Raw Chocolate Coconut Almond Bark

This sweet rich Raw Chocolate Coconut Almond Bark can be customized to your tastes. Make it thick or thin. Add your favorite ingredients.

I have been craving chocolate recently and decided to make my own sweet treat instead of buying some. This Raw Chocolate Coconut Almond Bark is the result. I used cacao powder, which doesn’t go through all the processing that cocoa does, so it contains more nutrients. You could use cocoa instead, which I have done in the past. When I made my Chocolate Truffle Eggs with an Almond Date Nest for Easter, I tried the recipe with both cacao powder and cocoa powder. To me, there was a noticeable difference in flavor. The cocoa powder wasn’t as rich and it didn’t give me the addictive, intense, euphoric feeling that we look for when eating chocolate. To add a rich, creaminess, I used coconut oil. For some crunch I added crushed almonds and coconut flakes.

You will want to put these in the refrigerator or freezer to keep them from melting. In the colder months they will probably be okay in the pantry, since coconut oil solidifies when cold. Even though I used coconut flakes and almonds, you could add any of your crunchy favorites to this bark. In the future I want to try pistachios, pecans, dried cranberries, goji berries, and maybe even some dried tropical fruit. I like to make my own dehydrated fruit, sun-dried tomatoes, and crackers, so I will probably be experimenting with dried bananas and apples too.

Have fun playing with different combinations!

Raw Chocolate Coconut Almond Bark

Ingredients

• 1 cup cacao powder (or cocoa powder if you prefer)
• 1 cup coconut oil – I used organic virgin
• 1/2 cup brown rice syrup
• 2 teaspoons almond extract
• 1/2 cup coconut flakes
• 1/2 cup chopped almonds

Instructions

1. Mix first four ingredients together with a fork or whisk.  Add coconut flakes and chopped almonds. Mix well.
2. Line a container (I used a glass baking dish) with plastic wrap. Pour mixture in the dish.
3. Refrigerate until mixture solidifies. Break or slice into bars. Put in the fridge or freezer.

Note:

*The glass dish that I used to pour the mixture in is 9 1/2″ x 7 1/2″. The bark came out to be almost 1″ thick, so if you want thinner bark, use a larger dish, or use half the amount.