Chocolate Bark with Almonds and Pumpkin Seeds

Chocolate Bark with Almonds and Pumpkin Seeds is a festive treat that is so easy to make! Just sprinkle melted dark chocolate with toasted chopped almonds, pumpkin seeds, and a dusting of sea salt. 

Why Make This Recipe

• This chocolate bark recipe is super easy. Just 4 ingredients! Toast nuts and seeds together in the oven, and melt chocolate in the microwave. Once the ingredients are ready, you can put this together in minutes. Then just chill before breaking into pieces and diving in!
• Looking for a festive addition to the holiday cookie plate? This recipe is a crowd-pleaser. The irregular shapes of the pieces look great next to round cookies, and add a different, complementary texture to the rest of your offerings. Plus, this chocolate bark is gluten-free, so it’s a winner for any gluten-sensitive or low-carb eaters. 
• Perfect for gifting! I love to DIY holiday gifts, especially when they’re food-related. This bark is a perfect gift wrapped up in a cellophane bag with a pretty ribbon, or in a holiday treat box or tin. 

🥗 Ingredients

• Dark chocolate: I love dark chocolate, so I tend to seek out options that are around 70% cocoa beans. Bags of chocolate chunks will work as well, though I would avoid using chocolate chips, as they can container stabilizers in them so they don't melt easily.
• Almonds: Pecans and walnuts are also delicious in this recipe. You could also use sliced or slivered almonds instead of whole almonds—just make sure you check them early as their toasting time may be less than for whole almonds. 
• Pepitas: In case you are unfamiliar with this ingredient, pepitas are pumpkin seeds that have had their white outer husks removed. They are high in fat but are packed with nutrients, protein, and fiber! You can leave these out if you can’t find them. 
• Sea Salt: I love a high-quality fleur de sel for this bark—the more coarsely-ground the better. Use as much or as little as you like (or leave off entirely!). 

🥣 Instructions

Set oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit or 175 degrees Celsius. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Pour the almonds onto one side of the baking sheet, and pour the pepitas on the other side.

Bake in the oven for 10-13 minutes, until lightly toasted. You will begin to smell the nuts and seeds when they are close to done.

Remove from the oven and let cool, then roughly chop the almonds.

While the almonds and pepitas are toasting, chop the chocolate into small pieces. Put ⅔ of the chopped chocolate into a microwave-safe bowl and microwave on medium-high power for 2-3 minutes, removing from the microwave and stirring every 30 seconds.

When it has fully melted, stir in the remaining ⅓ of the chopped chocolate. Stir until those chunks are melted and you have a smooth chocolate liquid. You can put it back in the microwave for 15-30 seconds if it has still not fully melted once you have stirred it well.

Line the baking sheet again with parchment paper (could be the same piece if it is still clean), and pour chocolate onto it. Spread it into a thin layer, about 12 x 9 inches.

Now sprinkle the chopped almonds and pumpkin seeds over the top. You may have more than you need, depending on how coarsely the almonds are chopped and how dense you want your toppings.

Sprinkle with sea salt. Now tap baking sheet gently so that the toppings will sink into the chocolate a bit.

Refrigerate for 15-30 minutes, until hard. Break up the chocolate bark into chunks and store in an airtight container. 

🧐 Recipe FAQs

👩‍🍳 Expert Tips

The trickiest part of this recipe is making sure that your chocolate is tempered correctly. My instructions are for a shortcut method, as tempering chocolate in the most official, foolproof way involves measuring the temperature of chocolate as you slowly heat, cool, and then reheat it again to varying temperatures.

The microwave does a fine job of tempering chocolate, as long as you are careful to heat the chocolate in small amounts of time, stirring frequently, and you add in your last bit of chopped chocolate after the rest has fully melted.

Adding that unmelted chocolate at the end brings down the temperature of the melted chocolate, which is important in tempering. Another option is to use a bain marie, which means to place the chopped chocolate in a double boiler or metal bowl set over a pan of simmering water.

As with the microwave, melt ⅔ of the chocolate over a low heat, stirring frequently, and add in ⅓ of the unmelted chocolate at the end. FYI, dark chocolate is easier to temper than milk or white chocolate. 

Once you have the method of making chocolate bark down, you’ll find you can add all sorts of different toppings. Other nuts and seeds for sure, but also chopped dried fruit, pretzels, coconut, candy canes, chopped Oreos or other cookies, or crystallized ginger also make fantastic toppings. You can also decorate with colored sprinkles to celebrate different holidays. 

Need tips for chopping chocolate? Try cutting your chocolate bar diagonally as you work your way down the bar. Using a study serrated knife, such as a bread knife, can be much more effective in chopping chocolate than using a non-serrated knife. 

Want another gluten-free treat for the holidays? Try this delicious Gluten Free Stollen, packed with nuts, fruits, and spices. Or try this Chocolate Peanuts Recipe which also makes a lovely holiday gift or chocolatey snack. These Pecan Turtles are also holiday spread worthy.

Other Holiday Recipes

If you’re making this chocolate bark with almonds during the holiday season, you may be looking for other delicious treat recipes for this time of year. What about Christmas Cookie Fudge? Check out my Holiday archive here, or visit some of my favorites:

And for more edible holiday gifts, check out my Apple Cinnamon Granola, my Christmas Gumdrops, and this delicious Cinnamon Rock Candy from our friends at One Hot Oven.

If you try this chocolate almond bark recipe, I would love to hear from you! Leave a comment below—I read them all, and your feedback is invaluable to me.

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