Woman in Real Life: Lovey Dovey Vegan Chocolate Bark + A Valentine's Day Blog Hop

So you don't have to slave away on Valentine's Day, this Lovey Dovey Vegan Chocolate Bark is super easy and quick to make.

If Valentine's Day seems a little trivial to you right now, a bit selfish, I say that Valentine's Day celebrates what we all know is best and most important in this world - our family, our friends, our neighbours, our peeps, whomever they may be - our loved ones. Valentine's Day celebrates love. And we can all use more of that.

If you object to the crass commercialism of Valentine's Day, why not celebrate your loved ones with homemade, inexpensive gifts that come straight from the heart? Something made with chocolate never hurts. Plus, check out the 24 creative Valentine's Day project ideas from other Canadian bloggers at the end of this post - there are treats, crafts, cards and even a cocktail (that I really want to try).

For my Valentine's Day project, I opted to make a luscious chocolate dessert. Chocolate and Valentine's Day go together like Paul Newman and Joanne Woodward. They just fit. And just so you don't have to slave away on Valentine's Day, this Lovey Dovey Vegan Chocolate Bark is super easy and quick to make. If you have kids, you can get them involved in making this recipe too. They can help sprinkle the Valentine's Day heart candies on top. And if you're celebrating Galentine's Day, make a bunch of this chocolate bark for your devoted girlfriends to munch on while watching Bridget Jones's Baby.

For this Lovey Dovey Vegan Chocolate Bark, you need only roast a handful of almonds. Then, melt vegan semi-sweet chocolate chips with coconut oil and maple syrup in a heatproof bowl over gently boiling water. Remove from heat and stir in dried cranberries and almonds. Spread the chocolate out onto a waxed paper-lined cookie sheet.

Then comes the lovey dovey part of the recipe, which involves sprinkling on all the Valentine's Day hearts you can find. Conversation hearts (the heart-shaped sugar candies with sayings on them) send your Valentine a sweet message. And red cinnamon hearts candies contrast so nicely in flavour with the chocolate base. I'm not a fan of these candies on their own, but they work beautifully with the chocolate. And they ensure that the chocolate bark has a fun factor that befits Valentine's Day.

I'm not at all patient when it comes to sweets, so I recommend popping this chocolate bark right into the freezer so it sets quickly. Then, take it out, cut it up and put it back in the freezer in a cookie tin with waxed paper between layers.

Do you see the dried cranberries in that top layer (above)? Yum. I'm all about the sweet stuff. My husband likes the roasted almonds best. You could certainly choose more of one filling and/or topping and less of another, depending what your loved ones prefer.

I eat this Lovey Dovey Vegan Chocolate Bark straight from the freezer. No, it's not particularly healthy, but Valentine's Day is for treating ourselves!

I get a chuckle at the "Text Me" conversations hearts. The messages certainly have changed since I was a child.

You probably have semi-sweet chocolate chips in your fridge or pantry right now. A bit of coconut oil, a bit of maple syrup and a few lovely fillings and you are good to go. You can have this ready to eat tonight!

Do you have a loved one who would love a yummy homemade chocolate treat? (Wait, is that a dumb question?)

Lovey Dovey Vegan Chocolate Bark

by Joann MacDonald

Keywords: vegan

Ingredients

2 cups semi-sweet vegan chocolate chips
1 tsp coconut oil
1 tsp maple syrup
¼ cup dried cranberries or cherries
¼ cup chopped roasted almonds
¼ cup conversation hearts
¼ cup cinnamon hearts
Pinch of sea salt

Instructions

Line a baking sheet with waxed paper.

Melt chocolate chips with coconut oil and maple syrup in a heatproof bowl over gently boiling water. (I like to use a stainless steel bowl ever since I had a glass bowl break and ruin my other baked goods!)

Remove from heat and stir in dried cranberries and almonds.

Transfer the chocolate mixture to the waxed paper, spreading it into a rectangle about ¼- inch thick (measuring about 7" by 10" in size).

Sprinkle lightly with sea salt. Sprinkle on conversation and cinnamon hearts, pressing in gently.

Refrigerate about an hour or until set. (Place in freezer if you’re in a hurry for chocolate!) Transfer to a cutting board and use a sharp knife to cut into small pieces.

To roast almonds

Preheat oven to 325°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Spread whole almonds onto baking sheet. Bake for about 10 to 15 minutes, until the almonds are fragrant and lightly toasted. Be careful not to let them burn. Allow to cool and then chop into small pieces.