpy.

So how do I get booze in my bark?

As a general rule, it’s best to avoid adding anything alcohol or water-based to chocolate. It is possible to add in small amounts of liqueurs (such as Grand Marnier or Bailey’s). If you’d like to try this, test a small amount of liqueur (a teaspoon) with about 100 grams of chocolate.

I better just use something kid-friendly…

Extracts

You can safely flavour your chocolate using oil-based extracts such as lemon, almond, peppermint, or coconut. Extracts vary widely in their strength and quality, so read the label and start with a small amount.

Infused Oils

Finally, you can flavour chocolate by adding in small amounts of infused oils. We used a lemon-infused olive oil for the Lockdown Project bark. Nut oils, such as almond or hazelnut oil would also be wonderful with chocolate. As with extracts, start with a little bit, and add more as needed. Don’t add more than about 1 tablespoon of oil per 300 grams of chocolate as it makes the chocolate softer and therefore the final bark will need to be kept in the fridge or even freezer.

When do I add the flavouring?

Stir the flavouring into the melted chocolate.

Back to the seizing thing – How do I make sure the chocolate doesn’t seize?

The two most important things you can do to ensure your chocolate doesn’t seize when melting it are:

1. Keep it away from water
2. Melt over low heat

What's the best way to melt chocolate?

• If you have good pans with heavy bases and an even burner, you can melt the chocolate directly in the pan over very low heat. Be sure to stir it frequently. If your pan can take it, heat the pan, add the chocolate, turn off the heat but keep the pan on the stove and then let the chocolate melt in the residual heat.
• If you don’t have the best sauce pans or your burner doesn’t cook evenly, it’s best to melt your chocolate in a double boiler. This is just a heat-proof mixing bowl inserted into a saucepan that contains water. Keep the water to below boiling, because as noted above – you want to keep the chocolate away from water and you don’t want the heat to be too high.

What's the best chocolate for bark?

The better quality chocolate the better the bark will be. Callebaut and Ghiradelli are two well-known brands that you can often find in well-stocked grocery stores.

You can also use chocolate chips, in all their various forms – dark, semi-sweet, milk chocolate, and white. If you’re vegan, Enjoy Life chips can be a good option.

Overall Steps for Making Chocolate Bark

1.  Prepare a plate for the bark. Choose something fridge/freezer safe that is flat or has low edges. Line the plate with parchment paper.
2. Prepare your fillings/toppings. Once the chocolate has melted, you have to work fairly quickly with the bark, so be sure to have your fillings/toppings chopped and measured and ready to go.
3. Melt the chocolate.
4. Optionally, add in any flavourings, or food colouring.
5. Stir in the filling mixture.
6. Spread the melted chocolate on to the prepared plate.
7. Garnish with toppings, such as more of the filling mixture, or sparkles and stars.
8. Place the bark in the fridge and chill until hardened. If you’re in a hurry, you can put the bark in the freezer.

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