Canadian culinary legend Bonnie Stern shared her recipe for S’mores Chocolate Bark from her new book “Don’t Worry, Just Cook”, written with her daughter, Anna Rupert, and featuring a Foreword from Yotam Ottolenghi.
S’mores Chocolate Bark
Makes 24 to 30 pieces
Ingredients:
– 1 lb semisweet chocolate, chopped
– 11/2 cups broken graham wafers
– 3 cups miniature marshmallows (regular or vegan)
– 1 cup roasted, salted peanuts
– 1 tsp flaky sea salt
Directions:
1. Line a 9 × 13-inch baking sheet with parchment paper, and allow some of the parchment to hang over two sides for easy removal.
2. Slowly melt the chocolate in the microwave in a large glass measuring cup or bowl, or in a bowl set over a pot of simmering water (but not touching the water), until almost melted. Remove from the heat. Cover and rest for 4 minutes, then stir to finish the melting.
3. In a large bowl, combine the graham wafer pieces, marshmallows, and peanuts. Add the melted chocolate and stir to coat everything well.
4. Spread evenly over the lined baking sheet or pan. Depending on how thick you want the bark, it may not take up the entire pan. Sprinkle with flaky sea salt. Refrigerate until set. Lift out of the pan with parchment paper and transfer to a cutting board. With a sharp, heavy knife, cut into pieces. (I like random, uneven pieces, but it’s up to you.) Store in the freezer.
Variations:
1. You can make bark with all bittersweet chocolate, semisweet, milk chocolate, or white chocolate. But be aware that milk and white chocolate melt faster than bittersweet and semisweet.
2. For a more sophisticated bark, mix melted bittersweet or semisweet chocolate with 2 cups chopped roasted almonds and hazelnuts combined.
3. Use bittersweet or semisweet chocolate with 2 cups chopped roasted nuts and dried fruit combined.
4. A beautiful bark can also be made with bittersweet or semisweet chocolate as the base and then topped with chopped pistachios, dried rose petals, and dried cherries. Press in lightly. Chill until set. Sprinkle with pomegranate seeds when serving.
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“I tell you not to worry because I’ve done all the worrying for you!”
Bonnie Stern, beloved teacher and bestselling cookbook author, wants nothing more than for you to feel like she’s in the kitchen cooking beside you.
In her latest cookbook, Don’t Worry, Just Cook, written with her daughter Anna Rupert (who has, in fact, been in the kitchen cooking beside Bonnie her whole life!), Bonnie and Anna are here to help cooks of all experiences foster comfort and connection through food.
With her trademark encouraging style and attention to detail, Bonnie writes recipes that are consistently delicious, widely appealing, and, as always, timeless. Like all of her cookbooks, Don’t Worry, Just Cook doesn’t simply give instructions to create a dish, it also shares stories, lessons, and kitchen wisdom that will build your cooking technique and confidence in the kitchen.
In this new book, you’ll find easy-to-follow recipes for all-day breakfasts, soups, starters, and side dishes, as well as breads and vegetarian, fish, and meat mains. And, for those wanting something sweet, Bonnie and Anna have included plenty of desserts! You’ll be amazed by how quickly such special dishes like Jeweled Roasted Salmon with Herbs and Sheet Pan Chicken with Lemon and Olives come together. The simplicity and beauty of dishes like Ja’ala Herb Salad with Lemon Honey Dressing and Roasted Cauliflower Steaks with Tahini and Z’hug will impress even the cook! And the desserts, like the Pavlova Cake with Lemon Curd and Berries, Bonnie’s Rugelach, and S’mores Chocolate Bark have never been so fun or delicious.
Bonnie and Anna have also provided notes and variations to help you modify dishes for special diets, and have sprinkled in essays on topics that will resonate with all of us, from things not worth worrying about, to a love of leftovers and what to do with them. Bonnie and Anna’s warm voices and subtle humour come through on every page. With 125 enjoyable and thoughtful recipes, and stunning photography, home cooks will turn to this instant classic time and time again to nourish themselves and the people they love.
