If you are looking for something to make with the kids this Easter, but need a change from chocolate crispie buns, then look no further. This Easter bark is perfect. All you need to make it is chocolate and a few toppings.
I’ve gone for Cadbury Mini Eggs (have you see the recipe for my Cadbury’s Mini Egg Milkshake?) for my first bark as they are so pretty and kids adore them.
For my second bark I’ve chosen toasted nuts and dried fruit. I love the combination of nuts and chocolate and wanted to try it as a bark. Toasting the nuts is well worth it as it gives them a fantastic flavour that really works with the chocolate. The dried apricot looks great and the little pops of stem ginger finish the bark off fantastically. However, you can top the bark with almost anything you wish, if it sounds good then give it a go.
Making the bark is simple. You simply melt the chocolate, pour it onto your baking sheet and sprinkle those lovely toppings over. A couple of hours later your chocolate bark will be ready to tuck into.
Chocolate Bark
Ingredients
For the milk chocolate bark
- 250 g good quality milk chocolate
- 150 g Cadbury’s mini eggs
For the dark chocolate bark
- 250 g 70% chocolate
- 180 g of your favourite nuts (I used a combination of almonds and macadamia and pecan nuts)
- 10 dried apricots
- 1 ball stem ginger
Instructions
- Firstly prepare your toppings.
For the mini eggs
- Place the mini eggs into a strong food bag, squeeze the air out and seal or hold the open end shut. Break up the mini eggs by hitting them gently with a rolling pin.
For the fruit and nuts
- Cut the ginger into very small dice and snip the apricots into 1cm pieces.
- Place the nuts into a dry frying pan and place over a low to medium heat. Allow to toast, tossing the nuts frequently so that they do not burn. Once they are lightly toasted tip them out onto a plate so that they do not burn.
For both barks
- Place a piece of non-stick baking parchment or cling film onto a baking sheet.
- Pour enough water into a pan to cover the bottom a few cm deep.
- Put the pan on the heat and place a heatproof bowl over the water, ensuring that the water does not touch the bottom of the bowl.
- Break the chocolate up, put it in the bowl and allow it to melt, stirring occasionally.
- Pour the chocolate onto the baking parchment or cling film, spreading it out evenly to make it as thin as you wish. I usually spread mine into a rectangle roughly 20x25cm.
- Sprinkle the toppings onto the bark.
- Leave to cool for 2-3 hours until set firm. Peel the backing off and break into pieces.
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