In high school, my route home took me past a natural foods store. I used to pop in whenever I had a few dollars in my pocket because they had the best chocolate covered almonds. Because they were certified kosher, I convinced myself they were “100% healthy” and the perfect after school snack. Ha! Not totally wrong, right? I’ve been a fan of really good versions of chocolate and almond combos ever since and I think this bark makes that really good cut.
When Dakota joined the circle here at The Modern Bee, she mentioned that dark chocolate with almonds was a favorite snack. She spent the last several years traveling extensively on the regular with Serena Williams, which got me to thinking: chocolate covered almond bark would make a great travel snack. I mean, it satisfies that chocolate craving without overdoing it and also packs in the healthy fat and fiber benefits of almonds. Into the kitchen I went! I used this recipe as a guideline, because Jacques Torres makes some of the best chocolate goodies out there, but honestly I went a little rogue. Thinking about how busy Dakota’s travel schedule had been, I wanted to make a snack that was super easy, without any unnecessary steps or equipment. It would’ve made a great snack during those travel heavy days of Dakota’s, but I’d imagine will also make a great one when she’s on a shoots now.
In terms of changes, I made sure to buy chocolate discs instead of blocks for easier melting, so that I could skip the double boiler. I simply mixed the chocolate on low in a saucepan over the stovetop, which was therapeutic in its own right. A candy thermometer was also unnecessary in my version, I just melted and mixed until fully melted. I also nixed the seeds as a personal preference and did equal parts dark chocolate (I did a 70% dark) and milk chocolate discs, another personal preference. From start to finish, it probably took me about 20 minutes to make this bark, with 10 of those minutes accounted for when the bark was cooling in the fridge and a handful of the initial minutes spent gathering my supplies on the counter and lining my baking tray with parchment.
How did the bark turn out? Damn delicious. I might try using salted almonds next time for a little sweet/salty vibe. Also, always be sure to use the highest quality chocolate you can. You’re worth it!
How easy was it to make on a scale of 1 to 10? A solid 1, with the difficulty coming from anxiously waiting for the bark to cool so I could try it out. It was the type of recipe that had me kicking myself for not making it a homemade snack staple eons ago. It really is the perfect easy, delicious (and kind of nutritious) snack, perfect for traveling or as an afternoon pick-me-up. Thanks for the inspiration, Dakota!
-Michaela
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