White Toasted Almond Bark with Sea Salt

I  made a trio of holiday barks this weekend to send out as early gifts.  Chocolate barks are so easy to make, and every year I'm freshly amazed that so little effort produces such a delicious result.  You can't really go wrong with this simple a project, as long as you use good quality ingredients.  Barks are quicker to make, keep longer, and ship better than cookies.  I think it's a no-brainer.

The first bark I'm going to share is wonderful.  Dark roasted almonds encased in creamy white chocolate and then dusted with sea salt. What sets this bark apart is the extra deep roasted almonds.  They will be quite brown when you bite into them and that's where the flavor comes from.  I first discovered deep roasted almonds at a cozy Italian restaurant in the hills of Laurel Canyon in Los Angeles.  They set out little bowls of these nuts on the tables.  Just plain almonds, no salt or oil added, but roasted a dark rich brown, and they are addictive.  Add some white chocolate and a little sea salt and you won't know what to do with yourself.  Do what I did and give some of it away.

White Toasted Almond Bark with Sea Salt
oven to 350
1 cup whole raw almonds, skin on
2  10 oz bags of white chocolate chips or 20 oz of any good white chocolate, chopped in pieces
sea salt, ground fairly fine

• Put the nuts on a baking sheet in a 350 degree oven for about 20 minutes.  Give the pan a shake from time to time, and watch carefully for the last 5 minutes.  You want the almonds to get dark roasted, but not burnt.Set the pan aside and let the nuts cool on the pan.
• Line a baking sheet with a silpat mat, parchment paper, or non stick foil.
• Put the white chocolate in a glass microwave safe bowl and heat on 50% power for a minute.  Keep heating, checking, and stirring until the chocolate is melted.  If you are using chips they won't look melted until you stir them.  
• When the chocolate is melted and smooth, add in the almonds and quickly spread out the mixture on the lined baking sheet.
• Dust the warm chocolate with sea salt, being careful to get it evenly distributed across the bark.
• Set the pan in the refrigerator to cool until fully set, at least an hour.
• Break apart the bark into whatever size pieces you choose.
• Try not to eat it all before you can give some of it away.

Your friends are going to love you.