Melt Almond Bark

While the name might lead you to believe otherwise, almond bark is a fantastic dipping chocolate that can be poured into chocolate molds or used for dipping fruit, pretzels, or cookies into. The trick, of course, is to melt the bark properly and without burning it.

Steps

Using a Double Boiler

  1. Chop your almond bark into small pieces. It is easier to melt almond bark when it has been cut into smaller pieces. If your almond bark came in small disks, as it sometimes does, you do not need to chop it up.[1]
  2. Place the almond bark in the top part of the double boiler. A double boiler is made up of two components--a large pan filled with water and another, smaller pan that sits on top. Double boilers help to ensure that your chocolate does not burn while you are melting it because you are heating it indirectly through the use of both pans.[2]
  3. Fill the bottom pan with water. Place the top pan containing the chocolate on top of the larger pan with the water. Turn the heat to medium to high heat.
  4. Stir the almond bark constantly. The bark will begin to melt almost instantly. Stir it to keep the bark from burning. When all of the chunks are melted, turn the heat off and remove the top pan from the lower one.

Using the Microwave

  1. Cut your almond bark into small chunks. As stated above, smaller chunks of almond bark will melt more quickly. If your almond bark is already in small pieces, there is no need to chop it up.
  2. Place your almond bark in a microwave safe bowl. It is important that the bowl be microwave-safe or else it might shatter while cooking. Place the bowl of almond bark in the microwave.
  3. Heat the bark for 30 seconds. When the time is up, take the bowl out (be careful, it may be hot), stir the bark, and then put it back in the microwave. Continue to heat the bark in 15 second increments, taking it out and stirring each time. The reason you need to heat it at such small increments is because almond bark burns easily.[3]

Using the Oven

  1. Preheat the oven to 120ºF (48.8ºC). While the oven is heating, take the time time to break the bark up into chunks. Place the chunks in an ungreased pan.[4]
  2. Place the pan into the oven. Let the bark cook for approximately 15 minutes. Once the time is up, remove the bark from the heat. The bark should look soft but not fully melted (don’t worry--it really is melted).
  3. Stir the bark immediately. Continue to stir until there are no chunks left. Use the melted almond bark for dipping treats into or pouring into a chocolate mold.
  4. Finished.

Tips

  • At specialty shops, you can purchase a paraffin type additive that helps "thin" the melted chocolate, allowing it to be more workable, while also adding more rigidity and firmness to the cooled and finished product.

Warnings

  • Do not allow any water to touch your chocolate. It will not mix, and will cause the chocolate to seemingly lose its ability to stick to anything, resulting in clumps sitting in thin watery residue.
  • Do not add milk to chocolate with the hopes of making "milk chocolate" or to use as a thinning agent. Milk is 87% water, and the heat of your chocolate can cause the milk proteins to separate, resulting with the same ruined product as if you added water.

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Sources and Citations

  1. ↑ http://www.jamesandeverett.com/whatscooking/2012/12/10/almond-bark-pretzels/
  2. ↑ http://www.doityourself.com/stry/makechocolate#.UwPZfc6hYoE
  3. ↑ http://www.littledairyontheprairie.com/almond-bark-puffcorn/
  4. ↑ http://www.walmart.com/ip/Plymouth-Pantry-Almond-Bark-Vanilla-Baking-Bar-24-oz/10313775

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