Chocolate Lover?
If you’re a fan of Trader Joe’s Cowboy Bark like I am, you’ll likely love this recipe. Who doesn’t want to take their taste buds on a flavor adventure with dark chocolate, nuts, heath bars and a hint of sea salt?
This recipe just has 7 ingredients – I refer to them as the “Magnificent 7” and after the chocolate is nice and gooey the kids can help decorate these treats … fun for the whole family!
Cowboy Bark is great for gift-giving! I make it for friends and clients … and soon my parents (if they find this post).
Foodie Tips:
The chocolate mix is the most important part of this recipe and you can customize it to your personal taste; you can use 100% of the same dark chocolate or a mixture of your own liking. I used a 12 ounce bag of Hershey’s Special Dark Mildly Sweet Chocolate Chips, 4 ounces of Nestle Toll House Milk Chocolate Morsels and a Trader Joe’s Dark Chocolate Lover’s Chocolate Bar that the folks at TJ gave us just for checking-in on Foursquare. Sweet!
You can top your bark with a few of your own special ingredients – we like dried cranberries, pistachios, cashews and of course Texas pecans, the Mother of all nuts.
Ingredients:
18-20 ounces | Chocolate, Melted Warm (see foodie tip above) 1 Cup | Mini Pretzels, Broken Into Pieces (Rold Gold or Synder’s work well) ¼ Cup | Lightly Salted Peanuts, Coarsely Chopped ¼ Cup | Lightly Salted Almonds, Coarsely Chopped ¼ Cup | Heath Bars, Coarsely Chopped 8-10 | Chocolate Oreo Cookies, Cut Into Bite-Size Pieces A Sprinkling | Gray Sea Salt, To Taste
Directions:
1. Line a 10″ x 15″ baking tray with a piece of parchment paper and set aside.
2. Ready all of the ingredients above – except the chocolate – so that once the chocolate is melted you can move swift, like the wind.
3. Place your chocolate mixture into a microwave-safe bowl and heat in 15-30 second increments, stirring with a rubber spatula between cycles, until the chocolate is smooth. Do not boil!
4. Pour your chocolate mixture onto your readied baking tray and spread the chocolate evenly with a wooden spoon or large knife. You don’t need to spread to the corners; just keep the chocolate in one continuous “blob.” Perfection isn’t a requirement here.
5. Sprinkle your ingredients on top of the chocolate and top with a sprinkling of sea salt. Lightly press your toppings into the chocolate to ensure a friendly bonding.
6. Transfer your readied tray into your fridge for 30-60 minutes, until everything has “set.” With a blunt knife press into the chocolate – it should break into delightful chunks.
Yield: 20 or more servings, depending on the size of your bark cuttings.
Joe Paul Reider
Home Style Austin Founder Austin Realtor® Keller Williams Realty, Inc.
Email: JoePaul@KW.com
Mobile: 512-222-3302
Web: JoePaul.KWRealty.com
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