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.
One of the treats my mom and I would occasionally share is a Chunky Bar. It's this thick square of chocolate that has peanuts and raisins in it and easily breaks in half, making it great for sharing. Man, I love those.
Why do I have chocolate and chunky bars on the brain? Well, it's Recipe Redux day and we've been challenge to share a favorite chocolate recipe. =) And I love a good reason to talk about, write about, and cook with chocolate.
So one afternoon during nap time this week, I took a stab at making a homemade chunky candy bar recipe.
I decided to up the anti though 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. These flavonoids are what have antioxidant power and why chocolate is acclaimed as healthy food. Milk chocolate has a much lower concentration of cocoa and flavonoids, and 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.
This homemade chunky candy bar recipe delivers on everything you could be looking for in a sweet treat: nostalgia, intense flavor, satisfaction, texture, and nutrition. 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 nostalgic candy is.
Have a healthy, chocolatey day!
Jenna
Recipe
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