DARK CHOCOLATE BARK WITH CRANBERRIES, NUTS AND COCONUT FLAKES

     Oh the sweet taste of Autumn! The long summer days are beginning to end, rainy days are more often and the need for a protective layer, other than your own skin, is important.  Summer fruit are not so easy to find anymore, whereas Fall fruit and veggies like grapes, pumpkin, apples are everywhere. Yes, my dear readers, Summer is over, and new exciting things are going to happen from now on.

     I always feel as if September is the New Year's after the summer period. There is a change in our schedule, diet and habits almost immediately after August is gone. Since I am a sucker for new beginnings, I embrace this one dearly. It's time to practice some self-care, learn a new skill and why not, master a few culinary tricks. Plus I love cosiness and everything that has to do with food, so this season is one of my best after Summer!

     A new thing I am trying out in very small, baby steps this season, is taking care of plants. I mean, who doesn't like those green and colourful plants that bring a little life to a home and make it more vibrant? Past experiences with plants have not been very successful, however, and I am struggling to figure out why. Asking around, I get the feeling that everyone has a different perspective and way to take care of plants and maybe I need to figure out my way as well. It seems that it's a little try and fail period for me, but I will not give up for sure. On that note, if anyone has any tips, or a website/video they can suggest that explains how plants need to be cared for, I would dearly appreciate it!

     Last Sunday inspiration stroke again! Like an unexpected period, it came without notice, but was welcomed. I had some chocolate laying around in my pantry and some dried cranberries, so the immediate thought was to try a recipe for a homemade chocolate bark! I am one of those people that loves crunchy food and when it comes to dark chocolate, I like it when there is some fruit or nut inside. It's one of those recipes I wanted to try for some time, and now it was the perfect time. 

     For this version of chocolate bark, I used 70% dark chocolate (next time I will go with more) and added some coconut oil inside, to make it stabilise quicker and to add some healthy fats inside. I added some coconut flakes because lately I've been loving the combination of these two. Normally I would try something like an orange peel, but no, coconut has my heart the past few months.

Dark Chocolate Bark with dried Cranberries, Nuts and Coconut Flakes

ingredients

300gr dark chocolate (at least 70%)

2/3 cup of mixed chopped nuts (almonds, pistachios, hazelnuts)

2 tablespoons pumpkin seeds

2 tablespoons chia seeds

3 tablespoons dried cranberries

3 tablespoons of coconut flakes

1 tablespoon coconut oil

how do I make it?

1. In a medium pan on low heat, melt the chocolate with the coconut oil. You have to stir the chocolate very often to avoid burning. Once the chocolate has melted and has a kind of glossy texture, remove the pan from heat and set aside.

2. Mix all of nuts together, cranberries and chia seeds together and leave coconut flakes for the end.

3. In a big baking dish or pan, set a large piece of baking paper. Take your pan and carefully pour the melted chocolate on top of the baking paper. Using a spatula, try to spread the chocolate on the pan, but make sure that it has some thickness (around 1,5 cm).

4. When you have prepared the chocolate, start spreading the nuts on top. Next add cranberries and chia seeds and in the end add the coconut flakes. You want to have every corner of the chocolate covered with a topping, make sure you don't leave anything uncovered. 

5. Leave your chocolate to chill in a cool surface or place. I left it for a couple of hours to chill in room temperature and then put it in the fridge, because the weather was quite hot outside and the chocolate wouldn't become solid. 

6. When it's ready, simply cut it into pieces you desire. 

P.S. This chocolate bark can be a very nice gift as well. Simply cover it with some baking sheet and use a twine to tie a knot.