Candy & Popcorn Archives - Perry's Plate

3 Ingredient White Chocolate Covered Pretzels Recipe

Natalie Perry — Fri, 27 Jan 2023 14:25:00 +0000

I’m a big fan of creating simple, easy recipes for holidays. Fussy food projects can be fun, but not when you have a million other things to do, amiright? These delicious white chocolate pretzels are my solution for a stress-free Valentine’s Day treat (or any day, really).

One of my favorite baking hacks is using freeze-dried berries. Here they are crushed up and sprinkled on white chocolate covered pretzels for a boost of berry flavor. You’ll want to keep a bag of berries in your pantry at all times!

These particular pretzels with the freeze-dried strawberries dusted on them are the best white chocolate pretzels I've made. They're so good!

You can make them gluten-free, dairy-free, & low sugar, too. More on that later.

Why You'll Love These Strawberry White Chocolate Covered Pretzels

As if the pop of berry flavor and creamy white chocolate isn’t enough reason to love these, they’re a great last minute treat. I’ll show you how to get these done in about 30 minutes. You can also use gluten-free pretzels if you need a GF treat in a hurry!

Strawberry White Chocolate Pretzels Recipe Ingredients

Pretzels (twists, sticks or pretzel rods)
White chocolate chips or melts or almond bark
Freeze-dried strawberries

(That's it!)

Best pretzels for White Chocolate Covered Pretzels

It depends, really.

For this recipe, I like using mini pretzel twists because they create more surface area for the crushed strawberries.

White chocolate pretzels sticks are delicious, but it would be hard for the crushed strawberries to stick. Thick pretzel rods may work.

Side note: Gluten-free pretzels are really easy to find if you wanted to make these gluten-free!

Best chocolate for White Chocolate Pretzels

You have two options here:

White chocolate chips/bars -- this is my preferred type of chocolate because typically chocolate chips (depending on the brand) are higher quality and taste better than candy melts or almond bark. I like to use Ghirardelli or Guittard chocolate chips. If you can find high quality chocolate in bars or large chunks, those are good to use, too. Just chop it coarsely before melting.
Candy melts/almond bark -- These tend to be more forgiving and melt easier. They also come in fun colors, if that's what you're going for. Like I said above, they typically won't taste as good as high quality chips.

How to melt white chocolate:

The easiest way is to put some chocolate chips or melts into a small bowl and microwave on high in 20-second increments, stirring after every one.

Don't microwave it for more than 20-30 seconds because the chocolate might scorch (especially white chocolate -- it burns easily!)

How to Make White Chocolate Dipped Pretzels

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or wax paper.
Melt your chocolate in a small bowl.
Dip pretzel in chocolate, shaking off the excess chocolate, and lay it on the paper.
Sprinkle with crushed freeze dried strawberries (I just crush them in my fingers)
Let them sit until the chocolate has fully hardened. You can transfer the pan to a cool spot in your house or the refrigerator.

Tips for White Chocolate Covered Pretzels

Use a small bowl, not a deep, wide bowl, for the chocolate. It'll be easier to dip the pretzels.
You can dip them halfway like I did which is faster and easier. Or you can fully cover them. I like to use a fork or a couple of chopsticks to fish them out of the melted chocolate.
You could pulverize the freeze-dried strawberries and stir some of the powder into the melted white chocolate to get more strawberry flavor. I found the chocolate to be lumpy and hard to work with, but it's an option if you wanted to give it a try.
If you don't want to use strawberries, just leave them plain. Add some festive sprinkles for white chocolate Christmas pretzels!

White Chocolate Pretzels Recipe variations

MAKE THEM GLUTEN FREE: Use gluten free pretzels. Most chocolate is naturally gluten free, but check the labels to be sure.

MAKE THEM DAIRY FREE: Use dairy free chocolate.

MAKE THEM LOW SUGAR: Since pretzels aren't low-carb, these won't ever be low-carb or keto friendly, but you can reduce the sugar content by using low carb chocolate chips. I like Lily's for this. I've used all kinds of Lily's chocolate for melting and dipping pretzels, and it works beautifully.

How to Store White Chocolate Covered Pretzels

With most chocolate covered pretzels, you can just stick them in an airtight container or a zip top bag for storage. They'll stay tasty for a couple of weeks.

I'd recommend using a container for these since the bits of strawberry would get knocked off if the pretzels were jostled around a lot in a plastic bag.

If you make one of my recipes, I'd love to see! Post it on social media and tag me at @perrysplate or #perrysplate so I can send you some love!

White Chocolate Covered Pretzels Recipe FAQs

Where do you buy freeze-dried strawberries?

Trader Joe's always has them and recently these have been more easy to find in regular grocery stores. Just look over by the dried fruit.

How long does it take for chocolate to harden?

That depends on the temperature of your house. It's wintertime here and I had these sitting by the back door and they were hard in under 15 minutes.
I'd plan at least 30 just to be on the safe side, but they'll harden more quickly if you set them in a cold garage or in the refrigerator.

More Easy Melted Chocolate Recipes on Perry's Plate

If you liked this white chocolate dipped pretzels recipe, you might like these...

Chocolate Dipped Strawberries with Marshmallow Fluff

How to Make Chocolate Bark

Homemade Peppermint Bark

Cranberry Orange White Chocolate Popcorn

Keto Chocolate Nuggets

White Chocolate Pretzels Recipe

Yield: 50 small pretzels

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Total Time: 20 minutes

These delicious white chocolate pretzels are sprinkled with freeze-dried strawberries for a pop of berry flavor. They make a quick, easy treat for Valentine's Day. (Or any day!)

Ingredients

6 ounces white chocolate chips or melts
50 small pretzel twists (gluten-free if you like!)
¼ cup freeze-dried strawberries

Instructions

Put the white chocolate chips in a small bowl and microwave in 20 second increments, stirring after each one, until completely melted.
Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.
Dip each pretzel halfway into the melted chocolate and lay it on the parchment paper. Crush some freeze-dried strawberry and sprinkle some on each wet pretzel. I like to dip 4-5 and then sprinkle them before dipping more so they're still wet enough for the strawberry pieces to stick.
Let the chocolate set until fully hardened, about 20-30 minutes depending on the temperature of your home.
Store in an airtight container for up to a week.

Notes

If you're wanting to lower the sugar content here, use low-carb white chocolate. I've used Lily's white chocolate chips successfully in this recipe.

Recommended Products

As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs, I earn from qualifying purchases.

Nutrition Information

Yield 5 Serving Size 10 pretzels
Amount Per Serving Calories 1275Total Fat 19gSaturated Fat 8gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 9gCholesterol 7mgSodium 3546mgCarbohydrates 249gFiber 10gSugar 27gProtein 31g

The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

The post 3 Ingredient White Chocolate Covered Pretzels Recipe appeared first on Perry's Plate.

Homemade Peppermint Bark

Natalie Perry — Thu, 23 Dec 2021 03:39:00 +0000

This dark chocolate homemade peppermint bark recipe is easy to make, and I included an option to make it keto and dairy-free, too!

Peppermint bark is so great isn't it? It's one of my favorite treats during the holidays and SO easy to make.

I wrote a post a while back about How to Make Chocolate Bark with a recipe for Blackberry Bacon Bark Bites, but I wanted to specifically talk about peppermint bark since it's the most common type of chocolate bark.

Peppermint bark is a quick and easy treat to give to neighbors and friends, too. I love it because it stays fresh for a long time and it's easy to package in a cello bag or a cute little box or tin.

Keto Homemade Peppermint Bark

To make keto peppermint bark, simply switch out your regular chocolate for low-carb friendly chocolate. Lily's chocolate is my favorite one to use because it melts well and it's easy to find these days in most grocery stores.

Lily's chocolate is also on Amazon and you can find it discounted on Thrive Market (use that link to get $25 off your first order!)

Obviously candy canes aren't keto-friendly, but a small amount of crushed candy cane sprinkled on the bark wouldn't throw your macros off too badly. There are 10g of sugar in one candy cane and you only need 1 or 2 for this whole pan of peppermint bark.

If you're REALLY not wanting to use candy canes, then leave them out.

The Best Chocolate for Melting for Chocolate Peppermint Bark

If you can find high quality chocolate melts (the ones that look like little disks) they tend to melt more easily than regular baking chips.

If you live near a WinCo foods, they have Guittard chocolate melts in their bulk department which work great!

Craft stores like Michaels sells colored candy melts that work well, but it's usually very low quality and doesn't taste as good as actual chocolate.

If you have a big block of chocolate, you can use that, too. Just chop the chocolate into ½-inch bits first.

Adding just a few drops of water to melted chocolate will cause it to seize (get thick and grainy) and you can't recover from that easily or at all sometimes. So, be careful!

Best Peppermint Flavoring for Homemade Peppermint Bark

When you add flavorings to chocolate, you have to be really careful that it doesn't contain water.

I ALWAYS use peppermint essential oil when I make peppermint bark because there's no water and it's super concentrated so I only need a few drops.

I love this Organic Peppermint Oil from Revive. (If you use the code PERRYSPLATE10 you can get 10% off your order or 15% off $100 or more.)

How to Melt Chocolate Chips for Chocolate Peppermint Bark

If you're using low-carb chocolate, it's the same process as regular chocolate.

Just put a small amount (8-10 ounces at a time) in a microwave-safe bowl and heat for 20-30 second intervals on high -- stirring between each interval.

You don't want to put it in there for 1-2 minutes straight or you'll burn your chocolate. White chocolate chips are especially prone to burning.

Best Peppermint Bark Ingredients

Milk or dark chocolate chips
White chocolate chips
Peppermint essential oil
Candy canes (optional)

How to Make Peppermint Bark

Classic peppermint bark has a double layer of chocolate -- regular chocolate on the bottom and white chocolate on top.

First, spread out the melted milk or dark chocolate on a piece of parchment. Let it harden completely (I put mine outside since I live in Idaho. Just make sure it isn't raining or snowing!)
Then spread out the melted white chocolate.
Sprinkle the candy canes.
Let the whole thing harden completely.
Break it into pieces. (My favorite part.)

The whole thing can be done in less than 30 minutes depending on how quickly your chocolate hardens.

Fun, right??

Breaking it up is so fun. My kids love doing this part.

Peppermint Bark Chocolate Variations

Nuts - add some almond slices, macadamias or pecans to the mix.
Dried fruit - cranberries, raisins or candied orange would be good.
Other essentail oils - Orange and peppermint? Yes please!

Ways to Serve the Best Peppermint Bark

Have some extra peppermint bark lying around? Here are a few creative ways to use it if you don't want to just eat it right out of the container. (That's OK, too.)

Sprinkle it into your hot chocolate or on ice cream.
Chop it up and make some peppermint bark cookies with either a chocolate or vanilla cookie base.
Air pop some popcorn, drizzle it with white chocolate and sprinkle some peppermint bark on top.
Add some bark to a fun dessert tray with all of your leftover holiday treats and take it to a gathering. (Hello, New Year's Eve!)

Homemade Peppermint Bark FAQs

How long does peppermint bark last?

Kept in an airtight container in a cool place, it’ll last about two weeks for best flavor.

How do you keep peppermint bark from separating?

If your bark is separating a lot, try adding the top layer while the bottom is still a little tacky. Or make sure your top layer is very warm when adding it to the solidified bottom layer so they melt together.

What’s the best way to melt chocolate for peppermint bark?

I like using the microwave method because it requires fewer dishes and it’s faster than a double broiler method. The risk of burning the chocolate is higher in the microwave, so make sure you’re using either a low setting or very short intervals (20-30 seconds).

More Holiday Treat Ideas on Perry's Plate

Here are a few more ideas for easy treat giving!

How to Make Chocolate Bark is a great one for more ideas on making homemade chocolate bark!

Dairy-Free Loaded Chai Caramel Popcorn is filled with dried apples, pecans, coconut flakes and covered in a delicious chai-spice caramel sauce!

Paleo Samoa Cookie Bars make a great addition to a cookie plate! And great for gifting to those who have gluten, dairy or nut allergies.

Blackberry Bacon Bark Bites are another keto chocolate recipe that is unique and fun for giving.

Best Paleo Chocolate Chip Cookies with Sea Salt is a paleo-friendly take on a classic chocolate chip cookie!

If you make one of my recipes, I'd love to see! Post it on social media and tag me at @perrysplate or #perrysplate so I can send you some love!

Recipe for Peppermint Bark

Yield: Serves 10

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Additional Time: 10 minutes

Total Time: 30 minutes

This easy homemade peppermint bark recipe can be done in under 30 minutes! I added suggestions for making this keto-friendly and/or dairy-free.

Ingredients

9 ounces milk or dark chocolate chips
9 ounces white chocolate chips
10 drops peppermint essential oil
1-2 candy canes (optional)

Instructions

Line a large rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.
Melt the milk or dark chocolate by putting the chips/melts into a small microwave-safe bowl. Cook on high for 20-second intervals, stirring after every one, until the chocolate is completely melted.
Spread the chocolate in a thin, even layer on the parchment paper. Put the pan somewhere cold (like the fridge, freezer, or outside if it isn't raining or snowing) for 5-8 minutes until the chocolate is completely firm.
Meanwhile, melt the white chocolate in another small, microwave-safe bowl in the same way, stirring after every 20-second interval. When the chocolate is melted, stir in the peppermint oil.
Crush the candy canes using a food processor or in a zip top container with a rolling pin.
Spread the white chocolate over the hardened chocolate. Sprinkle the candy canes on top of the white chocolate.
Put the pan somewhere cold again until the whole thing is completely firm. Break the bark into pieces. Store in a cool, lidded container or in the refrigerator.

Notes

To make this bark low-carb/keto friendly, use low-carb chocolate. I recommend Lily's because it melts well. The candy canes are optional if you're worried about the extra sugar.

To make this recipe dairy-free, use dairy-free chocolate chips.

10-min Candied Pecans with Cocoa & Chili

Natalie Perry — Fri, 11 Feb 2022 14:09:00 +0000

My favorite thing about these Cocoa-Chile Candied Pecans? No egg whites involved. This is a super easy stovetop recipe that will give you sweet, chocolatey pecans with a little hint of cayenne. (Or a big hint of cayenne, if you like.)

Once upon a time Trader Joe's sold some candied pecans that were dusted with a sweet cocoa powder that had a little hint of spice. If you're a Trader Joe's fan, you might remember their Cocoa-Chile Pecans. I haven't seen them there in over a year, which makes me sad because it was one of my favorite snacks during the holiday season!

But I have noticed Trader Joe's sweet and spicy pecans. A replacement, maybe?

This isn’t a Trader Joe’s Sweet & Spicy Pecans recipe, but I’m willing to bet you can use the same method to hack those as well. That’s a post for later, maybe. Or at least a footnote in this recipe.

Like I said earlier, this recipe is super easy recipe and non-fussy. (The best kind, right?) I’m not going to make you separate or whip egg whites. (You’re welcome.)

And I made this candied pecan recipe naturally sweetened using pure maple syrup and coconut sugar instead of brown sugar. It's a great addition to my collection of candied nut recipes!

Just simple ingredients on a short ingredient list here! And no need for melted butter or olive oil.

How to make candied pecans

Put away the prepared baking sheet and the parchment paper. All you need is a skillet!

Get a small skillet and put the raw pecan halves in a single layer. Add the maple and cook on medium-low for 2-3 minutes until the syrup seems to have cooked away and the nuts are a rich brown color. There shouldn’t be any liquid in the skillet — just a bunch of sticky, sweet pecans.

While those are toasting, combine the cocoa powder, granulated sweetener, and cayenne pepper in a small bowl.

If you don’t want them to be spicy, you can leave out the cayenne. Or replace it with a more mild chili powder so you still get some of that chili flavor. They’re delicious either way, but I really love chocolate + chili flavor profile.

As soon as you pull those candied pecans off the burner, toss them in the sugar mixture so the powder will stick to the maple. Add a pinch of sea salt or kosher salt while you’re at it, too.

Be careful — the coated pecans are hot right when they come out! They’re super yummy eaten warm or after they’ve sat for an hour or two and the maple coating has firmed up a bit. Just store them in an airtight container at room temperature.

Can I make a bigger batch?

Yes! In fact, I recommend it. Once you realize how quickly these will get eaten, you'll want to make a second batch right away.

When you double or triple this recipe, keep a few things in mind:

You don't need to increase the maple at the same rate as the pecans or you'll end up with a syrupy mess. The ¼ cup of maple in this recipe will coat up to 1 ½ cups of pecans. If you make 2 cups of pecans, use about ⅓ cup of maple. For 3 cups of pecans, use ½ cup of maple. You want them lightly coated, not swimming in syrup in the skillet.
Bump up your mixing bowl size to a medium bowl. But that probably goes without saying.
Use a large skillet so the pecans stay in one layer as they toast.

Can I make these keto friendly?

Yes! I’ve made these using Lakanto maple syrup and granulated sweetener, and it’s just as delightful.

How to serve this easy candied pecans recipe?

I love to eat a handful like a snack, but there are a lot of things you can do with these! Here are a few ideas:

Sprinkle them on top of a salad! These cocoa-chile pecans would be DELICIOUS on my Spring Greens & Strawberry Salad! OHHH, especially for Valentine’s Day alongside some steaks. YUM.
Add them to an ice cream sundae!
Chop them up and bake them into treats — like cookies or banana bread.
Keep a bag in your nightstand for a secret mom treat. (My preferred way, if we’re being honest.)

Package them up in little cello bags and give some to a friend! Or as Christmas gifts! I love homemade gifts like this.

If you make one of my recipes, I'd love to see! Post it on social media and tag me at @perrysplate or #perrysplate so I can send you some love!

10-min Cocoa Chile Candied Pecans

Yield: Makes 1 cup

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 5 minutes

Total Time: 10 minutes

Ingredients

1 cup raw pecan halves
¼ cup pure maple syrup
Pinch of sea salt
1 Tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder
1 Tablespoon granulated sweetener, like coconut sugar
⅛ teaspoon cayenne pepper

Instructions

Put the pecans in a single layer in a small skillet. Turn the heat to medium-low heat and add the maple syrup. Cook for 2-3 minutes, stirring often, until the nuts are toasted and there isn't any liquid left in the skillet. The syrup should get bubbly and nearly disappear after a minute or two.
Meanwhile, combine the cocoa powder, granulated sweetener, and cayenne in a small bowl.
When the pecans are finished, sprinkle them with a pinch of salt and immediately add them to the bowl with the cocoa mixture. Toss until they're all covered in the cocoa dust.
Transfer to a serving bowl and let them cool for a few minutes before eating.
Store in an airtight container at room temperature.

Notes

KETO ADAPTATION: Use Lakanto Maple Syrup and a low-carb granulated sweetener.

5-Minute Maple-Ginger Glazed Pecans

Natalie Perry — Thu, 15 Nov 2012 06:30:40 +0000

Once I was making a salad.

This salad, from Cooking with Love has these spicy sweet glazed pecans.

I flip over to the pecan recipe and begin reading the ingredients. When I came to "egg whites" my eyes glazed over.

I'm sure her spicy sweet pecans are delish, like all of the other recipes I tried, but seriously... I've got two hungry kids asking for snacks and a clingy 5-month-old that insists on being suspended, face-out, from my chest during dinner prep.

Plus, I don't separate eggs at 5:30PM on Wednesdays. So, I cheated.

Nuts go in a pan.
Then a glug of maple syrup.
A sprinkle of ginger.
And a pinch of salt.

Let it get bubbly. And in a couple if minutes the syrup will be gone and you're left with sweet, sticky, slightly-spicy glazed pecans.

(My kids loved them, so they weren't too spicy.) If you don't like or want ginger on them, cinnamon would be a good substitute..

These glazed pecans be the first recipe that is in both the salad and the dessert section

These sticky little morsels MADE that salad. And I'm sure they would also MAKE some lonely caramel ice cream sundae somewhere.

Or you could just eat them by themselves.

5-Minute Maple-Ginger Glazed Pecans

Yield: 1 ½ cups of nuts

Additional Time: 5 minutes

Total Time: 5 minutes

Maple-Ginger Glazed Pecans are a perfect little addition to any salad! Or.... an ice cream sundae.

Ingredients

1 ½ cups whole, raw pecans
2 Tablespoons pure maple syrup
¼ teaspoon ground ginger
pinch of salt

Instructions

Combine all ingredients in a small, nonstick skillet and cook over medium heat while stirring frequently. Syrup should get bubbly, then quickly evaporate, leaving a sticky coating on the nuts. That's it!

The post 5-Minute Maple-Ginger Glazed Pecans appeared first on Perry's Plate.

Dark Chocolate Bark Recipe

Natalie Perry — Mon, 05 Feb 2024 18:25:16 +0000

Chocolate bark is the best thing to make if you're looking for a quick treat for yourself or to give away! It's fast, easier than you think, and completely customizable! This version features dark chocolate filled with chunks of almonds and pretzels with a sprinkle of sea salt flakes throughout leading you on a flavor progression you'll be obsessed with.

You will love this Dark Chocolate Bark

Flavor progression? YES. This dark chocolate bar starts off with a hit of bittersweet chocolate followed by some toothy bits of almond and pretzels offering a savory contrast and then when you think you've arrived... there's another layer of saltiness that catches you by surprise.

And then you'll want to pop another piece in your mouth and start your little flavor journey all over again. It's addictive stuff, I tell you.

And the best part? It's crazy easy to make. You don't even need any fancy equipment (yes, I used a food processor, but you don't need one!).

Want to know another little secret?

It's a knock off of this Trader Joe's Dark Chocolate Bark. A dear friend of mine got me hooked on this and, of course, I had to try hacking it at home.

Why?

Because Trader Joe's has a history of discontinuing my favorite things, and I wanted to make sure I could keep making this in case it disappears from their store.

Also because I know not all of you have access to a Trader Joe's, and I wanted you to be able to try this amazing chocolate bark.

Here's what you'll need to make this easy chocolate bark:

Dark Chocolate Bark Ingredients

Dark chocolate bars -- To mimic the chocolate in the Trader Joe's version I recommend using 60-65% dark chocolate bars or bittersweet chocolate chips. You can use any kind of chocolate you like though! Feel free to use the darkest bars you can find, semi-sweet chocolate chips, milk chocolate chips, or even stevia-sweetened chocolate like Lily's chocolate.
Almonds -- I used lightly salted almonds, but you can use unsalted or raw almonds, too. If your almonds are heavily salted, you might want to hold back on the sea salt flakes so your chocolate bark doesn't get too salty.
Pretzels -- I used pretzel sticks, but you can use whatever kind of pretzels you prefer. If you want this recipe to be gluten-free, then find some GF pretzels -- they're in most grocery stores these days!
Sea salt flakes -- I use Maldon sea salt flakes here. They're inexpensive and can be found in most grocery stores and online. They have a perfectly salty flavor without being TOO salty. (Plus you can make some everything bagel seasoning with it, too!) If you can't find or don't want to use these sea salt flakes, use Kosher salt and use half the measurement that is called for in the recipe.

How to make Chocolate Bark

Melt your chocolate in 30-sec intervals in the microwave. It's by far the easiest way. If you're anti-microwave (I get it.) then set up a double broiler situation on your stove to melt the chocolate.
Chop up your almonds and pretzels. I use a food processor, but you can stick them in a ziptop bag and hit them with a rolling pin. That's fun, too.
Add the chopped almonds and pretzels to your melted chocolate along with some sea salt.
Spread it on a parchment lined baking sheet and let it sit in a cool place until it firms up. If you want it done in a jiffy, stick it in the fridge or a cold garage. (A benefit of living in Idaho. Lots of wintertime fridge space.)
Break it into pieces and eat it up! Stores well in an airtight container for up to 10 days... if it lasts that long.

Chocolate Bark Recipe variations

I mean... what can't you put into chocolate bark?! Feel free to use this as a jumping off point to play with different kinds of nuts, seeds, and salty flavors! Or check out one of these posts on my site:

How to Make Chocolate Bark -- these versions have you spread the melted chocolate out first and then sprinkle the add-ins on top.

Homemade Peppermint Bark -- the double layered minty chocolate treat you see everywhere during Christmas! You can even make this low carb if you want.

Dark Chocolate Bark Toppings

I love this particular combination because it tastes like my favorite Trader Joe’s dark chocolate bark, but you can change it up with endless flavor combinations! Here are some topping suggestion:

Chopped nuts: Don’t like almonds? Use pecans, walnuts, pistachios, cashews, hazelnuts, or peanuts. Or try some seeds if you are avoiding nuts! Sunflower seeds and pepitas would be especially good in this bark.

Other salty-crunchy things: If you aren’t a fan of pretzels, try crushed potato chips, tortilla chips, crackers, popcorn.

Other crunchy things: granola clusters, toasted coconut flakes

Bits of sweetness: Dried fruit, freeze-dried fruit, cookie pieces

How to store Chocolate Bark

Store this dark chocolate bark in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 10 days for best flavor. If your home or kitchen is on the warm side, maybe store it in the fridge to keep it from getting melty.

How long does chocolate bark last?

If you store the bark in an airtight container it should last a couple of weeks, but I think it's best eaten within a week.

Chocolate Almond Bark FAQs

What is the difference between chocolate and chocolate bark?

Chocolate bark usually has something mixed into it -- like a flavored chocolate bar. It's usually more freeform and rustic looking and not shaped into a bar like you buy at the store.

How do you break up chocolate bark?

You can use your hands or if you want it broken up with cleaner lines, you can use a big, sharp knife.

Why is it called chocolate bark?

I believe it's because when it has firmed up and is broken into pieces it has a lumpy, craggy texture like the bark of a tree.

If you make one of my recipes, I'd love to see! Post it on social media and tag me at @perrysplate or #perrysplate so I can send you some love!

Dark Chocolate Bark

Yield: 8 servings

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 1 minute

Additional Time: 1 hour

Total Time: 1 hour 16 minutes

Ingredients

6 ounces dark chocolate, roughly chopped
½ cup lightly salted almonds
½ broken pretzel sticks
½ teaspoon sea salt flakes, divided (see note)

Instructions

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Place the chocolate in a microwave-safe bowl and cook on high for 30 seconds. Stir well. Cook for another 30 seconds and stir again. The chocolate should be almost entirely melted after stirring for a minute. If larger chunks remain, cook for another 15-20 seconds and stir again.
Pulse the almonds and pretzels a few times in a food processor to get them roughly chopped, but not completely pulverized. If you don't have a food processor, put them in a zip top bag and hit them with a rolling pin. I don't recommend using a blender for this.
Stir the pretzels and almonds into the melted chocolate as well as ¼ teaspoon sea salt flakes.
Spread the chocolate mixture out evenly on the parchment paper. Sprinkle the remaining ¼ teaspoon sea salt flakes evenly over the wet chocolate.
Place the pan somewhere cool or refrigerate until firm. Depending on where you do this, it could take anywhere from 20-60 minutes.
Break up the bark using your hands or cut it with a sharp knife. Store in a lidded container at room temperature (or chilled if your home is on the warm side.) Best eaten within 10 days.

Notes

I like to use dark chocolate that is roughly 60-65% cacao -- It tastes most like the Trader Joe's version. You can use whatever chocolate you like! Feel free to use extremely dark chocolate bars, semi-sweet or milk chocolate chips, or even stevia-sweetened chocolate like Lily's.
I like to leave the almonds and pretzels a little rougher chopped. You can chop them small and have a less chunky bark if you prefer.
I highly recommend using Maldon sea salt flakes for this. They're inexpensive and can be found in most grocery stores and online. They have a perfectly salty flavor without being TOO salty. (Plus you can make some everything bagel seasoning with it, too!) If you can't find or don't want to use these sea salt flakes, use Kosher salt and use half the measurement that is called for in the recipe.
Feel free to use gluten-free pretzels to make this recipe gluten-free.

Recommended Products

As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs, I earn from qualifying purchases.

Nutrition Information

Yield 8 Serving Size 2 2x3" pieces
Amount Per Serving Calories 207Total Fat 14gSaturated Fat 5gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 9gCholesterol 2mgSodium 179mgCarbohydrates 17gFiber 3gSugar 11gProtein 4g

The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

This post may contain affiliate links. Any purchases made by using these links won't cost you any extra and helps keep my content free. These links may be Amazon links as I am part of the Amazon Associate Program.

The post Dark Chocolate Bark Recipe appeared first on Perry's Plate.

White Chocolate Raspberry Fat Bombs

Natalie Perry — Fri, 20 Oct 2017 03:00:53 +0000

Freeze-dried raspberries give these fat bombs such a burst of berry flavor and sweetness! You'll love this creamy truffle-like combination.

I have a confession: I've been leery of fat bombs for a long time.

Don't know what fat bombs are? They're little sugar free, keto friendly treats that are mostly made of healthy fats, like coconut oil, and are super popular in the low carb high fat camp. Or those that follow a ketogenic diet. I'm trying to boost the number of keto recipes I have on my site, and these were perfect for my collection!

Also, fat bombs are the perfect thing to soothe a relentless sweet tooth -- which I happen to have.

I had a few hesitations before I made these -- mostly stemming from my experience with oil pulling. (My hippie-dippie is really showing now.)

What's oil pulling? Rolling coconut oil around in your mouth for several minutes at a time. It's supposed to be excellent for your teeth/gum health among other things. I read about it online and in The Coconut Oil Miracle. (Excellent book, by the way!)

I had a hard time with it. And I may have accidentally swallowed some of it on one occasion. *gag* Eating straight coconut oil isn't my cup of tea, and I wondered if fat bombs would be a similar experience for me.

Nope. Not even close. Eating a fat bomb is closer to eating candy than oil pulling, I'm happy to announce.

This recipe came from The Everyday Ketogenic Kitchen by Carolyn Ketchum who blogs all kinds of low-carb goodness over at All Day I Dream About Food. If you're wanting to explore a ketogenic (keto) diet, this book is a must-have.

I've been tinkering with keto the past few weeks, and I have some thoughts on it that I'll share later. Meanwhile....

Ingredients for Fat Bombs

This recipe is easy and simple -- only 4 ingredients. But... they might not be ingredients you have on hand all the time.

Coconut oil - You probably have this? I get the big tub at Costco.
Freeze-dried raspberries - I LOVE freeze-dried berries and get them at Target or Trader Joe's. I don't eat them straight, but I use them in recipes. Like, Strawberry Cream Nut Butter. (I like the strawberries, can you tell?) I also pulverize them and mix them with buttercream when I make macarons -- out of this world delicious. But we're talking about low-carb stuff, so forget I mentioned macarons. Or buttercream.
Cacao Butter - This was a new one for me. I've seen it used here and there and was curious about trying it. It's an incredibly nutritious superfood -- basically pure oil cold-pressed from cacao beans. It IS pricey, but you don't use much in this recipe. I got some cacao butter on Amazon, but I think you can find it at healthy grocery stores or hippie supplement shops. OR you can probably substitute more coconut oil instead. The fat bombs might not stay hard for long at room temperature or be as portable if you do that, though.
Sweetener - I admit, I was most curious about using erythritol and/or xylitol in sweets, so of course I headed to the dessert section of Carolyn's book. She recommended Swerve, so I ordered a package of confectioners Swerve on Amazon. (Can we have a moment of gratitude for Amazon? Amen.) I have mixed feelings about erythritol, but I felt like it was ok in this recipe. You could also use a monk fruit sweetener like Lakanto. As far as I know, Lakanto doesn't make a powdered sweetener. The granulated one would make these gritty, so I'd use their Liquid Monkfruit Sweetener Extract instead. You could also use liquid stevia, but I prefer the taste of one of the other options.

I did a little math (gasp) and estimated that a batch of these fat bombs costs roughly $6.50, and about 55-65 cents each, depending on how many you make. That's less than a Reese's pumpkin. And you'll feel a lot better after you eat one. Or even if you eat three. (Yep, did that. They're really that good.)

I'm just going to walk you through this real quickly. First, melt the cacao butter and coconut oil together. It goes more quickly if the cacao butter is chopped first.

Not like up there where I just threw the big nuggets in as is.

Then, pulverize the freeze-dried berries. You can use a food processor or a blender. I like to use a coffee grinder that I grind spices with, too. I don't actually use it for coffee.

If you grind coffee beans, it's recommended that you have a separate grinder for spices or your coffee will have some interesting added flavors.

I also like to strain out the raspberry seeds. Picking them out of my teeth is the worst. But I didn't do that this time either. Maybe someday I'll take my own advice. Heh.

Add the pulverized berries and sweetener to the pot and stir it around until the sweetener has mostly dissolved.

If you use granulated sweetener instead you run the risk of it not dissolving well enough -- especially since the liquid is mostly fat. Sugar doesn't dissolve well in fat. (Ever made homemade sugar scrub?) So use powdered or confectioners sweetener.

Divide it into silicone or paper-lined muffin tins.

You'll have to keep this well blended while you're dividing it into cups because the raspberry mixture (and any remaining sweetener) will sink to the bottom. You don't want all of the sweetener and raspberry flavor to just end up in the last few cups.

I made 12 fat bombs because I can't read directions.

And I like it when my muffin tin doesn't have any vacancies.

Need more protein + fiber forward snacks? Click HERE to get my FREE Snacking Cheat Sheet and an exclusive recipe!

After an hour or so in the fridge they'll look like this. The raspberry powder will sink to the bottom creating a layered effect. Pretty, right?

You can store these fat bombs in the fridge and, if you're feeling generous, let your kids have one. Mine went bonkers for these. My 2-year-old asked for them ALL DAY LONG. And I didn't mind giving him a few because I knew he was getting some good, healthy fats.

I can tell you I'm excited to have these when the kids come home with their trick or treat candy in a couple of weeks. Reese's are my biggest weakness, and I think these fat bombs might keep my face out of their trick or treat buckets. At least for a couple of days.

And if you have any friends with relentless sweet tooths (sweet teeth?) who follow a ketogenic diet, I promise they'll love you forever if you make them a batch of these.

Also, be sure to grab a copy of Carolyn's book, The Everyday Ketogenic Kitchen! I've tried several of her recipes, and we've loved every one of them. (Including the other fat bombs -- the Salted Macadamia Chocolate. A DE-lish dark chocolate version.)

Have you tried my other keto fat bomb recipe? Chocolate Tahini Fat Bombs -- They're like a fancy peanut butter cup sprinkled with sea salt. (Amazeballs.)

White Chocolate Raspberry Fat Bombs

Yield: 10-12 fat bombs

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Additional Time: 1 hour

Total Time: 1 hour 5 minutes

Freeze-dried raspberries give these fat bombs such a burst of berry flavor and sweetness! You'll love this creamy truffle-like combination.

Ingredients

½ cup coconut oil
2 ounces cacao butter
½ cup freeze-dried raspberries
¼ cup powdered erythritol sweetener (like Swerve)

Instructions

Line a 12-cup muffin pan with paper liners. Or use a silicone muffin pan.
Heat the coconut oil and cacao butter in a small saucepan over low heat until completely melted. Remove the pan from the heat.
Grind the freeze-dried raspberries in a food processor, blender, or a coffee grinder.
Add the pulverized berries and sweetener to the saucepan. Stir until the sweetener is mostly dissolved.
Divide the mixture among the muffin cups. The raspberry powder will sink to the bottom -- no worries. Just keep the mixture stirred as you pour them into each mold so each one has some of the raspberry powder.
Chill for an hour or until firm. They'll keep in the refrigerator for several weeks. (My guess is that they won't last that long before they're all eaten.)

Notes

Nutrition Info for each cup:

Calories: 153, Fat: 16.6g, Protein: 0.2g, Net Carbs: 1.2g, Fiber: 0.4g, Erythritol: 6g

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