Chocolate Almond Bark Recipe

So many foods just belong together. Think crackers and cheese, peas and carrots, wine and cheese, fish and chips, macaroni and cheese ... wow, a lot of foods go great with cheese, don't they? Well, another match that's hard to beat is this one laid out for you by chef and recipe developer Cathrine Brookes of Blue Sky Eating: chocolate and nuts. And to be more specific, dark chocolate and almonds.

"The combination of chocolate and almond is really delicious and the chocolate/nut slabs you can buy are often quite expensive," Brookes says, adding: "This is a really simple and inexpensive way to make your own that would be great to give as a gift, too." So that's a win-win-win if ever there was one. It's a recipe that's affordable and easy, that makes a treat you can enjoy yourself, and that makes a great gift — one that will be appreciated all the more for being homemade. A pretty sweet deal, eh? Then let's get cooking!

Technically speaking, you only need two ingredients to make chocolate almond bark. Yep, you guessed it: chocolate and almonds. But the addition of a bit of sea salt takes this treat up a notch, and it's highly recommended.

Want to take it up some more notches, or in some other direction? Brookes says: "You could add cashews, brazil nuts, hazelnuts, raisins, dried cranberries, coconut chips — whatever you fancy!"

Start the recipe off by preheating the oven to 350 F. Then place the almonds on a baking sheet and roast them for 8 minutes — this will add a nice toasty flavor and make them a bit easier to bite into.

Meanwhile, as the nuts roast, melt the chocolate in a bowl in the microwave in 30 second bursts, stirring in between. Make sure you stop heating it as soon as it's all in thick liquid form — you don't want it to burn. With the chocolate melted and the nuts roasted, it's time for them to meet. Stir about ⅔ of the almonds into the melted dark chocolate.

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and spoon the dark chocolate and almond mixture on top of it. Spread the chocolate and nuts out into a roughly rectangular shape in a layer that's approximately ¼-inch thick.

Next, place the remaining roasted almonds on top of the still-soft chocolate, pressing them in gently. Sprinkle a little flaky sea salt over the top — this is optional, but it's worth it.

Now, place the chocolate almond bark in the fridge to chill for 15 minutes.

For the penultimate step, peel the parchment paper away from the chocolate slab and break it into shards. The very last step? Eating some, of course! And packaging up the rest to give as a gift.

You can store this sweet treat at room temperature in an airtight container for up to two weeks, but resist that temptation to freeze it for later, as it really won't taste quite the same, according to Brookes. The good news? You can make a fresh batch in less than half an hour, chill time included.