Want to make a chocolate bark that looks positively gourmet with an exotic twist to boot?  Try making these dark chocolate disks with an assortment of roasted nuts all flavored with cardamom and spice. This recipe is the easiest sweet treat to make with the most decadent of results. I posted a similar dark chocolate recipe with dried apricots and candied ginger a while back Dark Chocolate Fruit and Nut Bark with Apricots and Candied Ginger.  In this variation I’ve added a wider variety of roasted nuts along with sweet cardamom, saffron, and smoky maple syrup.

Cardamom and Saffron Dark Chocolate Nut & Fruit Bark

Ingredients:

• 1lb dark chocolate any type
• 1/4 cup chopped roasted pistachios
• 1/4 cup chopped roasted almonds
• 1/4 cup chopped roasted salted cashews
• 1/4 cup dried fruit like raisins, dried cherries, and cranberries chopped into small pieces
• 1/2 tsp saffron threads optional
• 1 1/2 tsp cardamom powder
• 2 tbsp pure maple syrup

Directions:

• Mix all the nuts, dried fruit and saffron together to form a nut and dried fruit mixture. Set aside.
• Chop the chocolate bar into small pieces. Place in a glass bowl, add cardamom powder and maple syrup and melt chocolate in a water bath until the chocolate is melted and creamy.

• Spread the melted chocolate onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. You can do this if you want to make a bark-like chocolate.  OR you can pour spoonfuls onto the parchment paper in even rounds to form disk-shaped chocolate bites.
• Sprinkle nut and dried fruit mixture evenly over the chocolate. Gently press down on the nuts so that all the nuts and dried fruit stick to the chocolate.

• Place in the refrigerator for 1 hour so the chocolate can harden.  After 1 hour chocolate is ready.

• Place chocolate disks in decorative bowls to serve with coffee.

Cook’s Notes:  Any roasted nuts can be used in this chocolate. I like to make my chocolate bark with salted roasted nuts as I find the salt adds a nice balance to the sweet chocolate.