I’m one of those super annoying people who would play Christmas music and wear jingle bells all year ’round if it was socially acceptable. I know a lot of people get frustrated when the fa-la-la-laing starts before Thanksgiving, but I’m all about adding a little holiday cheer whenever you can—even if it comes before the unofficial start date.
I have such fondness for all the glitter and joy and love that is the holiday season, I just can’t resist starting it a little early each year. One of my favorite parts of the holiday season is showering my favorite people with handmade gifts. It brings me such joy to craft something special for the people I love and appreciate.
Since we are personally on a charge to remove clutter from our lives, we like to extend the clutter-free lifestyle to our friends and family, too, with DIY Christmas food gifts. We love gifting (and receiving!) consumables. We gift cookies. We gift homebaked bread. We gift homebrew. We gift homemade soap. We gift garlic from our garden. We gift jam. Some people even get big baskets filled with all of these things!
I’ve seen Facebook posts out there around Christmastime that say people don’t want food, they want cash, but I refuse to believe we live in that kind of world. I want to believe that the people we gift our wares to understand how much time and love go into them. Maybe it’s naive, but I like to believe that my mailman really does love (or at least, appreciate) the tin of goodies I leave for him in our mailbox every December. And I know our dogsitter enjoys his yearly six pack of homebrew.
This Cranberry Pistachio Bark will be added to our list of consumable Christmas gifts this year. It’s beautiful (and festive with the red and green!), delicious, and so easy to make. Easy enough that you could make enough of this stuff in an afternoon to gift to every mail carrier in your state!
Since this recipe is mega simple (four ingredients total), it’s important to use really great quality ingredients—especially the chocolate. You want good, velvety, intense chocolate. I chose to use GREEN & BLACK’S ORGANIC Chocolate (in both 70% Dark and White). The 70% Dark is wonderfully smooth and has great chocolate flavor. The White Chocolate is one of the only white chocolate bars out there that actually tastes like something! It has glorious specs of vanilla bean and has a wonderful vanilla flavor. Plus, all of GREEN & BLACK’S ORGANIC Chocolate is certified organic and fair trade certified. It makes my heart happy to use chocolate from a company who is so committed to social responsibility.
If you’ve never made a bark before, it’s super simple—you’ll want to make bark all the time! All you do is melt some chocolate, pour into a pan, and then sprinkle some yummy mix-ins on top. Let it cool completely, then cut or break it into pieces.
I chose to do a thin layer of dark chocolate, topped with a thick layer of white chocolate that holds the cranberries and pistachios. I really like the look of the cranberries and pistachios on the white background, and I think adding just a thin layer of dark chocolate adds some nice richness. You can, of course, play with the layers however you like. Not a fan of white chocolate? Skip that layer. Want to use milk chocolate? Go for it. Make this cranberry pistachio bark your own!
Of course, this bark doesn’t have to be a Christmas recipe. It’s a tasty, fun treat all year ’round. Make up a batch of it for a host or hostess gift to thank your Thanksgiving cook for all their hard work. Bring a batch to work to cheer up your coworkers (treats always do that!). Or just make a batch to enjoy with a hot mug of tea by the fireplace with a good book at home. Just make a batch! Enjoy.
Cranberry Pistachio Bark
This beautiful and festive Cranberry Pistachio Bark is a perfect handmade gift to give to your loved ones (they don't have to know how easy it was to make!).
Ingredients
- 7 ounces dark chocolate (2, 3.5 ounce GREEN & BLACK’S ORGANIC 70% Dark Chocolate)
- 10 ounces white chocolate (about 3, 3.5 ounce GREEN & BLACK’S ORGANIC White Chocolate bars)
- 1/2 cup dried, sweetened cranberries
- 1/2 cup shelled, salted pistachios
Instructions
- Line an 8×8 baking pan with parchment paper, set aside.
- In a double boiler over medium-low heat, melt the dark chocolate, stirring constantly, until very smooth. Pour chocolate into the prepared baking pan. Spread into an even layer. Let cool completely.
- Clean out the double boiler, then add the white chocolate. Melt over medium-low heat, stirring constantly until very smooth. Pour over the cooled dark chocolate and spread into an even layer.
- Immediately sprinkle on the cranberries and pistachios. Press lightly on top to seat them into the dark chocolate.
- Let the bark cool completely to harden, then lift out of the pan. Break up using your hands or cut using a sharp knife.
Notes
Speed up the cooling process by popping the bark into the freezer—just make sure to use a flat spot or your bark will be uneven.
If you can’t find salted pistachios, use unsalted, but sprinkle the top of the bark with a little flaky sea salt before it cools.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 12 Serving Size: 1 servingAmount Per Serving: Calories: 220Total Fat: 13gSaturated Fat: 8gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 4gCholesterol: 6mgSodium: 26mgCarbohydrates: 25gFiber: 1gSugar: 22gProtein: 2g
At Wholefully, we believe that good nutrition is about much more than just the numbers on the nutrition facts panel. Please use the above information as only a small part of what helps you decide what foods are nourishing for you.
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