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12/22/14 blog post

mmmm! dark chocolate bark recipe!

Is baking with your children one of your holiday traditions? Cut-out cookies are definitely on our list. Some years we like to try a new recipe. This is one of those years – dark chocolate with fun toppings! It started with me searching for a new recipe to share with the dietitian’s here as part of our October dietitian birthday celebration. I wondered… How I could make a healthier chocolate dessert and have fun at the same time?

Recipe:

1. Melt dark chocolate (reach for dark chocolate greater than 60% cacao). I melted ours in a double broiler and stirred frequently. Melting using a double broiler allowed me time to assemble the fun toppings.

2. Roast a variety of nuts. The roasting enhances the flavor of the nut! I keep extra roasted nuts in the freezer for future recipes. After 10 minutes of roasting followed by cooling, rough chop the nuts with a knife or grind them via a mini food processor. Place nuts in a bowl.

3. Locate dried fruit: Craisins, raisins, apricots. Anything! If using larger fruit, rough chop similar to the size of a raisin. Place dried fruit in a bowl.

4. Consider toppings: Cheerios or pretzels (we cut pretzel sticks in half). Place in a bowl.

5. Sea Salt – collect and use for the last topping

6. Spread freezer paper on the kitchen counter and tape it secure. Spread the melted dark chocolate onto the freezer paper. Allow your children to sprinkle the variety of fun toppings all over the chocolate. Finish the chocolate with the last topping: ground sea salt.

7. Allow the chocolate to sit on the counter for 1-2 hours. Then, slide the freezer paper onto a cookie sheet and place in the freezer at least 10 minutes.

8. Break the chocolate into bite sized pieces and enjoy!

I have served this recipe with a bowl of clementines on the side. We like to keep a container of this homemade treat in the freezer to share with family and friends when they visit. One step further, turn this treat into a homemade gift this year. A real memory to share with your children!

May you all have a safe, healthy and happy holiday!

Read on for nontraditional holiday gift ideas. Check out Dayton Children’s on Pinterest’s Board: Kids Recipes and Nutrition Tips.