A Note Before You Start
This recipe is delightfully simple and completely customizable!
Ingredients
12 oz of milk, semi-sweet or dark chocolate or a combination of your choosing
12oz of white chocolate
1 tsp of vegetable oil divided* 1/2 tsp per 12 oz of chocolate
1/2 cup of dried cherries roughly chopped
1/2 cup of salted nuts (your choice; author used sea salt macadamia nuts) roughly chopped
1/2 cup of salted pepitas
1/2 cup of coconut chips
Preparation
Step 1: Line a large cookie sheet with a piece of parchment paper
Step 2: Melt chocolates: For dark, milk ,or semi-sweet chocolate melt the chocolate with 1/2 tsp of vegetable oil in a microwave safe bowl in 30 second intervals stirring in between each interval until almost melted. Stir until the residual heat melts the remaining chocolate. For the white chocolate add the remaining 1/2 tsp of vegetable oil and repeat the same process HOWEVER only microwave in 15 second intervals as white chocolate tends to seize up if heated too quickly.
Step 3: Pour the melted chocolate onto the cookie sheet and spread to desired thickness. If using white chocolate, spread it on top of the darker chocolate and use a toothpick to create pretty swirls. Then add your toppings.
Step 4: Chill the bark in the refrigerator for 30-60 minutes before breaking into pieces.
*After researching different chcolate bark recipes, I decided to add a small amount of vegetable oil to the chocolate to aid in the melting process (ensuring viscosity).
Alternative bark toppings:
Any type of dried fruit (cranberries, apricots, raisins, currants etc)
Any type of nut: chopped pecans, walnuts, cashews, pistachios etc
Crushed candy canes, or toffee bits will work as well.