Scenario: It’s autumn and you’ve been invited to dinner. Want a simple, thoughtful gift for the host? This toffee apple chocolate bark is perfect.
A few weeks ago my husband and I had an unusually exciting Thursday evening. Our neighbour, who lives in the flat opposite, told us he was appearing on a popular cooking show. If you’re familiar with the format, five strangers host one another over a week and score each other’s meals. Intrigued, we watched the film crew and the larger-than-life guests arrive, then peered through the peephole to watch the filming begin. We may have behaved like very nosy neighbours, jostling for a better view, but it was such fun.
Even better, our neighbour later invited us over the following Saturday night to hear all the gossip and to sample the meal he cooked for the show. Since the episode hasn’t aired yet I can’t share those recipes, but I can share the small gift I brought for our host.
I often make chocolate bark as a homemade present — it’s quick, impressive and endlessly adaptable. With autumn in mind I decided to combine dried apple slices with crunchy honeycomb for a British-style toffee apple flavour. I dried thin apple slices in the oven and used crushed Crunchie bars for the honeycomb element.
Crunchie bars are widely known in the UK; similar honeycomb bars are available elsewhere (in Australia, Violet Crumble is comparable). If you can’t find a honeycomb bar, melt wrapped caramels and drizzle them over the chocolate as an alternative. The method also shows you how to make dried apple slices—dry a few extra and they make a lovely snack through the week.
Toffee apple chocolate bark
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Ingredients
- 2 small apples, or 1 large
- 7 ounces milk chocolate
- 3.5 ounces white chocolate, optional — or use 10 ounces milk chocolate instead
- 1 Cadbury’s Crunchie bar or similar, crushed
Instructions
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Preheat the oven to 90°C (190°F) and line two baking trays with baking paper.
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Wash the apples, remove the stalks, and slice very thinly (about 2–3 mm). Arrange the slices in a single layer on the prepared trays.
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Bake the apple slices for one hour, then turn them and bake for another hour. Remove and leave to cool; they will crisp up as they cool.
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Melt the milk chocolate in a microwave-safe bowl in 30-second bursts, stirring between each, until smooth. (Alternatively, melt over a pan of simmering water.)
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Pour the melted milk chocolate onto a lined baking tray and spread into an even layer with a knife or spatula.
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If using white chocolate, melt it the same way and drizzle over the milk chocolate. Drag a knife through the two chocolates to create a swirled effect.
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Scatter the dried apple slices (whole or torn) and the crushed honeycomb over the surface, pressing in gently so they stick.
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Chill in the fridge for at least 30 minutes or until completely set, then break into pieces.
Notes
To melt chocolate without a microwave, use a heatproof bowl over a pan of simmering water—make sure the bowl doesn’t touch the water.
You won’t use all the dried apple slices for the bark; store the rest in a container and enjoy as a snack or over porridge. They’ll keep in the fridge for at least a week.
Package the bark in a cellophane bag tied with ribbon for a lovely homemade gift—people often assume it’s shop-bought!
Nutrition
Carbohydrates: 7g,
Fat: 3g,
Sugar: 6g
