I wanted to make something easy for valentine’s day that I knew my husband would love, but would also be the perfect Galentine’s day recipe.

I didn’t want to deal with the typical chocolate-covered strawberries (um, hello mess and also that wet layer that forms between the strawberries and the chocolate after they’ve been in the fridge is my literal worst nightmare – no thank you), but I still wanted chocolate-covered strawberry vibes.

Hence, strawberry chocolate bark with freeze-dried strawberries.

Also…anyone else looking for egg-free desserts these days? 😅 Happy to report that this recipe for strawberry chocolate bark passes the test.

What You’ll Find in This Post

• What You Will Need (Ingredients & Equipment)
• What’s the Difference Between Chocolate and Chocolate Melts?
• How to Melt Chocolate in a Double Boiler
• How to Make Strawberry Chocolate Bark
• How to Store Chocolate Bark

What You’ll Need to Make Strawberry Chocolate Bark

Ingredients for Strawberry Chocolate Bark

• Chocolate-Flavored Almond Bark: to get that snappy texture of traditional chocolate bark without needing to temper anything, chocolate-flavored almond bark is my go-to. Plus it melts really easily.
• Freeze-Dried Strawberries: I chose to use freeze-dried strawberries over fresh strawberries for this recipe because I find that they add a better texture element, they’re easier to use (no cutting or washing required), and won’t go soggy.
• White Chocolate Chips: I love the look of some drizzled white chocolate on top once you’ve added everything to the bark. I think it’s a lovely ode to chocolate-covered strawberries and provides some visual intrigue.
• Granola Ingredients
  • Unsalted Almonds: I prefer to use raw, unsalted almonds since we’ll be baking them as part of the granola and we’re adding salt to the granola ourselves. I prefer to buy them whole so that I can control how big the almond pieces are after giving them a rough chop. But you can always use slivered almonds if you’d like to keep things easy.
  • Old-Fashioned Oats or Rolled Oats (they’re the same thing): Is it even granola if it doesn’t have oats?
  • Maple Syrup: to add some sweetness to the granola and hold everything together so that we get that nice crunchy texture.
  • Vanilla Extract: to add some extra flavor oomph to the granola.
  • Kosher Salt: salt doesn’t just make things salty, it also heightens other flavors. I use Diamond Crystal Kosher Salt. Be careful if you use Morton Kosher Salt – it’s actually saltier and will throw off the recipe. Here’s a cool article from Food52 about their differences 😉

Tools & Equipment for Strawberry Chocolate Bark

This is a pretty easy and simple recipe! You’ll a small-medium sauce pan as well as a heat-proof bowl that fits on top and a rubber spatula – this is what you’ll use to double boil the chocolate. You’ll also need two baking sheets – one for the granola and the other to spread out the chocolate to make the bark. Parchment paper paper, a chef’s knife, and a cutting board will also be used.

What’s the Difference Between Chocolate and Chocolate-Flavored Almond Bark?

The main difference between chocolate and chocolate-flavored almond bark comes down to the type of fat used in their makeup. Chocolate contains cocoa butter while almond bark typically uses vegetable fat.

If you’re interested, you can keep reading on in this article: Real Chocolates vs. Chocolate Melts: What’s the Difference? (For the record, I know almond bark and chocolate melts are different, but you get the gist)

So why does this matter? Well if you’re wanting strawberry chocolate bark with a signature snap but are using regular chocolate, you’re going to have to temper the chocolate, while chocolate-flavored almond bark will have that snap and glossy finish without needing to go through the steps of tempering.

What does it mean to temper chocolate?

Tempering chocolate can make even the most experienced bakers sweat.

Tempering chocolate is the process of melting and cooling and reheating chocolate until the cocoa butter crystals are aligned, which gives it a glossy finish and snap once it’s hardened. It also prevents it from melting in your hands.

By using chocolate melts for this recipe, you’ll still get a snappy strawberry chocolate bark without needing to jump through the hoops of tempering. If you don’t care about it having a snappy consistency and only have chocolate chips or regular chocolate on hand, feel free to use that.

How to Melt Chocolate in a Double Boiler

Chocolate is pretty sensitive to heat and as a result, it can be pretty easy to burn. You can definitely melt chocolate in the microwave, but I found that using a double boiler gets the best results – plus, maybe you’ll learn a new skill 😊

To melt chocolate using the double boiler method, you’ll do the following:

1. Fill a small-medium sauce pan with about an inch of water and set it on a burner over medium heat until it reaches a simmer.
2. Settle a heat-proof bowl into the top of the sauce pan. It should fit snuggly so that there’s no steam escaping and you should not need to hold it in place. Make sure the simmering water doesn’t touch the bottom of the bowl.
3. Add the chocolate melts to the bowl and let the heat from the steam on the underside of the bowl gently melt the chocolate.
4. Occasionally stir the chocolate with a rubber spatula (don’t use a wooden spatula as it may contain moisture, which would cause the chocolate to seize) until melted and smooth.
5. Remove from the heat using oven-mitts if necessary. Be very careful to avoid letting the steam touch your skin as it will be hot and could burn you.

If you prefer visual instructions, check out this video, “How to Melt Chocolate – the Right Way!” by Everyday Food on YouTube (I made sure to link to the part of the video that addresses double boiling chocolate 😉).

It walks you through the basics of the process and addresses some common pitfalls of working with chocolate.

How to Make Strawberry Chocolate Bark

I intentionally kept this recipe pretty simple. Yes, it’s got an extra couple of steps because you’re making the granola as opposed to simply topping the chocolate with nuts, but I promise it’s worth it.

1. Heat the maple syrup, vanilla extract, and kosher salt in a small sauce pan, then stir in the oats and roughly chopped almonds.
2. Bake the granola on a parchment paper lined sheet pan for 30 minutes and allow to cool for 15 minutes, then break into crumbles.
3. Using the double boiler method (see above), melt the dark chocolate or semi-sweet chocolate melts until smooth, then spread into a thin layer on a parchment paper lined baking sheet.
4. Top with the cooled granola clusters and freeze-dried strawberries.
5. Drizzle with melted white chocolate melts – you will again use the double boiler method.
6. Allow to harden and then share and enjoy!

For more in-depth instructions, see the strawberry chocolate bark recipe card at the bottom of this post.

How to Store Strawberry Chocolate Bark

I’ve got a couple of storage tips so that you can get the most out of this strawberry chocolate bark! The most important thing is that you want to make sure it’s stored in a covered/sealed container so that the granola doesn’t go stale. It will keep covered on the counter for about a week!

You can also freeze it if you’d like to make it and save it for later.

If you make this strawberry chocolate bark with almond granola, let me know how it turned out by leaving a review!

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