Sweet 'N Salty Chocolate Bark

This chocolate bark is the perfect 3 pm snack. Loaded with pistachios, coconut, pretzels, and dried cherries, it’s sure to satisfy all your mid-afternoon cravings while giving you a boost of energy to last you till dinner. And, since it’s full of fruit and nuts, you can also clock it under the “healthy” snack category — now that’s a win-win.

This chocolate bark is also endlessly adaptable. You can switch up the dried fruit and nuts as you like, leave out the coconut flakes, sub in goji berries. You can even swirl a little white chocolate into the top layer of chocolate if you want. Feel free to customize and make it your own, but don’t forget the flaky sea salt — you’ll want that salty kick.

Read on for more tips on making this super-simple snack, or if you’re looking for more inspiration, check out some other ways to fill your mid-afternoon snacking needs or satisfy chocolate cravings.

What kind of dark chocolate should I use?

The short answer? Any kind you want! But seriously: There’s a whole complicated world of chocolate and cocoa percentages out there, and one brand’s “dark chocolate” might be totally different from another brand’s. The most important thing is to chose a chocolate that you enjoy eating. If you like eating it plain, you’ll definitely love it in this bark.

I really like white chocolate. Can I use that instead?

Well . . . yes and no. While we love white chocolate, it can be really tricky to work with, so we don’t recommend using it as the only chocolate in your chocolate bark. However, if you want, you can swirl it into the top layer of chocolate in your bark, before you add the final toppings, for a super-cool look. If you’re looking for other white chocolate recipes, check out some of our favorites.

What size baking sheet should I use?

We used a standard half-sheet baking pan for this recipe, but to be honest, you could use any size you want. Just make sure that there’s ample room to spread your chocolate in a nice even layer, and that your first layer is about 1/8th of an inch thick, and you should be good to go.

What other dried fruits or nuts do you recommend?

What other dried fruits and nuts do you like? Seriously, it’s completely up to you. We love dried cherries and pistachios, so we chose to feature them in this recipe, but you could also use dried cranberries or raisins, almonds, peanuts, hazelnuts, or pecans if you wanted. You could even go really crazy and start throwing in dried coconut, banana chips, or goji berries.

Where can I store my chocolate bark?

Because this chocolate isn’t tempered, it will start to melt if it gets too warm. For that reason, we suggest storing your chocolate bark in an airtight container in the refrigerator. That will ensure that it stays crisp and ready for your 3 pm snacking!