A certain February holiday usually corners the market on chocolate. Instead of opting for a heart-shaped box, our Test Kitchen got to work on a chocolate treat you can make year-round. This bark, studded with agave-sweetened granola, cacao nibs and crystallized ginger, is a sweet-and-salty snack with an alluring texture. We found ourselves breaking off piece after piece, which is more than we can say for some other chocolates we've had.
Chocolate Bark
Recipe from the Tasting Table Test Kitchen
Yield: One 9-by-13-inch sheet
Cook Time: 7 minutes (plus 1 hour to chill)
Ingredients
Nonstick pan spray
¾ pound semisweet chocolate (62%), finely chopped
¼ pound bittersweet chocolate (82%), finely chopped
¼ teaspoon flaky sea salt
¾ cup granola (we used agave-sweetened granola), divided
2 tablespoons cacao nibs
2 tablespoons coarsely chopped crystallized ginger
Directions
1. Lightly coat a 9-by-13-inch rimmed baking sheet with nonstick pan spray. Line the baking sheet with parchment paper, allowing the ends of the paper to hang loosely over the short edges of the baking sheet.
2. In a large bowl, add the semisweet and bittersweet chocolates and the salt. Fill a medium saucepan with 1 inch of water and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to low and place the bowl on top of the saucepan (make sure the bottom of the bowl doesn't touch the water). Stir the chocolate often until it is completely melted and smooth, 3 to 5 minutes. Remove the bowl with the chocolate from the saucepan.
3. To the melted chocolate, add ½ cup of the granola and stir to combine. Pour the chocolate-granola mixture onto the prepared baking sheet and use a spatula to spread the mixture in an even, ¼-inch-thick layer. Immediately sprinkle the chocolate with the remaining ¼ cup of the granola, the cacao nibs and the crystallized ginger and refrigerate until hard, about 1 hour.
4. Remove the bark from the refrigerator and use the parchment overhang to lift it out of the baking sheet and set it on a cutting board. Use a sharp knife to break the chocolate into pieces, then serve immediately or store in the refrigerator for up to 2 days. Calories per Serving: 170; Sodium: 35mg; Total Carbohydrate: 20g; Fiber: 3g; Fat: 12g