Napa Farmhouse 1885™: Chocolate-Coconut-Cashew Bark with Sea Salt

Chocolate and Valentine's Day just go together, right? Now what if I shared a chocolate recipe that is not only delicious, but good-for-you too? And easy to boot. Win, win for everyone.

There are only 5 ingredients in the bark so it is very important that each one is of the highest quality. Today, I used coconut and cashews for the candy, but you can substitute any combination of nuts, dried fruit, herbs and/or flavorings you like. Just keep the proportions the same. The sea salt adds a delicious contrast to the sweet chocolate but leave it off if you wish. Speaking of "sweet", I used dark, bittersweet chocolate and there is no added sugar so you can feel good about giving this delicious dessert. And, since this recipe makes over a pound of bark, you can keep some for yourself. Enjoy. Happy Valentine's Day everyone!

Chocolate-Coconut-Cashew Bark with Sea Salt
(makes 1 3/4 lb bark)

16 oz best quality (60-70% cacao) bittersweet chocolate (I use Scharffenberger) well chopped
1/2 teaspoon coconut flavor extract
1/2 cup unsweetened coconut, shredded
1 1/4 cups roasted cashews, coarsely chopped
coarse sea salt for sprinkling

Line a rimmed cookie sheet with parchment paper. Set aside

Bring a medium sized saucepan 1/4 full of water to medium simmer. Set a medium bowl over ensuring the bottom does not touch the water. Place the chopped chocolate in the bowl and stir occasionally until melted. Remove from heat and stir in the coconut flavor, coconut, and all but 2 tablespoons of the cashews.Quickly pour onto the prepared cookie sheet and spread to create a thin layer. Sprinkle remaining cashews and about 1 tablespoon sea salt over the bark. Place in fridge and chill until firm (3-4 hours).

Break bark into pieces and serve. Store in an airtight container between layers of parchment paper in refrigerator. Bark will stay fresh for 7 days.
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