Make Ahead

Ancho Chili-Cinnamon Chocolate Bark

by:
May 20, 2021
4.3
18 Ratings
Ancho Chili-Cinnamon Chocolate Bark
  • Prep time 1 hour
  • Cook time 25 minutes
  • Serves about 3 gifts
Author Notes

This is a tasty treat to spice up your fiesta or light up a lucky recipients tired holiday palate. I often make this easy dessert when I have friends coming for dinner who love wine. I know that we will sit at the table well after the meal is over and continue talking and drinking for hours. I serve this on one plate and put it in the middle of the table. It is a casual dessert, so easy to make and great with a good cabernet. I first wrapped this up a few years ago while thinking of an edible present that would not be tossed aside amongst the mountains of Christmas sugar. With so many sweets out there this subtle spicy and salty chocolate makes a great gift. Use good chocolate when making this; it will make all of the difference. And of course feel free to substitute your favorite nuts and fruits. —wanderash

Test Kitchen Notes

Neither of us had ever made chocolate bark before we tried this recipe, and wanderash's version happens to be a great introduction. Waves of smooth dark chocolate are spiced with smoky ancho, cinnamon, cloves and black pepper, and studded with dried cherries, cashews and pistachios. The finished product looks lovely, packs easily and takes a total of about 20 minutes to put together. We think it makes a great holiday gift. - A&M —The Editors

What You'll Need
Watch This Recipe
Ancho Chili-Cinnamon Chocolate Bark
Ingredients
  • 1 large ancho chili
  • 1 whole star anise
  • 1/2 teaspoon black peppercorns
  • 3 cloves
  • 1 2-inch cinnamon stick
  • 2/3 cup pistachio
  • 2/3 cup cashews, very lightly crushed
  • 12 ounces dark bittersweet chocolate, cut into small pieces
  • 1/2 cup dried cherries
  • 1 pinch Kosher salt, or sea salt
Directions
  1. To make the spice mix, pre-heat oven to 350 degrees. Place first 5 ingredients on a baking sheet and place in oven. Toast until fragrant or about 10 min.
  2. Remove stems and majority of seeds from the anchos. Place all spices in a spice grinder or coffee grinder and pulverize. You may need to grind spices in batches.
  3. Toast the nuts by placing them on the baking sheet and put in the oven. Check after 10 minutes. When done, remove from oven and let cool.
  4. Place ¾ of the chocolate in a bowl and slowly melt the chocolate, either in the microwave checking and stirring it every 25 seconds or over a double boiler on the stovetop.
  5. When all of the chocolate is melted, take it off of the heat and add in the remaining chocolate, stir until it is completely melted.
  6. Add one to two teaspoons of the spice mix. Add one at a time and taste; add more if you want it to be spicier. I like a subtle spice flavor, it keeps those eating it wondering what the secret spice could be.
  7. Line the baking sheet with parchment paper or a silpat. Spread out the nuts and cherries, reserving a few of the nuts to decorate the top.
  8. Sprinkle salt over the nuts and cherries.
  9. Pour the chocolate onto the pan, covering the nuts and cherries in an even layer. Add remaining nuts to the top of chocolate and press them into the chocolate.
  10. Put in fridge and allow to cool for 45 min. Break into pieces and keep in a sealed container in the fridge.
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wanderash
My love for all things delicious lead me to the California Culinary Academy in San Francisco and three years of working in restaurants and wineries in Napa Valley. My love of travel has propelled me all over the world. After living in Honduras and Mexico for the past 5 yrs., my two children, super-hero husband, and I have just moved to the Midwest....... A new chapter is unfolding....

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75 Reviews

rob
rob January 5, 2014
Wow Crazy Good!! I followed the recipe exactly, and that included a huge dried Ancho Chili. I used about 20 to 30 of the seeds from the chili, and for the chocolate found some very high Coca content, Belgium Bitter sweet chocolate at Bulk Barn. I used in total 4 teaspoons of the spice mixture and it is getting RAVE reviews from all that have tried it!!
 
Franca
Franca December 2, 2013
I made these as part of my dessert platter for a dinner party I hosted this weekend. The only modification I made for to add a pinch of piment d'espelette for some heat. Big heat all around.
 
Franca
Franca December 2, 2013
Sorry what I meant to say was big hit all around.
 
adele93
adele93 May 27, 2013
would dried apricot work instead of cherries? i think ill give that a try or perhaps dried cranberries, as already suggested. Cant wait to try them after exams are over and i can finally do some real baking! :)
 
eatboutique
eatboutique May 27, 2013
I made it with dried apricots and it was delicious.
 
ScrubbedFace
ScrubbedFace October 31, 2012
I'm serving these as Halloween treats. I used a dried cascabel chili and candied ginger instead of dried cherries. I think I added a little too much ground spice about a teaspoon and a half (chili seeds were included) because they came out a little too spicy. Oh well they're sophisticated so will be for adults only!
 
Komal
Komal May 9, 2012
Hi I'm not sure where to find ancho chilli here in england, can you recommend a substitute?
 
Theresa M.
Theresa M. December 8, 2016
i used used crushed red pepper flakes. It was great
 
The Y.
The Y. March 6, 2012
I think that if you can't find dried cherries that dried cranberries are a perfect substitute
 
sherylann
sherylann February 14, 2012
i made this and the pumpkin seeded caramels to send our daughter in college. they were both out of this world good. thanks. look forward to making more of the recipies.
 
Ellen M.
Ellen M. February 3, 2012
How fine do the spices need to be ground? Using my coffer grinder, there are still some shreds. The recipe sounds wonderful, and my hands are very aromatic right now.
 
Le P.
Le P. December 29, 2011
Yum! I couldn't find dried anchos, so I used a mix of pasilla and mulato after reading on Cook's Thesaurus that anchos could sometimes be mislabeled as pasillas. My pistachios toasted much faster than the cashews so, for my second batch, I kept the two separate and monitored the oven more closely to prevent burning. I used 70% cocoa pastilles with 24% fat: not too bitter, not too sweet…. Several people asked me for the recipe (I sent them here). I can imagine all sorts of ways to adapt the bark to different tastes and recipients, so it's a winner in my book. Thank you!
 
breakbread
breakbread December 21, 2011
Cannot wait to get started making these today. I bought chocolate yesterday for truffle cookies (fave standby from an early 1990ish Gourmet magazine and Best of Cookbook) but I may need to make a detour to bark! Using dried ancho to save another trip to the store. Does anyone have any updates on dried spice usage? Below posting for proportions looks great.
 
nutcakes
nutcakes December 21, 2011
Ancho's are dried chiles so you are all set.
 
jonahgail
jonahgail December 19, 2011
loved this ! I also made a lovely version replacing the spice mixture with 2 tsp orange zest and using macadamias and candied ginger .... yummmm. I used the big Trader Joe's 70% Belgian bars and was quite happy with the result, especially for the price. Thanks !
 
impeesa
impeesa December 17, 2011
I made this a few times last year fro family and work and its uniqueness was a huge hit, but because we have nut allergies in our family I replaced the nuts with dried apricots, they added flavor texture and color contrast
 
impeesa
impeesa December 17, 2011
I made this a few times last year fro family and work and its uniqueness was a huge hit, but because we have nut allergies in our family I replaced the nuts with dried apricots, they added flavor texture and color contrast
 
Kimblay
Kimblay December 12, 2011
I tried the version of this recipe with the dried spices below (I did do 1 tsp cinnamon), and it was delicious. Although I only ended up adding 3/4 of the spice mix to the chocolate as I thought this was the perfect amount of spiciness. I also substituted almonds for cashews and used Lindt chocolate bars with sea salt so I did not add any extra salt.
 
StormMaoomba
StormMaoomba July 10, 2011
I made this last night for a dinner party - all of us thought it was great. That mix of salty, spicy, savory, and rich flavors was awesome!
 
neshama369
neshama369 May 23, 2011
Made it last week for a ladies' brunch and they devoured it in moments. I used pistachio, cashew, goji berries & candied ginger. Thanks so much!
 
wanderash
wanderash October 2, 2011
yum! That sounds like a good combo!
 
merrybaker
merrybaker April 11, 2011
I made it healthy. I used 50% cacao sugarless choc. Used sliced toasted raw almonds and put kosher salt on top as well as mixed in. It is yummy and my diabetic friends are going to love it!
 
wanderash
wanderash October 2, 2011
Thanks for keeping us virtuous, merrybaker!
 
TomG
TomG February 16, 2011
I used all dried spices because I am lazy. It worked well and tastes great. I used:
1 tablespoon ancho chili powder
1/2 teaspoon anise seeds
3/4 teaspoon cinnamon (could have used a teaspoon, probably)
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves - I had regular cloves, but figured hey, why not just go all out and be really lazy.

I mixed all these spices together and toasted them in a pan on the stovetop at medium heat, stirring them occasionally until the smelled really good.

I made another modification - since I wasn't sure how much the chocolate would spread out, I had the nuts and cherries on a medium-sized pan - it was too big. So, I just mixed everything together and then spread it out on the pan. That worked well, but you have to move fast while the chocolate is still hot. I didn't, so I put the pan (wax paper and all) into the oven at VERY low heat (180). That warmed the chocolate and spread it out a bit.

So, if anything, I learned that in cooking, it helps to be flexible. This was a great Valentine's day treat. The chocolate had a nice bite to it and tasted great. I would make it again.
 
Hark
Hark May 5, 2011
Thanks so much for posting this. I about panicked when I couldn't find whole dried ancho chilis!
 
Kitchen B.
Kitchen B. June 26, 2011
Tahnks Tom G - your learning and sharing will help me loads, as I used a too large pan and then mixed it all ont he sheet. Thanks for the ground spice proportions too
 
adele93
adele93 May 27, 2013
would chili flakes as a substitute be too lazy? does ancho offer a completely different flavor? also should i add some ground pepper (from a grinder) if using the above ground spice quantities?
 
TomG
TomG December 11, 2014
Ancho is more of a smoked flavor than chili flakes and more subtle. I have been making this yearly ever since I first saw it and posted my dried spice modifications to it. I am sure it is great as written but the dried spices are really easy.
 
TomG
TomG December 11, 2014
And you could use ground pepper but I don't think it needs it.
 
brownh0rnet
brownh0rnet February 13, 2011
If you're cheap and don't want to buy a spice grinder, could you just mix pre-ground spices? If so, I don't suppose you'd know the ground equivalents of the whole spices?
 
wanderash
wanderash February 13, 2011
Sorry, I have no idea what the ground spice measurement would be. I use a braun coffee grinder to grind my spices, it will set you back about $12.
 
sweet_tooth_fairy
sweet_tooth_fairy February 13, 2011
I wouldn't think pre-ground would be a good way to go here since the spice element is such a focal point, also too tricky to figure out measurements. Spice grinders are pretty cheap, or maybe you could borrow one from a friend?
 
sweet_tooth_fairy
sweet_tooth_fairy February 2, 2011
Amazing! Blew everyone away with its yumminess and surprising spicy kick. Thank you soooooo much Wanderash for coming up with this one and to food52 for posting it. I am currently making my second batch for Valentine's Day goodies (among other things); I figured this would be a good place to start due to its wonderful shelf life. Happy, happy, joy, joy!
 
wanderash
wanderash February 13, 2011
So glad it was a hit! I just made it again-- man, is it good!
 
sunnyluz
sunnyluz January 7, 2011
Made this for Christmas presents this year - using Trader Joe's crystallized ginger instead of the cherries - and it was amazing!
 
hayley
hayley January 7, 2011
I used the Trader Joe's bittersweet chocolate bar for it. Much better than their chocolate chips.
 
wanderash
wanderash February 13, 2011
I will definetly try the ginger version. Sounds great!
 
hayley
hayley December 23, 2010
I made this with currants, pistachios and cherries. I didn't have the chili, so I just used cloves, cinnamon and nutmeg in the chocolate. I also made a second batch with apricots, walnuts and coconut. Thanks for the idea!
 
yvonne_cdeg
yvonne_cdeg December 20, 2010
YES!!! I was able to upload to of the Ancho Chili Cinamon Chocolate Bark !!!!
One with all the ingredients around and before breaking it up. AND
A second one in a nice little christmas Santa serving plate.
You can take a look if you go back up this page and just below the original picture you will find two little hands numbers 1 to 5 AND it says Add Foto: Click there and then on LIBRARY and THERE !!! go ...go ....! check them out I'm excited lol !
Yvonne
 
yvonne_cdeg
yvonne_cdeg December 20, 2010
Hi ! I couldn't upload my pictures of the Ancho Chili Cinnamon Bark That I made yesterday. I enjoyed making it and it came out beautiful (even if I saw so) So If somebody would like to see it I will also put them in my FB account: yvonnecam.
Although I will keep trying. Maybe bringing down the weight of the pictures (2)
I'm eating a piece (2) of it now, wish I could share it with who ever is reading now ('cause you are the only ones I made some....lol)
Take a look will you?! LOL LOL
Happy Holidays !!
Yvonne
 
yvonne_cdeg
yvonne_cdeg December 18, 2010
Hi! AS SOON as I finish writing this comment, will start my bark. I am an absolute chocoholic, and being mexican the combination of course caught my eye !. So I can give some back to thank you for this recipe: The ancho chili IS the dry version of the big green poblano chile. If you leave to dry a poblano chile it will become an ancho chile.
I can find powdered ancho chili in any big grocery store in the USA, where all the spices are. HAPPY HOLIDAYS !!! ( I'll think of you with every bite !! .......and pound I gain! ...LOL LOL )
 
Ms. T.
Ms. T. December 17, 2010
This looks like a delicious twist on the chocolate bark I usually make, so I think I'll give it a try. What are your thoughts on shipping it? Do you think it would hold up to a few days in a box with some possible temperature swings?
 
wanderash
wanderash February 13, 2011
As long as it dosn't get so hot that it will melt, I think it would ship just fine.
 
mnr_t
mnr_t December 13, 2010
Made this last year, loved it -- and several friends have hinted strongly that they might like it again :) Thanks!
 
traveling.ania
traveling.ania September 17, 2010
I'm awfully allergic to cinnamon. Can I substitute it with something else? Cardamon?
 
wanderash
wanderash October 19, 2010
What a shame! Use the spice mix as a base an experiment with flavors you like. Cardamom might be nice. What about dried orange peel? (You can easily make your own, by removing strips of peel from the orange, then cutting away any pith and leaving the peels out for a few days.) Give it a try and let us know what you come up with!
 
Olive
Olive January 7, 2010
These look beautiful and sound exactly like what I'm in the mood for these days. I am inspired to look for more sweet and spicy cookies after after experiencing the Naked Beet's divine sour cherry chili creations http://www.food52.com/recipes/1237_chocolate_cherry_chili_cookie , and will move these to the front of the rotation.

Congrats on the cookbook coup!
 
Maria T.
Maria T. December 25, 2009
Congratulations, it's a brilliant recipe. Thank you for sharing it. Happy holidays,
 
wanderash
wanderash December 23, 2009
Thank you for the votes!!! I am so excited to be included in the cookbook! This is such a thrill!
 
Cordelia
Cordelia December 22, 2009
So hard to choose. I love how easy these are and how good looking. I love the idea to use this for quick dessert, since I always have some nuts and spices in my pantry. Great idea.
 
SunnySideUp (.
SunnySideUp (. December 22, 2009
ps - i also love the book mangoes and curry leaves :)
 
SunnySideUp (.
SunnySideUp (. December 22, 2009
pairing chocolate and cinnamon is genius. thanks for sharing. can't wait to make this!
 
wanderash
wanderash December 23, 2009
Unfortunetly, I can't take credit for the chocolate and cinnamon pairing. Mexican's combine the two a lot. Mexican coffee has cinnamon in it too- very warming!
 
WinnieAb
WinnieAb December 20, 2009
I made this today and just love it. I substituted pecans for the pistachios and crystallized ginger or the dried cherries. Simple to make and presents beautifully. Lovely recipe!
 
wanderash
wanderash December 22, 2009
Thank you! I bet the ginger and ancho provided a great ZING! I think candied orange rinds and hazelnuts would be delish too. The combos are endless.
 
Maria T.
Maria T. December 20, 2009
My God, I feel that I'm in Mexico eating chocolate. Great combination.
 
Nanook
Nanook December 20, 2009
Herewith, I remark it'll be quite a lark to make my first Chocolate Bark! Anchos away! A-nice today. Fantabulicious!
 
wanderash
wanderash December 22, 2009
food inspired poetry; poetry inspired food. isn't fun!
 
eatboutique
eatboutique December 20, 2009
I love chocolate bark and this recipe is beautiful. :)
 
wanderash
wanderash December 20, 2009
Thank you eatboutique! I wrote this version with cherries and pistachios, so the red and green would be "Chistmasy". I think it is very pretty too!
 
mistercarter
mistercarter December 19, 2009
all I can say is when it was in the fridge, that was all I wanted to eat....
 
wanderash
wanderash December 20, 2009
ha! so that's where it all went! :)
 
engsar2
engsar2 December 17, 2009
Sounds delicious! Can't wait to try it. What is an ancho chile? Where do I find it?
Sarah
 
wanderash
wanderash December 18, 2009
read here for more info and uses for ancho chilies http://smashandsniff.blogspot.com/2009/06/ancho-chili.html. see kitty's comment below for where to find it. if there is a Mexican market anywhere near you, that is a sure bet as well. you are about to make a wonderful new discovery!
 
melissav
melissav December 17, 2009
Wow. Sounds delicious! I make brownies with dried cherries, ancho and cayenne but I never thought of applying those flavors to a bark! Can't wait to try this.
 
wanderash
wanderash December 18, 2009
I think the spice mix in this recipe would be absolutely delicious in brownies. It is so versatile. I have put it in chocolate ice cream and rubbed it on a tenderloin.
 
dymnyno
dymnyno December 17, 2009
Chilis and chocolate...a great combination...an explosion of flavors!
 
kitty L.
kitty L. December 17, 2009
Looks absolutely decadent! Where does one get an ancho chili near LF?
 
wanderash
wanderash December 18, 2009
hi kitty, you should be able to find whole anchos in your local grocery store. i have seen them sold in Walmart as well. In a pinch, McCormicks brand spices and seasonings sells a ground ancho chili powder. I like to use the whole chili, so i can toast it before grinding it.
 
Teri
Teri December 17, 2009
Wow! Is the chili fresh? Do you think you could use dried ones or powder?
 
wanderash
wanderash December 17, 2009
I would definitely use a dried chili. I use ancho in the recipe because it has a smokey flavor that I love. It is mild and arguable sweet and pairs beautifully with chocolate. Try it! You will love it!
 
TasteFood
TasteFood December 17, 2009
This sounds amazing. I love the combination of chiles and dark chocolate - I might have to make it today.
 
wanderash
wanderash December 17, 2009
Thank you TasteFood. I hope you like it!
 
TheWimpyVegetarian
TheWimpyVegetarian December 13, 2009
This looks killer! (I mean it, of course, in a good way :-)).
 
wanderash
wanderash December 17, 2009
It really is killer. Make extra for yourself; you won't be able to stop eating it.