Carolyn J. Braden • 3 Minute Read
How to Make 2 Ingredient Dark Chocolate Cherry Bark
A friend recently introduced me to dried tart cherries and as soon as I tasted them, I knew what to pair them with: dark chocolate! The sweet and tart combination of the cherries and the chocolate makes for the perfect sweet treat that actually has health benefits! Yes, chocolate can be good for you! Read on to learn how to make 2 ingredient dark chocolate cherry bark.
The edible gold leafing is just for fun and is optional
Reasons Why You Should Eat Cherries
Cherries are my husband’s favorite fresh fruit. I’ve put them on his cheesecakes (another one of his favorites) for many years. Check out his fresh cherry cheesecake I made here or see me make it in my 1-minute video below or via my YouTube channel @carolynjbraden as it makes for a cute birthday or grooms’ cake!
Cherries are not only a cute addition to cakes but they have many health benefits including helpful nutrients your body needs like fiber, vitamin C (think: blood pressure regulation, kidney function and more), anti-inflammatory compounds to help with arthritis and more.
Read more about the benefits of cherries, including how drinking cherry juice may help you sleep in this article by Healthline.
The tart cherries compliment the chocolate well
Reasons Why You Should Eat Dark Chocolate
I love that dark chocolate not only satisfies my sweet tooth, but it also is known for helping boost your mood, provides a non-dairy solution for a dessert lover that is lactose intolerant, is high in fiber and more. Read more about the health benefits of eating dark chocolate AND find out how much you should or should not eat in this article by the Cleveland Clinic.
You could use milk chocolate for this dessert, however the dark chocolate has the health benefits and compliments the tart cherries well. Dark chocolate was also my grandma’s favorite, and her cherry napkins are seen in the photos for this recipe, so it’s a great tribute to her. She loved cherries too!
The completed bark
The Dark Chocolate Cherry Bark Recipe
Now for the recipe! Here’s what you need. If you buy anything from Temu, use code afe55197 or my link here for 30% off (for new app users). Links below link out to Walmart, Amazon or Temu.
Yield: 20+ “bark bars”
Time: 20-30 minutes to make
Tools:
Small baking tray (I used a 13x9 small metal one I got at TJ Maxx but Amazon has a similar one here)
Knife
Tweezers if using the gold leafing
Ingredients:
11.5 ounces extra dark or dark semi-sweet chocolate chips (I used Guittard for this recipe)
1 cup dried tart cherries (I used Montmorency tart cherries …get a bag of the dried cherries I bought from Amazon here or get them at Walmart here)
Optional: Edible gold leafing (Amazon)
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The bark ingredients
How-To:
Place your parchment onto the baking tray and set aside. This helps the chocolate not stick and is very important to use unless you are using a silicone tray liner instead.
Parchment helps the chocolate not stick
Place your chocolate in a glass measuring cup and place in the microwave. Melt the chocolate in 30 second increments on 50% power.
Stir using a spatula or spoon in between the time increments and keep going until it’s melted and creamy. Do this slowly so you don’t burn the chocolate. You could alternatively use a double boiler method to melt the chocolate.
The dried tart cherries
Pour the chocolate onto the parchment lined tray, using a spatula to flatten and spread it out towards the edges of the pan evenly.
Pouring the melted chocolate
Sprinkle 1 cup dried cherries onto the melted chocolate, spreading it out evenly on the surface of the chocolate.
Sprinkling on the cherries
IF you are wanting to make it fancier, shred the edible gold leafing into a bowl using DRY fingers and also use your fingers or food tweezers to put it around the cherries on your chocolate.
Shredding the gold leafing with dry fingers is best
Place in the freezer for 15 minutes or until the chocolate is hardened.
Using tweezers to apply the leafing
Remove from the freezer and place on a clean surface that you can cut on. I used my flexible cutting board.
Cutting the chocolate with a sharp knife is easiest
Use a knife to cut it into small squares. Mine weren’t even and I was fine with that.
The completed chocolate cherry bark
I stored mine in a sealed container in the refrigerator to keep them fresh and firm (we live in south Florida and everything melts here…even in the winter sometimes!). We ate through them, savoring each one daily at bedtime and they are delicious (my husband approves!). I did sleep really well after eating them…must be that cherry health benefit!
If you loved this article, then we know you’ll love this one too: How to Make 3 Ingredient Chocolate Peanut Butter Crunch Bombs
Carolyn J. Braden is the owner of Carolyn’s Blooming Creations is a regular contributor and editor for CBC. She has been featured in numerous media publications such as InStyle Magazine, on HGTV, on Bustle.com, and more. She is the author of the books Georgia McMasters in Amethyst Lake Cemetery, How To Be Yourself: 3 Ways To Help You Being You, and the illustrator for the children’s book Bridging Connections. She is a former classroom teacher that now dedicates her life to educating others on how to live their most healthy, creative and happy life. Learn more about her visiting our About Us page.