Did you know that flavors of butterscotch and caramel become dominant when you roast white chocolate? It’s a wonderful thing! This recipe pairs those flavors with dark chocolate, sea salt and freeze-dry strawberries to create a totally divine treat to make for yourself and/or your loved one(s). Roasting chocolate is very easy, it just takes the right chocolate (see the very important note below) and a little time and patience. This is such a fun recipe and it’s just in time for Valentine’s Day!! Enjoy.

This recipe makes 4 servings. It takes an hour and 15 minutes to assemble, plus 2 hours for the chocolate to set.

Very important note:
The white chocolate will roast better if it has a higher percentage of cocoa butter. 30% and above is best but can be hard to find in grocery stores. That said, I adapted this recipe to work using good-quality brands from the grocery store (usually containing about 20% cocoa butter). I’ve tested Baker’s, Lindt and Ghirardelli brands. If you are going with one of these brands, I’d recommend Baker’s or Lindt.

The key to this recipe is to buy quality white chocolate and dark chocolate bars. Do not buy chips, melting wafers or whatnot. This recipe relies on using good-quality chocolate!

Ingredients:
1½ ounces dark chocolate
8 ounces white chocolate (see very important note above)
½ cup freeze-dried strawberries
Pinch of coarse sea salt

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 250 degrees F. Note, everything used in this recipe must be dry. One drop of water could make your chocolate seize up!
2. Roughly break up the white chocolate. Place onto a lipped sheet or roasting pan and put it into the oven.
3. Bake for 10 minutes, then take it out and give it a thorough stir with a spatula, scraping the entire bottom of the pan. Place the chocolate back into the oven.
4. Repeat step three until the chocolate has deepened to a rich caramel color. It will take an hour total. The chocolate might look lumpy or chalky, that’s okay just continue with the process.
5. Place 2/3 of the white chocolate on a cool countertop (granite and marble are best but whatever work space will be fine). Start pushing it around with a spatula or bench scraper, the purpose is to cool it down and break down any remaining lumps (see 2nd to last picture above). Do this for a minute until the chocolate has cooled but not hardened. Add in the remaining 1/3 of warm chocolate and work it in until smooth.

*If the chocolate is still a little lumpy for your taste, put it into a blender and process for a few seconds. See my note at the bottom if your chocolate is still chalky after this step.

6. Set the white chocolate aside and start preparing the dark chocolate. Roughly break up the dark chocolate and place into a microwave safe bowl.
7. Microwave for 30 seconds then give it a good stir, scrapping down the sides and bottom.
8. Repeat step 8 until the dark chocolate is melted. It should only take a minute.
9. Repeat step 5 for the dark chocolate.

Assembly:

1. Pour the roasted white chocolate onto a large piece of parchment paper and spread it out into a rectangular shape.
2. Pour the dark chocolate directly on top of the white chocolate. Make sure to distribute the dark chocolate instead of pouring one blob in the center.
3. Spread the chocolate by making even strokes back and forth with a spoon, creating a marbled look. Try not to completely overlap the chocolates, some pieces should remain just white chocolate.
4. Sprinkle the sea salt and freeze-dried strawberries on top, crumbling the strawberries with your hand as you go.
5. Let the bark set in a cool, dry place. Depending on the temperature of your room, it can take a few hours to firm up. If you have a time restraint, stick the bark into the fridge to set. It might condensate a little once you pull it out but it should subside once at room temperature.
6. Break the chocolate apart into small pieces. Use a knife to cut it up for a cleaner look. Store in an airtight container at room temperature. Enjoy!!

* If you blend the chocolate and it’s still chalky and dry, you can add 1 ounce of raw cocoa butter to it. Chop up the cocoa butter and place it into a microwave safe bowl. If the white chocolate is no longer hot, place it in there too. Microwave in 30 second increments, giving the contents a good stir between cooking time. Once everything is melted, repeat step 5 in the first set of instructions.
Cocoa Butter can be found in some grocery stores, I bought mine at Whole Foods.