Have a hankering for the nostalgic candy Chunky bar? Try this slightly healthier homemade Chunky Bar recipe made with super dark chocolate.
Confession: I love chocolate.
Frankly, I'm not embarrassed or ashamed by my love of chocolate. It just seems fun to make the statement a confession. =)
I believe that I have my mom to thank for my love of chocolate. {Thanks mom!} I have sweet (pun intended) memories from my childhood of chocolate fondue parties and Godiva chocolates for special occasions. Let's face it; I think life is just better with chocolate in it.
For my fellow chocolate lovers, check out these recipes for Pistachio Blonde Brownies with Chocolate Ganache and Vegan Chocolate Fondue.
One of the treats my mom and I would occasionally share is a Chunky chocolate Bar. We would get these from convenience stores or a candy store. This classic candy bar is a thick square of creamy milk chocolate in a distinctive thick trapezoid shape. Each chunk of chocolate has peanuts and plump California raisins in it and easily breaks in half, making it great for sharing. Man, I love those. And I love a good reason to talk about, write about, and cook with chocolate.
Ingredients
In this homemade Chunky candy bar recipe, I decided to up the ante by using dark chocolate (instead of milk chocolate) and adding unsweet chocolate too. Unsweet chocolate is pretty easy to find in any grocery store. I used Bakers baking chocolate bar.
Dark chocolate has a higher concentration of cocoa which contains phytonutrients like flavonoids. Specifically, these flavonoids are what have antioxidant power and why chocolate is acclaimed as healthy food. Comparatively, milk chocolate has a much lower concentration of cocoa and flavonoids. White chocolate doesn't actually have any cocoa in it at all.
So when you can, choose dark chocolate as it gives a health boost and and tastes awesome. I also think that dark chocolate "hits the spot" much more quickly than milk chocolate so I am satisfied with a small portion.
Overall, these homemade chunky candy bars deliver everything you could be looking for in a sweet treat. They are a nostalgic favorite with intense flavor, satisfaction, texture, and nutrition.
Storage
Lastly, these chocolate bars should be cut into bars or large chunks and stored in the fridge in an air tight container.
PrintRecipe
Homemade Dark Chocolate Chunky Bar
- Total Time: 10 minutes
- Yield: 12 -15 1x
Description
Have a hankering for the nostalgic candy Chunky bar? Try this healthy homemade version made with super dark chocolate.
Ingredients
- 6 oz dark chocolate (60% or more cocoa chips)
- 2 oz unsweet chocolate (roughly chopped)
- 2 oz unsalted, roasted peanuts (about ½ cup)
- 2 oz raw, whole almonds, chopped (about ½ cup)
- ½ cup raisins
- ½ teaspoon coarse sea salt (optional)
Instructions
- Prep a 8 x 8 pan by lining with parchment paper.
- Put both types of chocolate in a microwaveable safe bowl. Heat in microwave for 1 min. Remove and stir with spatula. Continue microwaving in 30 second intervals until chocolate is almost all melted (about 1-3 more cycles). Stir vigorously with spatula until chocolate is completely melted and very smooth.
- Add nuts and raisins to chocolate and stir to combine.
- Pour chocolate mix into prepared dish and spread out. Chocolate may not fill the entire dish and that's ok. Sprinkle sea salt over top of chocolate.
- Let chocolate rest for about 2 hours, until firm, or refrigerate until hard, about 1 hour. Cut in to bars and serve. Refrigerate any bars that will be eaten later.
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 5 minutes
- Category: Dessert
- Cuisine: American
I think it's about time you stop reading this and go make these right now! But before you go, leave me a comment below, or visit my Facebook page, and let me know if you like Chunky bars OR what your favorite brand of candy bar is.
Have a healthy, chocolatey day!
Jenna
