The holidays can be so stressful, especially when it comes to gift-giving. Luckily, I’ve got an easy but heartfelt gift idea that you can make for loved ones in a pinch! You may have all the ingredients in your kitchen already. As I get older, I’ve come to appreciate more simple thoughtful gifts, over grand gestures of affection.

This bark melts in your mouth and is a sure crowd pleaser. I made it for my office last week and it was a hit–my boss made me put the bark on a different desk because he couldn’t stop eating it. Everyone was amazed that it was vegan chocolate. I have so many vegan and vegan-inclined friends, it’s easy to forget that not everyone knows about vegan chocolate, haha. I’m glad I could spread the gospel of vegan chocolate!

My house has been a gift wrapping mess lately! I honestly can’t wait to be done wrapping so I can have some sense of normalcy at my desks and tables. On top of that, I got myself sick at the worst time…still recovering, but I’m working on more new recipes for you soon. I hope your holiday preparations are going more smoothly than mine!

Snowy Christmas Bark
makes about a dozen pieces of bark

Prep time: 10 minutes
Wait time: 3 hours
Total time: 3 hours, 10 minutes

Ingredients:

• 1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder, or cacao, plus extra to taste (I also try to use fair trade chocolate when possible–I used this one that I won in a NuNaturals giveaway)
• pinch of sea salt
• 3/4 cup coconut oil, melted
• 1/2 cup pure maple syrup, at room temp (scant/this can be adjusted to your taste!)
• 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract (or peppermint extract for peppermint bark!)
• 1/4 cup vegan white chocolate chips (or more, to your liking–this is also optional)
• 1/4 cup dried cranberries
• 2 tablespoons pumpkin seeds or pistachios, slightly crushed
• 1/4 to 1/2 cup unsweetened shredded coconut

Method:

1. Line a large rectangular pan (I used a medium 18 x 13 inch pan) with wax/parchment paper, covering all the sides.
2. Sift the cocoa powder and sea salt into a large bowl.
3. Combine the liquid ingredients together in a separate bowl. Whisk well and add the liquids to the bowl with the cocoa powder. Whisk thoroughly until well combined. Add more cocoa powder or maple syrup to your taste.
4. Pour your chocolate into your lined pan. Tilt the pan around until the chocolate is about evenly covered and level.
5. Melt the white chocolate chips in a small bowl.*
6. Drizzle the white chocolate over the bark. Get creative and have fun with it!
7. Sprinkle the coconut flakes, cranberries, and pumpkin seeds on the bark.
8. Put the bark in the fridge for at least 3 to 4 hours. I let mine sit overnight for best results!
9. After the bark has set, break it up into rustic pieces, or cut them neatly if you wish!
10. Store in an air-tight container in the fridge for up to a month.
11. The bark can be served at room temperature and will stay stable for several hours (4-5), but it’s best to store it in the fridge.
12. Enjoy!

Notes:

*I’ve never worked with non-vegan white chocolate before, but vegan white chocolate can be pretty thick. So I stirred in about a teaspoon of melted coconut oil to the white chocolate to thin it out–makes drizzling easier!