Chocolate Bark
The addition of smoked chilli and spices into this chocolate bar is subtle but utterly addictive. It makes a wonderful finish to a meal, accompanied by hot chocolate or coffee. You can buy dried chipotle peppers from online stores, or if you can't find any just use chilli flakes.
- Prep time:
- 15 mins + setting
- Cook time:
- 5 mins
- Serves:
- 12-16
- 1 tsp very finely chopped dried smoked chilli or chilli flakes
- ¼ tsp ground cloves
- 1 tsp five-spice powder
- 2 tsp ground cinnamon
- ½ tsp fine black pepper
- 500g dark chocolate (I use Whittaker's 72% Cocoa Dark Ghana), chopped
- 1½ cups coarsely chopped dried cranberries
- 1 cup coarsely chopped unsalted roasted cashews
- 1 cup coarsely chopped pistachios, plus extra to sprinkle
Place the chilli, cloves, five-spice, cinnamon and black pepper in a heavy frypan and toast over medium heat until they just start to smell fragrant (about 30 seconds). Don’t overheat or they will burn.
Line an oven tray with baking paper for easy clean-up. Gently melt the chocolate in the microwave, stirring every 30 seconds, or in a large bowl over a pot of boiling water. Remove from heat and stir in toasted spice mix and dried fruit and nuts, reserving about ½ cup pistachios. Spread evenly on the prepared tray, sprinkle with extra pistachios and leave in a cool place until set (about 45 minutes). Break or chop into chunks. Store in a sealed container in a cool place for up to a month.
This recipe is from my book The Free Range Cook: Through the Seasons
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