chocolate almond bacon bark

Oh boy, is this great! I feel like Flounder in Animal House just before all hell breaks loose! And know this going in – all hell will, when you make this outrageous bark! After much machinations – simple is ALWAYS best! So with that in mind, I give you a simple, sensational sweet and salty treat to knock everyone’s socks off this Valentine’s Day! The measurements are flexible – more chocolate means thicker bark, more nuts, means well, more nuts and the same with the bacon.

Check out the ideas below ’cause you can flavour your bark any way you please! And if gifting is what you have in mind – get yourself some fold-top sandwich bags, slip in a few pieces of bark, print out these Valentine treat gift tags, and you’ll have the universal day of love all wrapped up! This is a quick and impressive way to get your act together – melt, sprinkle, cool, break, bag, tag and go!

click here to jump down to the chocolate almond bacon bark recipe

1. Get your bacon cookin’.

2. However you get your bacon cookin’.

3. It’ll drain itself if you use the rack-in-the-oven method …

4. Or move it to paper towel to drain if you use a frying pan.

5. Put a couple of inches of water in a pot over lowish heat to come to a simmer.

6. Choose your chocolate.

7. Break it into pieces and put it into a heat-safe bowl over the simmering water.

8. And melt it slowly.

9. Just like this.

10. See? Perfect.

11. Chop your nuts and yes, I have a slap chop, and it works great!

12. So they look like this.

13. Toast ’em in a pan.

14. Put your cooled bacon in a pile on a cutting board.

15. And coarsely chop it into small pieces.

16. Pour the melted chocolate onto parchment paper on a baking pan.

17. And spread to cover the entire pan.

18. So it looks like this.

19. Sprinkle the chopped bacon over the warm chocolate.

20. Followed by the cooled nuts, and press it all down with the back of a spoon or spatula.

21. Take the rest of the melted chocolate and if you need more, melt more …

22. And drizzle it over the nuts and bacon layer.

23. And there you have it. Put in the fridge for a couple of hours to harden.

24. Break it into pieces, bag, tag and hand it over, or …

1. Cook the following until crispy over medium-heat and drain on paper towel to cool. Once cool, put the bacon in a pile, coarsely chop and set aside.

1 lb. bacon, crisped & chopped

2. Meanwhile in a pot over simmering water place:

1¹/₂-2 lbs. high-quality chocolate (the more chocolate, the thicker the bark)

3. Prep and set aside:

1-2 cups almonds, chopped & toasted

4. When the chocolate is melted spread 3/4 of it in an even layer on a parchment-lined baking pan. Reserve the rest to drizzle over at the end. The chopped cooked bacon is next, sprinkled over in an even layer and do the same with the chopped almonds. Use the back of a spatula to press the bacon and nuts into the warm chocolate. Finish with a drizzle of the rest of the melted chocolate. Allow to cool to harden and the break into 2″-3″ size pieces.

the bark business

Chocolate bark can accommodate as many flavour combinations as you can toss at it – so happy tossing and here are a few ideas to get you warmed up:

use flavoured chocolate bars
10 chocolate bark mix-ins
mix white, milk and dark chocolate for a marbled effect
use ant nuts you like – almonds, cashews, pine nuts, walnuts, macadamia nuts, pecans, peanuts. pistachios
dice up dried fruit – apricots, dates, raisins, figs, cranberries, , cherries, mangoes, candied ginger or citrus peel
add flavoured extracts to the melted chocolate
spice it up with red pepper flakes, cinnamon, chili or cayenne pepper
any sea salt – make your own for custom flavour combinations
crushed cardamom or fennel seeds
crushed candies – peppermints, toffee
toasted coconut flakes
peanut butter or butterscotch chips
banana chips