Easier than easy!3 ingredients and 15 minutes are all you need to make this decadent cranberry pistachio chocolate bark. With festive colours and sweet and salty flavour contrasts, this chocolate bark makes a tasty after-dinner treat or a welcome hostess gift!
The best Christmas chocolate bark! With red dried cranberries and green salted pistachios, this Cranberry Pistachio Chocolate Bark is a festive treat! Who doesn't love a tiny bite (or two) of dark chocolate after dinner? A small package of this chocolate bark, tied with a ribbon makes a welcome hostess gift, too!
I love making chocolate bark recipes. They're so fast, so easy, and everyone seems to gravitate towards these little bites when I add them to an assorted cookie tray.
Try my Cherry Almond Bark, Salted Dark Chocolate Bark with Pumpkin Seeds, or my citrus-flavoured Chocolate Orange Almond Bark too.
And if you're looking for more inspiration for homemade gifts from your kitchen, you'll find them in this roundup of 9 Homemade Gifts from the Kitchen.
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🛒 Ingredients
- good quality dark baking chocolate
- shelled pistachio nuts, salted or unsalted
- dried cranberries
- flaky sea salt (only if using unsalted pistachios)
You'll find ingredient amounts in the recipe card below.
Instructions
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone liner.
- Chop the chocolate into pieces approximately the same size so they will melt evenly. Melt ⅔ of the chocolate over, not in, a pan of simmering water. You can melt chocolate in a microwave if you are careful and check it at 30-second intervals.
- Remove from the heat and stir in the remaining ⅓ of the chocolate until it has completely melted.
- Stir in the coarsely chopped pistachios and dried cranberries.
- Spread on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet and cool completely.
- When cool, break the bark into pieces and package them attractively.
1. Melt ⅔ of the chocolate. 
2. Stir until smooth. 3. Add remaining ⅓ of the chocolate and stir until completely melted. 4. Add pistachios and cranberries 5. Spread mixture on a lined baking pan to cool. 6. Once set, snap into pieces.
Top tip: Temper the chocolate
Tempering chocolate means to heat and cool chocolate to stabilize it. Tempered chocolate is smooth and glossy and has a definite "snap" when you break it. Tempering allows you to handle chocolate without having it melt on your hands. It's a commonly used technique for making chocolate-covered treats.
To temper chocolate safely, I like to use a glass or metal bowl set over a saucepan of simmering water. You can use a double boiler if you have one. Melt ⅔ of the chocolate slowly until smooth, then remove the bowl from the heat and stir in the remaining ⅓ until it's all melted and smooth.
To temper chocolate safely, I like to use a glass or metal bowl set over a saucepan of simmering water. You can use a double boiler if you have one.
As I mentioned previously, you can melt chocolate in a microwave if you're very careful, but there is a greater chance of burning it. You want evenly melted chocolate with a silky smooth texture.
Variations
Substitute your favourite nuts and dried fruits. Try any of the following:
- pecans or walnuts and dried cranberries
- almonds and dried cherries
- pumpkin seeds with dried apricots
Storage
Once the chocolate has completely set and you've broken it into pieces, store it in a cool, dry place in an airtight container, ideally at less than 70ºF. If you have tempered the chocolate properly, it will keep for several weeks. It won't need to be refrigerated.
When you make this cranberry bark, please leave a comment and a rating below. I love hearing when you've made one of my recipes. Thanks in advance! Subscribe to my weekly newsletter and have new recipes delivered straight to your inbox.
📖 Recipe
Cranberry Pistachio Chocolate Bark
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 pound (453 gm) quality dark baking chocolate
- ½ cup shelled pistachio nuts,
- ½ cup dried cranberries,
Instructions
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone liner.
- Chop the chocolate into pieces approximately the same size so they will melt evenly.
- Melt ⅔ of the chocolate in a glass or metal bowl over, not in, a pan of simmering water. You can melt chocolate in a microwave if you are careful and check it at 30-second intervals.
- Remove from the heat and stir in the remaining ⅓ of the chocolate until it has completely melted.
- Stir in the pistachios and dried cranberries.
- Spread the mixture on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet and cool completely.
- When set, break into pieces and package attractively.
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