Dark Chocolate Bark with Cherries & Pumpkin Seeds

Name: Dark Chocolate Bark with Cherries & Pumpkin Seeds
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 5 min
Total time: 50 min
Yield: About 1 lb, 24 shards
Ingredients: 12 oz dark chocolate (70%), finely chopped (340 g); ½ cup dried tart cherries, roughly chopped (70 g); ½ cup roasted salted pumpkin seeds (pepitas) (65 g); 1 tsp orange zest; ½ tsp flaky salt

Obsidian Shards

Dark chocolate melted the gentle way, so it sets with a snap and doesn't melt on your fingers. It's topped with tart cherries, salty pumpkin seeds and orange zest.

One-handMake-aheadVegetarianVegan

Prep15 min

Cook5 min

Rest/rise30 min

YieldAbout 1 lb, 24 shards

At the table: Room temperature all session, away from a warm stove or sunny window.

Not yet table-tested. This recipe is written from standard, well-known methods and has not been through our test tables yet. The badge changes when it has.

Crafting formula

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Why nowA nut-free, dairy-free sweet. Pumpkin seeds give the crunch nuts usually would.

Dark Chocolate Bark with Cherries & Pumpkin Seeds — Illustration generated with AI, not a photo of this recipe.

Ingredients

Party size

One batch: About 1 lb, 24 shards.

12 oz dark chocolate (70%), finely chopped (340 g)
½ cup dried tart cherries, roughly chopped (70 g)
½ cup roasted salted pumpkin seeds (pepitas) (65 g)
1 tsp orange zest
½ tsp flaky salt

Method

Line a sheet pan with parchment. Set aside a third of the chocolate.
Microwave the other two-thirds in 30-second bursts, stirring each time, until almost melted. Stir in the chocolate you set aside until it's all smooth.
Look forJust warm to your lip, not hot. Melting the last of it with the warm chocolate keeps the bark snappy and glossy.
Spread about ¼ inch thick on the parchment. Scatter the cherries, seeds, zest and flaky salt over the top and press them in lightly.
Leave at cool room temperature 1 to 2 hours, or chill 30 minutes, then break into shards.
Look forIt snaps cleanly.

Make ahead

Airtight at cool room temperature up to 2 weeks.

Holding

Room temperature all session, away from a warm stove or sunny window.

Allergens

Contains check the chocolate for milk (many dark chocolates are made on shared lines), check seeds and chocolate for tree nuts and peanuts if allergic. Always check labels on packaged ingredients.

Notes

For a strict vegan or milk-allergic table, buy a dark chocolate labeled dairy-free or vegan.

Tavern Night

This dish's twist table (d6)

1–2	The classic stands. No twist. Cook it as written.
3	Herb swap. A pinch of chopped rosemary or a little ground cardamom on top
4	Acid strike. Swap the cherries for dried cranberries
5	Plating challenge. Wrap shards in wax paper twists as loot
6	Host's boon. The Host picks any twist above, or the table invents one. The safety rule still applies.

Roll before you start cooking. No twist ever changes a time, a temperature or how done something must be.