6/30

Mini Chocolate Bark Bites (+ Giveaway!) (CLOSED)

Desserts, Food, Giveaways, Sponsored, Sweet
By Emma Chapman

How to melt carob chips (via abeautifulmess.com)While I was purchasing a couple of supplies for this snack, I thought of a game we could totally play together. It's a fill-in-the-blank type game and it goes like this: You know you're a blogger if…

The one I thought of as I was checking out at the grocery store was: You know you're a blogger if you find yourself buying edible flowers more often than bread or milk.

Or maybe you're just awesome. Ha! If you have any fill-in-the-blank answers, let us know! 

(I feel like this is also an admission that I'm often thinking up random games or jokes to myself. Well, guilty as charged in that case.)

Healthy chocolate bark bites (via abeautifulmess.com) I digress, because the edible flowers are really beside the point. These are mini chocolate bark bites made with the Probiotic Power Mix from our friends at NatureBox, who we are working with on this post. For those of you not familiar with NatureBox, it's an awesome high-quality snack subscription service. They have over 100 options to choose from, so you'll definitely get something you love but still get to try something new! It definitely broadened my recipe dreaming. 

I call these bark bites, but they are really modeled after the classic French treat: mendiants. Which is melted chocolate with dried fruit, nuts or other toppings. Easy to make and even easier to eat if you ask me. 

One fun thing I decided to try with these was using a variety of chocolate. I used dark chocolate chips, a white chocolate bar, and carob chips. I had to try a few different methods before I figured out how to easily melt the carob chips (carob is a bit different from chocolate but packed with lots of healthy things and often unsweetened).

Nature Box chocolate bark bitesFor the melted base you will need: 1 cup carob chips + 1 teaspoon coconut oil, 1 cup dark chocolate chips + 1 teaspoon coconut oil, and 1 cup white chocolate chips (or a bar broken into pieces) + 1 teaspoon coconut oil. 

For the top all you need is a bag of Probiotic Power Mix, unsweetened coconut flakes (optional), and edible flowers (optional). Give your toppings a rough chop and set aside before melting your chocolates.

Fool proof method for melting carob chipsTo melt the carob chips: Place the chips and coconut oil in a glass bowl set over a pot of simmering water. Carob chips will melt much more easily than chocolate chips, so you want to keep your heat turned low. If you melt the carob too quickly, it can seize up on you and turn grainy. Use a heat proof rubber spatula to gently stir the carob chips as they melt. As soon as they are nearly all melted, remove from heat and continue to stir until completely melted. 

To melt chocolate chips (dark or white): Place the chips and coconut oil in a microwave safe bowl. Microwave on high for 30 seconds. Remove and give it a stir. Then microwave again for 30 seconds. Stir and see if the mixture is melted. If not, return for another 30 seconds. You can use the double boiler method here if you don't like microwaves, but I think they are faster so I often opt for that when melting chocolate. I did try melting carob in the microwave and found it too difficult since the carob melts so much faster. 

How to make chocolate barkOnce the carob or chocolate is melted, dollop a small disk onto wax paper and top with your toppings. Allow to set before trying to remove from the wax paper. For the carob, keep in mind that it's a pretty strong flavor. So you don't want to make giant bark bites or super dense ones from these. 

The carob will set faster than the chocolates. If you want to speed the process along with the chocolates, you can always pop them in the refrigerator for an hour or so and that will help them harden faster. 

Healthy chocolate bark bites (via abeautifulmess.com)Any mini bark bites that don't get consumed within the day store in an airtight container in a cool place (or in the refrigerator) for up to a week (and probably longer, but that's how long mine lasted). And here's a little giveaway just for our readers!

NatureBox

Giveaway is for US and Canada addresses only and is open until July 7. The winner will be contacted directly shortly after. Good luck! xo. Emma

P.S. NatureBox is offering you the chance to try delicious snacks for free! Check out more details about their free trial offer by clicking here. 

Credits // Author and Photography: Emma Chapman. Photos edited with A Beautiful Mess actions.

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