Homemade Christmas gift

Once you’ve sampled this melt-in-your-mouth confection, you’ll be tempted to fill your own candy dish

with it instead of giving it away as gifts. Best to plan on making a couple of batches from the start. Just

enlist a young helper (swirling the white and milk chocolates is a particularly popular job) and package

the finished candy in see-through cellophane bags to show off the mouth-watering goods.

What you’ll need

Your favourite shelled nuts

Milk or semisweet dark chocolate, chopped

White chocolate, chopped

Dried cranberries

How to make it

Heat the oven to 180º and lightly toast the nuts on a baking sheet, about 10 minutes, stirring

occasionally. Let the nuts cool.

Melt the semisweet chocolate in the top of a double boiler set over simmering water, stirring until

smooth. Or microwave it, in a dry microwave-safe bowl, uncovered, on medium power for 2 to 3

minutes, stirring once. Remove the chocolate from the microwave and stir until smooth. Melt the white

chocolate separately, following the same directions.

In a small bowl, combine the nuts and cranberries, then stir half of them into the semisweet chocolate.

Using a spatula, spread the mixture to about a 1.5cm thickness on a large cookie sheet. Drop the white

chocolate by tablespoonfuls over the dark. With the tip of a butter knife, swirl the chocolates together

to create a marbled effect. Sprinkle on the rest of the nuts and berries.

Refrigerate the bark for about 1 hour or until firm, then break it into pieces. Store the bark in an airtight

container in the refrigerator for up to a month.