Finding gluten-free desserts at parties is like trying to find a Salvation Army bell-ringer at a Grinch convention. It’s just not happening often. That’s why I like recipes like these. Chocolate. Pecans. Some flavor pairings with a good dash of salt.
One small note about “white chocolate”. This can be tricky because it’s not really chocolate. Milk and dark chocolate are produced from the cocoa bean, white chocolate contains no cocoa solids whatsoever. Instead, white chocolate is made from cocoa butter, a pale yellow edible vegetable fat which has a cocoa aroma and flavor.
This means it can be hard to melt along with milk chocolate. White chocolate baking chips are the most tricky with melting but work great in cookies and bars. For this recipe, I used the Ghirardelli squares and they worked great.
Spiced pecans: Using an oil spritzer, coat the pecans with light olive or canola oil. Sprinkle lightly with ground cloves and pecans. Shake to coat. Continue with recipe directions.
Salted Pecan Bark
Ingredients
- 1 cup pecans coarsely chopped (I used some cinnamon-clove spiced pecans, recipe below)
- 3 4-oz. bars bittersweet chocolate baking bars
- 3 4-oz. white chocolate baking bars
- 1 teaspoon coarse sea salt
Instructions
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Place pecans in a single layer on a baking sheet.
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Bake at 350° for 8 to 10 minutes or until toasted.
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Line a 17- x 12-inch jelly-roll pan with parchment paper. Break each chocolate bar into 8 equal pieces. (You will have 48 pieces total.) Arrange in a checkerboard pattern in jelly-roll pan, alternating white and dark chocolate. (Pieces will touch.)
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Bake at 225° for 5 minutes or just until chocolate is melted. Remove pan to a wire rack. Swirl chocolates into a marble pattern using a wooden pick. Sprinkle evenly with toasted pecans and salt.
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Chill 1 hour or until firm. Break into pieces. Store in an airtight container in refrigerator up to 1 month.
Recipe Notes
Note: I used Ghirardelli 60% Cacao Bittersweet Chocolate Baking Bars and Ghirardelli White Chocolate Baking Bars.
