Dark Chocolate Espresso Almond Sea Salt Bark

Dark Chocolate Espresso Almond Sea Salt Bark is simple to make and has a wow factor that's off the chart. I know the title of this treat is extra long but every single component really must be acknowledged because each one is essential in making it taste so good.

The only secret to making it is to use the best ingredients you can buy. My preference is Belgian Callebaut Dark Chocolate, Stumptown Espresso Beans and sea salt and slivered almonds from the bulk bin of my neighborhood grocery store. The bark is also quick to make, taking just about 30 minutes from start to finish and is a great homemade gift for family and friends this holiday season. It is addictive though, so be prepared to share the recipe or get asked to make it on a regular basis.

Here's the recipe:

Dark Chocolate Espresso Almond Sea Salt Bark
1/2 pound dark chocolate, in chip form or roughly chopped
1/2 cup slivered almonds
1/4 cup espresso beans
1/2 teaspoon sea salt

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Spread the almonds on a baking sheet and toast in the oven for about 8 minutes or until browned and fragrant. These go from toasted to burned very quickly so keep an eye on them. Remove them from the oven and set aside.

Put the espresso beans in a plastic bag and lightly crush them with a rolling pin. Set them aside.

Prepare a sheetpan by lining it with a piece of parchment paper. Set it aside.

Measure out 1/3 cup of the chocolate and reserve it for later. Put the remaining chocolate in a double boiler set over low heat. Slowly melt the chocolate keeping and eye on it and stirring occasionally until the mixture is smooth. When the chocolate is completely melted, remove it from the heat and stir in the 1/3 cup of reserved chocolate and keep stirring until it too melts.  This last step might seem strange but it's called "the seeding method" and it's one way to temper the melted chocolate. The tempered chocolate you reserved and add will enhance the crystallization process of the melted chocolate.

After all the chocolate is melted, pour it onto the parchment-lined pan and gently spread it out to 1/4-inch thick using a spatula. Lift and gently tap the pan on the counter to help the chocolate settle into place.

Immediately sprinkle on the toasted slivered almonds, crushed espresso beans and sea salt. Refrigerate the bark uncovered until it completely hardens. Break the bark into rough pieces to serve.

Soft Sea Salted Caramels

Watch out Peanut Butter and Chocolate, Sea Salt and Caramel just might be a better tasting duo. Let's face it, the salty/sweet pair is found everywhere these days causing excitement and for me, drooling. They're just so darn good together.

Homemade caramels make a great holiday gift and I enjoy the whole process of making and wrapping them because it makes me feel like I'm running a candy shop. You just have to be sure you have two very necessary tools — a heavy bottomed medium-sized saucepan and a candy thermometer.

Here's the recipe:

Soft Sea Salted Caramels
(makes 128)

3/4 cup unsalted butter
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1 cup light corn syrup
2 cups granulated sugar
2 cups heavy whipping cream, divided
1 teaspoon vanilla
extra sea salt
 
Line an 8x8 pan with buttered parchment paper. In a two to three quart, heavy bottomed saucepan, add the butter, 1/2 teaspoon of sea salt, corn syrup, sugar and 1 cup of the whipping cream. Place the saucepan over low heat and warm the ingredients until the butter is melted. You may stir gently to combine the ingredients but don't splash the ingredients on the sides of the pan. Be very careful with this.

Once the butter is melted, increase the temperature to medium low and from this point on, there is no more stirring. Once the mixture is simmering, clip a candy thermometer onto the inside of the pan and heat the ingredients to 240 degrees F. Once the mixture reaches that temperature, add the remaining one cup of heavy whipping cream. Gently swirl the pan to help it combine again being careful not to splash the sides of the pan.

Still keeping the pan over medium low heat, heat the mixture until it reaches 250 degrees. This takes a while so be patient. It's important not to stir and to keep a close watch on it.

Once the mixture reaches 250 degrees, remove it from the heat, add the vanilla, and swirl the caramel to combine. If you must use a spoon or spatula to do this, be careful not to let it scrape the bottom of the pan because chances are that there are bits of too dark caramel on the bottom and you don't want to release it and mix it into your caramels.

Pour the mixture into the prepared pan and don't scrape the sides or bottom, just pour it out. Sprinkle the top of the caramel evenly with the extra sea salt. I use just a scant 1/2 of a teaspoon.

Let the caramel cool in the pan at room temperature. It's best if you can let it cool overnight.

To cut the caramels, grab the sides of the parchment to lift the whole thing out of the pan. Cut the caramel square into 1-inch strips and then slice off 1/2-inch wide caramels. Wrap the caramels individually in squares of parchment.

Sweet Treats And Salt

These Chewy Oatmeal Coconut Cookies demonstrate the magic of a salty sweet treat.

Fantastic treats like salted caramels, chocolate dipped pretzels and hot fudge sundaes topped with crushed peanuts confirm how salt can majorly enhance a sweet.

Salt is an important component in baking and shouldn't be overlooked in a recipe.

There are three main types of salt readily available — table salt, kosher salt and sea salt.

My preference for baking is sea salt because I find it less salty than table salt and I think it has a cleaner salt taste. It also dissolves and distributes evenly.

If you don't believe me, bake up a batch of these Chewy Oatmeal Coconut Cookies.

I use dark brown sugar in the recipe to give them a rich caramel flavor and a good dose of sea salt.

Trust me - it's magic.

MMM...Chewy and salty sweet.

Chewy Oatmeal Coconut Cookies
(makes 3 dozen)

1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
1/2 cup vegetable shortening
1 cup granulated sugar
1 1/2 cups dark brown sugar, loosely packed
2 large eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 1/4 teaspoons sea salt
2 1/2 cups flour
2 cups sweetened flaked coconut
2 1/2 cups old fashioned rolled oats

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Whip together the butter and the shortening. Add the sugars and the vanilla and cream until light and smooth. Add the eggs and beat again.

Add the salt, baking soda and baking powder and mix well. Add the flour and mix until thoroughly combined. Finally, stir in the coconut and oatmeal until evenly distributed.

Roll dough into 1 1/2 inch balls and place on parchment lined baking sheets. Leave at least 2-inches between cookies. Use your hand to slightly flatten the balls.

Bake for 10 to 13 minutes or until golden brown. Let the cookies cool for 5 minutes before removing to place on a cooling rack.