Chocolate Bark with Cherries and Pistachios, the perfect holiday homemade gift to make for the chocolate lover in your life. Dark and white chocolate combined with cherries and pistachios is the perfect balance of sweet and tangy.
8oz60% Cacao Dark Chocolate, Ghirardelli Bitter Sweet Baking Bar (2 4oz bars)
6ozWhite Chocolate, Ghirardelli Chocolate Baking Bar
1/4cuppistachios, roughly chopped salted and roasted
1/4cupdried cherries, cut in halves
Instructions
Prepare work station first. Place a large parchment paper on your counter. Secure with tape so paper doesn't move. Prepare your toppings by choppings them and set aside.
Chop both chocolates into small pieces and set aside.
STOVE TOP METHOD : Create double boiler on stove and melt all of the dark chocolate over low heat. Pour melted chocolate onto parchment paper. Clean bowl and melt white chocolate over double boiler using the same method.
MICROWAVE METHOD : Add 1/3 of the dark chocolate to a microwave safe bowl. Heat in the microwave on high for thirty seconds. Remove the bowl from the microwave and stir the chocolate with a rubber spatula. Return the bowl to the microwave and heat again for thirty seconds, then stir. Heat again for thirty seconds, then stir. By now, the chocolate should be completed melted. If it's not, return to the microwave in 15 second intervals until all of the chocolate is just barely melted after 10-15 seconds of vigorous stirring.Add the remaining quarter of unmelted dark chocolate pieces to the melted dark chocolate. Stir vigorously until all of the chocolate is smooth and melted. The dark chocolate is now tempered and ready to use. Repeat for White Chocolate.
Using a rubber spatula, transfer the dark chocolate from the bowl onto the parchment paper. Using an offset spatula, spread the chocolate into an even layer that is roughly 1/4" thick. The dollop on the white chocolate as pictured. Swirl with a toothpick or chopstick to get nice design swirled in.
Top with the dried cherries and pistachios over the chocolate in an even layer. Set the chocolate aside to cool down and harden at room temperature.
Once the chocolate is completely hardened, cut or break into chunks and store in an airtight container. The bark keeps at room temperature for approximately a week, or in the fridge for up to 1 month.
Notes
Cooking time does not reflect time to cool, approximately a few hours at room temperature. It was cold enough outside that I set it outside so it hardened faster.