Tis' the season for chocolate...

If you need an excuse to make a chocolate treat... Valentine's Day is coming soon.
You can make something for an intimate dinner, to share with friends and co-workers or just to treat yourself. Love thyself first, right ??

Over the winter holidays, my dear friend Mita (The Clumsy Cook)  gave me two confections she made.

One was a dark chocolate bark studded with dried fruit and nuts.
I have never really been a fan of "bark" but this changed my mind completely.
The best part is how easy it is to make.

I wanted to make some treats for friends and family for Valentine's Day so I made three batches of bark. Each with a slightly different combination of ingredients. It's great because you can tailor it to the tastes of your loved one. Shhh, don't tell Bob, but I made him some out of milk chocolate, he prefers it to dark chocolate, one of his few flaws ;-)

Mita calls her recipe "trail mix bark", I like to think of mine as "chocolate bark goes for a hike"

Chocolate Bark Goes for a Hike

Ingredients:

16 oz. chocolate: dark or milk
dried fruit, cut into bit size pieces
nuts
seeds
coconut flakes
Coarse grain sea salt

Instead of all the separate ingredients you can use your favorite trail mix to make it very simple.

1) Choose your chocolate. I used these Trader Joe's large bars. You can used higher quality if you choose. I would stay away from Hershey's, chocolate chips will do in a pinch.

2) Have your toppings ready before you start melting your chocolate. I used dried apricots, dried cranberries, toasted coconut flakes, pumpkin seeds, roasted almonds, hazelnuts, cashews, honey roasted peanuts, sunflower seeds. You can also use your favorite trail mix to make it very simple.

3) Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper, or use foil and cooking oil spray.

4) Chop your chocolate into small chunks and place into a large microwavable bowl. The smaller your chunks the quicker it will melt. If you don't have a microwave, a double boiler on the stove top works just fine.

5) Cover the bowl with a plate and microwave for 1 minute. Remove and stir and repeat. The trick with melting chocolate in a microwave is to not overcook it. It partly depends on how much chocolate you have in your bowl, it you are using a smaller amount start with 30 seconds. As the chocolate melts decrease the time in the microwave. Eventually it will be smooth.

6) Pour the chocolate onto the prepared pan, use a spatula to smooth it into a round about a half inch thick.

7) Sprinkle with the nuts, fruit and seeds, don't be afraid to use lots. Press them carefully into the chocolate. Dust lightly with some coarse sea salt if you like that combination.

8) Allow to harden, this can be done in a cool room or the fridge if you are in a hurry.

9) Break into chunks and eat !! Or package it in tins, jars or cellophane bags and give it to the people you love.

If you want something a little fancier for Valentine's Day, here are a few of my favorite chocolate recipes from past posts.

Flourless Chocolate Cake, simple but very rich and elegant.

Molten Chocolate Cakes, great for a cold night !!

Chocolate Cupcakes with Dark Chocolate Ganache, for the vegan in your life.

This decadent Chocolate Ice Cream would please even the most critical of your chocolate lovers.

Flourless Chocolate Cake...a little late :-)

I meant to post this recipe before Valentine's Day, but I didn't get around to it. You will just have to think of another excuse, soon, to make it for your sweetheart.

My friend, Susan sent it to me and then brought me a piece to try, yum !!
It is lighter than other flourless chocolate cakes I have made, which is nice.
The recipe she sent me from Epicurious makes a small cake, I found out on line that you can double this recipe just fine. As usual I made a few of my own modifications :-)

Flourless Chocolate Cake
- the small one*

Preheat oven to 375°F( the temperature is different for the larger cake) and butter an 8-inch round baking pan.
Line bottom with a round of parchment paper and butter paper.



Ingredients
4 ounces fine-quality bittersweet chocolate (not unsweetened)
1/2 cup butter

3/4 cup sugar

3 large eggs

1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 teaspoon vanilla or almond extract or any liqueur of your choice
1/2 teaspoon salt.

1) 

Chop chocolate into small pieces.
2) In a double boiler or metal bowl set over a saucepan of barely simmering water, melt chocolate with butter, stirring, until smooth.
3) Remove top of double boiler or bowl from heat and whisk sugar into chocolate mixture.

4) Add eggs and whisk well.
5) Sift 1/2 cup cocoa powder over chocolate mixture and whisk until just combined.

6) Pour batter into pan.

7) Bake in middle of oven 25 minutes, or until top has formed a thin crust. 
8) Cool cake in pan on a rack 5 minutes and invert onto a serving plate, if you plan to serve it immediately. Be careful it is delicate and crumbles easily.
I made mine ahead of time, so after it cooled, I put it in the fridge in the pan.
When I removed it I decided to try a cute trick of making a doily print on top with powdered sugar.

Place the doily on the cake and evenly dust with powered sugar.

 It would have been perfect if I had been more carefully removing the sugar filled doily.

This cake begs for a topping, I decided on fresh whipped cream and strawberry sauce made with balsamic vinegar, blood orange juice and some sugar. It was delightful, tangy and the perfect foil for the chocolate.

*For the larger cake all ingredients listed are doubled. Use a 10 inch spring-form pan.
Bake at a lower 350 F for 35 to 40 minutes. Serves 10 to 12.