Better-Than-Fruitcake Bark

Recipe by The View From the Great Island

Better-Than-Fruitcake Bark ~ nobody loves fruitcake, but every everybody flips for this chocolate bark loaded with dried fruits and nuts! This holiday bark is over the top, just like its namesake, but there are no Brazil nuts, no creepy green maraschinos, no prunes or lemon peel.  Just the good stuff.  And I promise you, this one won’t get re-gifted. A whole host of gorgeous dried fruits and nuts is sunken in to a layer of pure white chocolate that sits on top of another layer of dark chocolate.  This would be a sumptuous food gift, and it takes no effort to make.  The biggest trouble will be choosing your fruit and nuts. Contrary to what you hear, the microwave works just fine for melting chocolate.  It’s my preferred method.  I like to use a glass measuring cup to do this because the glass holds the heat and helps melt the chocolate, and the spout makes it easy to pour the chocolate out. Also contrary to what you hear, you can use chocolate chips for melting.  They actually work well because they are already in small pieces, so they don’t require a lot of time to melt, and the less exposure …

Ingredients

• 1 12-oz bag dark or semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 1 12-oz bag white chocolate chips
• about 1 to 1 1/2 cups assorted colorful dried fruit and roasted nuts, rough chopped or left whole

Method

1. Put the dark chocolate chips in a glass bowl or measuring cup and microwave for 1 minute. Take out, stir, and if the chips aren't completely melted put it back in the microwave in 15 second bursts, stirring in between, until the chocolate is glossy and lump free.
2. Spread out the chocolate into approximately a 9x12 rectangle on a baking sheet that's been lined with parchment paper or a silpat liner. The lining is important because you will need the bark to come off easily once it has hardened. Spread out the chocolate as evenly as you can; an offset spatula works well for this.
3. Let the layer of chocolate harden. You can set it aside, or put the tray in the refrigerator for about 30 minutes.
4. Melt the white chocolate in the same way, and spread it out evenly over the dark chocolate. Note: If you have had trouble melting white chocolate in the past, you can play it safe and use a double boiler. Bring a pan of water to a boil, and set a bowl over it, being sure no water gets into the bowl. Lower the heat and melt the chocolate over the simmering water, stirring constantly.
5. While the white chocolate is still warm, scatter the fruit and nuts evenly over the entire surface. Press down gently to insure that they stick as the chocolate hardens.
6. Set aside to harden at room temperature, or place in the refrigerator.
7. Cut into pieces, or leave whole.

View the recipe instructions at The View From the Great Island