Chocolate Bark

I recently received a complaint from my brother that I had not posted anything new on my blog in a while. In truth, I have been cooking a lot lately but I haven't been making what I consider to be "blog-worthy" food. I feel that in order for a recipe to make it onto my blog it must taste good, look good, and also be somewhat easy to recreate (although some require more effort than others).

Recently I tried out some new recipes but wasn't completely satisfied with them and therefore chose not to put them up on my blog. For some I found that the concept was good...it just needed to be developed further or tweaked a little to produce a great recipe. In other instances I realized that I didn't quite like how any part of the dish turned out and therefore will not be revisiting the particular recipe.

In the case of this chocolate bark I decided to post it because it is indeed "blog-worthy": it's easy to make and versatile, letting you add anything you want. I made this batch using pistachios and dried cranberries. I also made a second batch (not pictured) with milk chocolate, toasted almonds, and bananas. Unfortunately the bananas didn't harden which made me think that next time I should use banana chips instead. Overall it was simple and hassle-free; the only disadvantage I found was that it tends to want to melt in your hands while eating it. I don't know if this was a consequence of my refrigerating it for only two hours (we took it out quickly because my brother really wanted to try it) or whether it always does this. I guess I'll find out the answer when I make it next time and force myself to wait it out.
Chocolate Bark

• 8 oz chocolate (one chocolate bar)
• 1/2 cup dried fruit 
• 1/2 cup nuts
• Optional: fruit zest (lemon, orange)

1. Using a double broiler (see how to set up here) melt the chocolate.
2. Mix in the dried fruit and nuts, reserving a little bit to sprinkle on top. If using the fruit zest mix it in it's entirety.
3. Line a pan with aluminum foil, wax, or parchment paper. Spread the chocolate mixture evenly into the pan so that it is about 1/4" thick.
4. Sprinkle the remaining fruits and nuts over the top.
5. Refrigerate until it hardens or store in a cool place on the counter. Once hardened, break up into pieces and enjoy.