Easy Gourmet Chocolate Bark

Good chocolate is one of life’s greatest pleasures.  I’m not talking about sugar-laden drug store chocolate candy. I’m talking about high quality, flavorful, good chocolate.  Good chocolate isn’t something you mindlessly munch on; it’s meant to be savored.  Eaten slowly, and thoughtfully.  Quality chocolate tastes like more than just chocolate.

Opened Ghirardelli Bar

Ghirardelli Start

Much like good wine, or different coffee roasts (yes, I do understand the irony of this comparison, considering I do not drink either of those things, but I also understand them from a culinary point of view!) chocolate is greatly enhanced when paired with different food and drinks.  Much like that magical moment at the movie theater, when you take a handful of buttered popcorn and toss it in your mouth with red licorice, or when you combine salted peanuts and candy corn at Halloween, flavors do magical things when they’re combined in just the right way.  When you eat dark chocolate, in particular, with different foods and flavors, the nuances of each variety shine through in the most unique ways.

Ghirardelli Chocolate Bars

Kate and I have used these Ghirardelli Intense Dark bars in recipes many times around here.  The high-cacao content makes them deliciously intense, and perfect for pairing.  What I’m going to show you today is a fun method of discovering great chocolate pairings.  You could make a variety of these and do a sampling after dinner with guests, or pick your favorite to eat after a long day when you finally get a moment to relax and indulge.  Instead of simply eating the flavor combinations together, I put them together almost like an easy chocolate bark for easy serving.  Packaged up, these would make an sophisticated gourmet foodie gift, too!

To get started, turn on your oven very low, to 200 degrees.  We’re just creating a warm environment to slightly soften the chocolate, not melt it completely. Place a chocolate bar on a sheet of parchment paper, on a baking sheet.

Ghirardelli Bar

Place the pan in the oven and keep an eye on it.  We’re not aiming to melt the chocolate, but simply warm it just enough to be able to stick some toppings on it.  I like to keep the Ghirardelli logos visible, so just watch for the top to look glossy, but it should still hold its shape.  It should only take a minute or two.

Warmed Ghirardelli

Once you remove the chocolate, have some pairings ready to place on top.  For this 60% Cacao, “Evening Dream” bar, I paired it with toasted coconut and pieces of dried mango, papaya, and pineapple (heavenly!).  Let the bars solidify again; I suggest popping them in the fridge for a few minutes to firm up.

Dark Chocolate with Coconut and Dried Fruits

Once they do, you can break them into pieces and taste the flavor combinations.

I played around with all of the varieties of Ghirardelli Intense Dark Chocolate bars, and I’m going to show you my favorite flavor pairings!

Toffee Interlude is tied for my favorite Ghirardelli Intense Dark Bar.  I have to literally hide these from my oldest son because he’s just as obsessed.  This particular variety is especially delicious paired with salty snacks, so I knew immediately I wanted to pair it with bacon.

Dark Chocolate with Toffee and Bacon

Bacon with sweets isn’t an unheard of combination these days, but it doesn’t always work, either.  This one does.  The salty crunch of the bacon pieces balances out the sweet toffee bits and melts in your mouth along with the chocolate.  I sprinkled a little extra toffee on top as well to really enhance the sweet and savory combo and it was perfection.

Bacon Toffee Chocolate

Next up was Twilight Delight, which is rather dark at 72% cacao (the higher the cacao content, the “darker” the chocolate.)  I knew this paired well with toasted nuts and dried fruits so I combined sweet dried blueberries and chopped roasted pistachios.

Dark Chocolate with Blueberries and Pistachios

Besides the beautiful color of the pistachios, the flavor and crunch lends well to to the simple dark chocolate canvas.  Dried blueberries are particularly sweet, so the flavor really enhances a rather dark chocolate and the chewy texture is a nice contrast in your mouth with the smooth texture of the chocolate.  It’s almost like eating a really fancy chocolate covered raisin (that tastes 5 million times better than an actual chocolate covered raisin.)

Dark Chocolate with Pistachios and Blueberries

Okay.  Evening Dream.  60% cacao is a great balance for people who aren’t sure how keen they are on dark, dark chocolate.  It still has a subtle sweetness to it, but not enough to make you forget it is indeed, dark.

Dark Chocolate with Caramel Corn and Pretzels

This combination was declared the family favorite.  I paired it with sweet caramel popcorn, crunchy pretzel chunks, and then sprinkled it with coarse sea salt.  The combination of flavors that combine in your mouth is amazing.  You have the sweetness from caramelized sugar on the popcorn, and the flavor and texture of those crunchy pretzels with coarse salt on them, and as it all melts in your mouth surrounded with chocolate, little hints of salt peek through.  It’s fun and kid-friendly, but completely sophisticated for an adult palate.

Dark Chocolate with Caramel Corn Pretzels and Sea Salt

Finally, my other favorite variety of Ghirardelli Intense Dark: Sea Salt Soiree.  I knew I wanted to pair this one with plump, sweet dried cherries, and I decided to add some additional toasted almonds to the top as well.  If you’re serving something like this to guests, I think it’s important to clearly show things that contain nuts (like this chocolate bar) when it might not otherwise be obvious.

Dark Chocolate with Cherries Almonds and Sea Salt

You’ll also notice I’m demonstrating an alternate preparation method here.  Instead of preparing the entire par and breaking into chunks, I separated the chocolate bar into squares before warming.  I love the salty undertones in this dark chocolate and they pair perfectly with those sweet and tart cherries.

Dark Chocolate with Cherries and Almonds

We’ve saved the darkest for last.  Midnight Reverie: 86% Cacao.  This is serious business, folks.  I love chocolate this dark.  Since it’s so dark, and will have the least amount of sweetness to it, you can really load on sweeter toppings and it all balances out.

Dark Chocolate with Toasted Mallows and Grahams

For a fun take on a classic combo, I took some marshmallows and toasted them under my broiler for just a few seconds before adding them to the chocolate bar.  A little crumbled graham cracker was the perfect finishing touch.  I actually think this pairing would taste amazing with any of the Intense Dark varieties, and it would make a beautiful, gourmet custom gift if packaged up in a cute box.

Dark Chocolate with Marshmallows and Grahams

These really are fun to experiment with.  You can buy these bars at most regular grocery stores, so pick up a few on your next trip and grab a few items to pair them with so you can experiment with the flavor combinations yourselves.  You’ll be amazed and surprised at how different things bring out the different flavors.  It’s a fun and indulgent way to decompress after a long day, or a sophisticated treat to share with guests after a dinner.  Let us know if you come up with any great pairings of your own!

Ghirardelli Chocolate Bars

ghirardelli 2

 

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Meet The Author

Sara Wells

Sara Wells co-founded Our Best Bites in 2008. She is the author of three Bestselling Cook Books, Best Bites: 150 Family Favorite RecipesSavoring the Seasons with Our Best Bites, and 400 Calories or Less from Our Best Bites. Sara’s work has been featured in many local and national news outlets and publications such as Parenting MagazineBetter Homes & GardensFine CookingThe Rachel Ray Show and the New York Times.

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Questions & Reviews

  1. Be still my heart!!!! That is about all I can say. Of course this is a wonderful recipe. It’s chocolate!!!!!

  2. Hmmm, how about all of it? What a fun giveaway. I’d most like the earrings and candle. Hope it’s a happy birthday!

  3. I totally want to try this! My pregnant self can’t get enough chocolate right now 🙂

  4. Yum! I love this because I like the idea of chocolate bark but it’s usually made with yucky melts…I’m doing this at a girlfriend wine night! I tried all of the ghirardelli when you first talked about them and I love sea salt soirée and midnight reverie, t got a sample of the new cherry tango in my birchbox-yum! Thanks for sharing your flavor combos,

  5. YUM! Midnight Reverie is my favorite right now and I even have some. Yay! Dark chocolate is the best!! So excited to try this! 🙂

  6. When I invite people over to dinner I’m always looking for something like this. Super easy (cause I’m usually all out of steam when its time to think about dessert), small portions will due so its not overwhelming to people who are kinda full, and classy without being snobby. LOVE IT!

  7. What a neat idea! Such a quick and easy way to make good quality candy even better. I will definitely be trying this.

  8. I love sea salt soiree!!! That has been my favorite for a year or more now when I need a chocolate fix. But now you have taken it to the next level!!

  9. Looks really yummy. What about a cherry chili? Or some freeze dried fruit…a peach pecan sounds good to me. Maybe some orange zest for a little bit of fresh taste! I really like the Ghiradelli dark chocolates. Kicked up a notch like you’ve done here is genius!

    1. I totally wanted to do candied orange peel and I couldn’t find any (and was too lazy to make it, lol) that would taste awesome.

  10. oh no you didn’t!!!! I fell in LOVE with dark chocolate while I lived in Germany. Now it will be even more awesome…although I may have to go with Lindt dark chocolates. After years of high-quality German chocolate, I’m a titch snobby about it (maybe more than a titch 🙂

  11. well, hello. it’s that time of the month. and this… well this is just an answer to a prayer! thank YOU!

  12. I second what Kira said! =) These looks amazing…so much for me giving up sweets any time soon. Ha!

  13. Love all the ideas. These will be perfect for when I host my book group in a few weeks. Thanks!

  14. Mmm…this is the type of post that should totally come with a giveaway! 🙂 It’s making me want to head straight to the store to get some ghiradelli. Love all your additions/variations.

    1. Lol, I thought about that! I have a surplus in my pantry right now, maybe I’ll surprise someone 🙂

  15. I love these bars, and this makes them look even better! I can’t wait to try some of them.

  16. Are you kidding me with the caramel corn and pretzel?? I need some of that right now! (Totally acceptable breakfast, right??) I would have never thought to combine some of those things, but they sound so amazing. I love the easy method of making something that looks so fancy and gourmet. I’ll have to grab some of those Ghirardelli bars on my next shopping trip, the toffee one sounds to die for.

  17. First commenter! Yes! Or am I just crazy for being up this late :0) These combinations look divine! I love the simplicity, but “elegance” of this chocolate bark. Thanks for sharing. Wish I had some of these bars in my cupboard right now.

    1. Crazy, and awesome 😉 I wish you had some chocolate in your cupboard right now, too!