If you are a fan of chocolate bark, and more specifically, Bark Thins, then you will LOVE this homemade version. While I am certainly one for convenience, especially when it comes to candy, there is really no reason to ever by this chocolate bark again. Why these homemade bark thins are better than the store bought: Egg whites bind the batter, from 3 eggs. It’s more liquid than most cookie batters, so don’t be alarmed. It just means that they’re free form. You can try and get perfect circles, I couldn’t and honestly it doesn’t matter. Just use a tablespoon (or teaspoon if you want smaller ones) to drop them on the baking sheet ensuring that they have space to spread. This may mean that you may get fewer on a tray in each batch; don’t worry, bake them in 2 rounds if needed. There’s no leavening in there so nothing will happen to the batter waiting the first batch bakes up. I love all things sweet and salty. I especially love chocolate with anything salty. Chocolate and pretzels, chocolate and nuts, you name it. Place the butter, sugar, and water into a saucepan and simmer over medium heat until the butter just melts, and the sugar is semi dissolved. (Don’t let it boil!) Remove from the heat, stir in the extracts, and allow to cool for about 15 minutes.

Melt the chocolate chips in a medium bowl. You have two options. You can microwave it in 25 second increments, stirring in between. If you use this method, you want to make sure you do not over heat the chocolate. When you pull it out each time to stir it, stir it well. When it's mostly melted but there are still a few chunks left in, just keep stirring instead of heating more and you should be good to go! ( step 2) sea salt: these bark thins have a nice hint of salt. If it is too much for you, start with half the amount and then sprinkle more on top after freezing if desired.Turn dough out onto a large sheet of wax paper and shape into a rectangle about 3-inches wide by 1-inch high (dough can be divided into two smaller logs, if desired). Wrap well with wax paper and chill for 2 hours. Add some coconut. I know that one of the flavors of the real Bark Thins involves coconut and I am a big fan of it so I toss some in hear and there. Add about ⅓ c shredded coconut to the mix. Don’t worry about a small hole here and there – it doesn’t matter at all. Sprinkle with the flaked almonds, then bake the biscuits near the centre of the oven for 4–5 minutes or until they have turned a nice golden colour with a fine brown fringe. Your other option is a double boiler method if you don't want to use the microwave. The video in the link above shows how to use this method really well. ( step 2)

I almost always have all 4 of these things in the pantry so this is a perfect thing to whip up when I am feeling the sweet and salty craving coming on--which is very often. How to make these homemade Bark Thins: To make the biscuits, preheat the oven to 170°C/Gas 3. Beat the butter with the sugar in a food mixer until pale and fluffy. Add the egg, flour and vanilla extract, and beat again until a smooth paste is formed. almonds: I use raw and unsalted almonds for this recipe. You could lightly toast them a bit to bring out the flavor if desired. If you have roasted almonds, I suggest making sure they are unsalted. Otherwise, it may be a bit too much in the end.Play around with extracts: add some coconut extract, peppermint extract, maybe even some almond extract! I can honestly say these homemade Bark Thins are so versatile and there are so many fun ways to make tasty variations. Here are a few things I love to do: In a large bowl, cream together butter and sugars until light. Beat in eggs, one at a time, followed by almond extract. Stir in flour mixture, mixing until the dough almost comes together, then add in sliced almonds and mix until dough comes together and no streaks of dry ingredients remain. Pour all of the almonds into the melted chocolate along with the vanilla and stir well to combine. ( steps 4 and 5) It is better to spread the batter thinly. However, this is dependent on how big your baking tray is. My baking tray is approx 45 cm x 35 cm or 18 in x 14 in which is large enough to spread the biscuit mixture thinly. If you have smaller baking trays, then either divide the biscuit mixture into 2 trays or do it in batches.