Imagine your favorite superfoods combined with granola and topped with dark chocolate and chopped pistachios. Does this sound too good to be true? This recipe for Pistachio Granola Bark is as delicious as it is good for you. Enjoy!
What is a “bark,” anyway?
Growing up in the 1970s in a household with a pastry-chef mother, I was exposed to all sorts of exciting cookies, candies, and cakes that the other kids in my neighborhood had never heard of. My Mom was pretty up-to-date with all the latest trends in baking and, even more, was good at it all. “Bark candy” came about in the late 1960s. It was developed as a candy that resembled “tree bark,” whereas a crunchy layer of nuts and crumbs was topped with a nice thick layer of chocolate and garnished with chopped walnuts.
Merriam-Webster Online defines “bark” as “a candy containing chocolate and nuts made in a sheet and broken into pieces.” Our ingredients are the only difference between what we are making here and what my mother made in the 1970s.
There’s nothing like making chocolate bark to show off your decadent side. The next time you have a party, put a plate of this Pistachio Granola Bark out and wait for the oohs and ahhs to ensue. As I mentioned, the lightly sweetened superfood granola is topped with a layer of dark chocolate and garnished with sea salt and pistachios. Light, mild honey is preferred for this recipe; however, you can use any honey you might have on hand.
How to Make Chocolate Pistachio Granola Bark
Step One: Get yourself organized and gather all of your ingredients.
Heat your oven to 350F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. First, gather all the ingredients you need to make this Granola Bark. You’ll need Honey, dark chocolate chips, dried super fruit, cranberries, blueberries, raisins, hemp seeds, sunflower seeds, uncooked quinoa, chopped walnuts, chopped cashews, slivered almonds, chopped pistachios, vanilla, coconut oil, and sea salt.
Step Two: Make the base.
Making the granola base is quite simple. In a large saucepan, add honey, coconut oil, and vanilla over medium heat, frequently stirring until well blended. Add the nuts, uncooked quinoa, and seeds. Stir until all the ingredients are evenly covered. Spread this mixture on the prepared pan, and spread it out evenly across the pan. Bake for 20 minutes, until the granola is golden on the edges.
Step Three: Make the topping.
Melt the chocolate in a saucepan over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally. Once melted, spread over the granola, swirling to create beautiful patterns in the chocolate before it sets. Top with coarse sea salt and pistachio pieces. Place the pan in the refrigerator to allow the chocolate to set. This should take 30 minutes or so.
Remove from the refrigerator and break into pieces when ready to serve. Store in an airtight container.
Adapting Chocolate Pistachio Granola Bark
The beauty of making things from scratch means you can bend the recipe to your preferences. So, if you’re looking for ideas on how to adapt this recipe, we’ve got some ideas for you. Above all, have fun, but here are some suggestions for changing this Chocolate Pistachio Granola Bark recipe:
- Replace one of the nuts with chopped pecans
- Add a little orange zest to the honey mixture
- Add a teaspoon of cinnamon or ginger to the honey mixture for extra spice!
Storing Chocolate Pistachio Granola Bark
If you’re planning to make this Chocolate Pistachio Granola Bark for your next party, you can easily make it ahead of time. Place the finished bark pieces in an airtight container and store them in the refrigerator. Before serving the bark, please bring it to room temperature.
If you decide to make this Chocolate Pistachio Granola Bark recipe, take a photo and share it with us using #waxingkararecipes on Instagram. We love seeing your photos!
Chocolate Pistachio Granola Bark
Ingredients
- 1/2 c Waxing Kara Honey
- 3 c chocolate chips dark
- 1/4 c dried super fruit cranberries, blueberries, raisins
- 1/4 c hemp seeds
- 1/4 c sunflower seeds
- 1 c quinoa uncooked
- 1/2 c walnuts chopped
- 1/2 c cashews chopped
- 1/2 c almonds slivered
- 1/2 c pistachios chopped
- 1 tsp. vanilla
- 2 tbsp. coconut oil
- 1 dash Coarse sea salt
- 1 tbsp. chopped pistachios for topping
Instructions
- Heat your oven to 350F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In a large pot combine the honey, coconut oil and vanilla over medium heat. Stir until the coconut oil has melted and the ingredients are combined and smooth.
- Add the nuts, uncooked quinoa, and seeds. Stir until all the ingredients are covered evenly.
- Spread this mixture out on the prepared pan. Be sure to spread it out evenly across the pan.
- Bake for 20 minutes, until the granola is golden on the edges.
- In the meantime, melt the chocolate by placing in a sauce pan over medium to medium-low heat, stirring occasionally. Once melted, spread over the granola, swirling to create beautiful patterns in the chocolate before it sets. Top with coarse sea salt and pistachio pieces.
- Place the pan in the fridge to allow the chocolate to set. This should take 30 minutes or so. Remove from the fridge and break into pieces when you’re ready to serve.
Nutrition
Marly McMillen, MBA, is a COO-turned entrepreneur and earned a plant-based pro certification from Rouxbe Cooking School. She publishes about recipes, health, creativity, living authentically, and the business of blogging at Namely Marly and Chopped Academy.
Marly really outdid herself on this recipe. It’s worth trying!
This looks delicious! What is the size of the baking sheet used?
Marly used a quarter sheet baking pan which is roughly 9 in X 13 in.