I love a homemade holiday gift. They’re fun to make and feel extra special to deliver. One of my favorite edible gifts is this dark chocolate orange bark with sliced almonds. That’s because the flavor profile screams winter holidays and it’s almost embarrassingly easy to make. No one will ever suspect the lack of effort, though! And if they do, I bet they’ll respect you more for it.
If you’re one of those people who hates on bloggers for “sharing their life story,” I’m sorry, you’re gonna hate this. I’ve been sitting on this recipe for about a year because I got sick right before the holidays and missed my window to make it. Then I went ahead and made it anyway, thinking I’d just post it for Valentine’s Day or as a year round recipe or something. Buuut then my house burned down the first week of January and I never got around to doing it. For the longest time I just couldn’t bring myself to edit or even look at the photos. But with Christmas right around the corner, I decided it was finally time.
So anyway, be nice to me please.
What’s the process?
So when I said this was super simple to make, I wasn’t lying. All you need to do is melt the chocolate in the microwave (increments of 30 seconds, stirring between each one until it’s nice and melted). Then spread it out on a rimmed baking sheet covered with parchment paper. Add candied orange slices, sliced almonds, and flaky sea salt, then let cool in the fridge until it’s solid. Then break it apart! You can do this by hand or with a knife. I personally like the rougher edges and different shapes you get when you break it up by hand, but you do you. That’s literally it.
Oh! If you don’t have a microwave, use a double boiler. And if you don’t have one of those, make one by putting a heat proof bowl on top of a saucepan with a couple inches of water on it. Heat on the stove on medium heat, stirring until the chocolate is fully melted. Slightly more complicated than the microwave, but honestly not by much.
How do I store this?
I recommend storing this bark in an airtight container in the fridge. It should last about 3 weeks that way. An airtight container at room temp is also fine and should last for 1-2 weeks. Depending on your climate it might get a little meltier than desired that way, though. Finally, you can freeze this dark chocolate bark with candied orange slices and sliced almonds in an airtight container. It should be good for a few months that way.
Easy Dark Chocolate Orange Bark with Sliced Almonds
Ingredients
- 12 oz Dark chocolate (I used 72%)
- 5.3 oz Sweetened dried orange slices (I left a few whole and chopped the rest into smaller pieces)
- 1/4 cup Sliced almonds
- Flaky sea salt To taste
Instructions
- Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper
- Add your chocolate to a microwave safe bowl and heat in 30 second increments, stirring between each one, until the chocolate is fully melted. This took about 5 bursts for me, but this may differ based on your microwave.
- Spread the chocolate on the parchment paper lined baking sheet. Then top with the candied orange pieces and almond slices. Finally, lightly sprinkle the whole thing with flaky sea salt and put it in the fridge to cool for about an hour, or until it’s solid.
- Once the bark is solid, break or cut it into pieces and enjoy!
If you make this, I hope you love it! I know I couldn’t get enough. Either way, let me know your thought in the comments or on Instagram! I always love hearing from you and reviews are always appreciated if you care to write one.
Looking for more festive recipes? Try my Christmas and/or Hanukkah themed M&M sugar cookies or my fudgy minty brownie cookies! Or if you’re looking for something a bit more savory, give these yuzu kosho deviled eggs a go. And most importantly, happy holidays! I hope the end of your year is truly magical.
