‘Tis the season! The season for love, joy, merriment, and lots of yummy food. This time last year I was working my last few weeks before leaving for maternity leave, and I remember the kitchen at work being so well stocked with cakes and chocolates, with new treats arriving every day!

I’m not planning on over indulging in cakes and chocolates this Christmas, but I do still love something sweet each day with my afternoon cuppa, so I thought I’d try to make something delicious and a bit healthier too. I’m so pleased with how this chocolate bark turned out, it’s rich, creamy and really hits the sweet treat spot!





Ingredients



100g bar dark chocolate. I used Green & Blacks 70% Dark Organic

100g bar vegan white chocolate. I used Organica Organic White Bar, which I bought from an independent health food shop.

1 tablespoon coconut oil

A handful of shelled pistachio nuts

A handful of coconut shavings

Method

Firstly, melt your chocolate in a glass bowl, fitted snugly inside a saucepan of hot water on the hob. Add a small amount of coconut oil to the chocolate and stir continuously for a few minutes until completely melted and smooth. Ideally melt both the white chocolate and dark chocolate at the same time, but in separate bowls. Different chocolate reacts differently when melted, and I found that the white chocolate was quite thick, so I just added a little more coconut oil to the mixture.

Pour your melted chocolate into a lined baking tin, the dark chocolate first then the white on top.

Gently swirl the white and dark chocolate together using a skewer or cocktail stick.

Next, gently sprinkle your pistachio nuts and coconut shavings on top, then put your bark in the fridge for a few hours until set.

Remove from the fridge, break into pieces, make yourself a cuppa and enjoy!

This chocolate bark would also make a lovely gift wrapped up in a pretty box, and there are so many possibilities for it. I think some dried cranberries would make a good addition. It’s so simple to make and the marbled chocolate is such a lovely effect, plus the addition of the coconut oil gives it a soft almost truffle like texture.