Snacking Chocolate with Roasted Kumquats and Pepitas

This snacking chocolate or chocolate bark is INCREDIBLE. Smooth dark chocolate, bursts of citrusy kumquat flavor & chewy texture—all balanced out with the unifying powers of salty pumpkin seeds.

I declared this week kumquat week on Instagram and shared all my kumquat recipes. Like roasted kumquats, kumquat upside-down cake and I was planning on sharing my fancy salad idea but I ended up making this snacking chocolate on a whim on Wednesday and I loved it so much I didn’t get to share my salad. Huge disappointment, I know. But you can still find the salad here. Today, we have to talk about chocolate!

What is snacking chocolate?

I don’t really know if there is a definitive answer but from my perspective, I would define it as chocolate that has been melted, then packed with a whole variety of snacky foods and/or typical chocolate accompaniments, hardened then broken into little irregularly shaped pieces you can snack on. Or just a really smart branding idea to get people to eat more chocolate. Either way, it’s very easy to make on your own and fun too!

How to make Snacking Chocolate or Chocolate Bark

I really don’t see a difference between ‘snacking chocolate’ or ‘bark’. So whichever term you prefer, the directions, ingredients and results will be the same.

Ingredients

Snacking Chocolate with Roasted Kumquats and Pepitas

• CHOCOLATE!: I just love the Dark Chocolate Lovers Bars from Trader Joe’s. It’s super dark, so if you prefer a sweeter chocolate, you probably won’t dig this as much as do. But my extra-dark chocolate lovers will definitely want to give this a try. So dark, so smooth and fruity. Linking here so you can see what it looks like, definitely buy it in store if you are near a Trader Joe’s, it’s much cheaper—another reason I love it! It’s always up by the registers. The chocolate is important, so whatever you use, go with a higher-quality chocolate if possible.
• ROASTED KUMQUATS: I just republished my post on how to roast kumquats this week. Check it out here. If you follow my instructions, you won’t need all the kumquats to make this bark, but I recommend making the full amount and keeping the extra kumquats around for salads, snacks and baked goods.
• ROASTED PEPITAS: Or pumpkin seeds. I always have pepitas on hand. I buy them raw and unsalted so I can roast them myself and control the amount of salt. I eat them with dark chocolate often, I put them on salads and recently made a pesto out of them that was super yummy.
• A SPOONFUL OF SUGAR: Literally. I just rolled the kumquats in a couple teaspoons of sugar because my chocolate is so dark and kumquats have quite a tang. I wanted to make sure that there wasn’t too much punch from either. It was the perfect amount.

Equipment for Making Snacking Chocolate

• BAKING SHEETS: You will need one for roasting the pepitas and one for roasting the kumquats. And then I always use one (lined with parchment) for the chocolate to set up on.
• PARCHMENT PAPER: Okay, I don’t know if this really qualifies as equipment but I LOVE using parchment paper. Nothing sticks to it, it makes clean up so easy and you really need it when its time to pour the chocolate and top with our fun additions.
• DOUBLE BOILER OR MICROWAVE SAFE DISH: Okay, so you actually can buy a double-boiler, but you can also just create your own with a medium-sized sauce pan and a stove-top safe bowl or a smaller pan that can nestle inside with out touching the water below. Or you can use the microwave.

Method

1. Roast the pumpkin seeds. All you need to do is toss the seeds with a small amount of oil and salt, roast at 325 for 15 minutes and you are good to go. Make extra for snacking!
2. Roast the kumquats. I go into more detail about roasting kumquats in this post but its so simple. Just slice the kumquats into 1/4 inch rounds (remove seeds). Toss with a very small amount of oil and a tiny sprinkle of salt and roast at 375 for 30 minutes.
3. Prep your chocolate pouring station. Just line a small baking sheet with parchment and have your seeds and kumquats nearby.
4. Melt the chocolate. I prefer the double-boiler method because there is less risk of over cooking the chocolate which can really mess it up. If you decide to microwave, just microwave the chopped chocolate at 20 second intervals until melted, stir at each interval. To make a double-boiler: Fill a medium-sized sauce pan with water 1 inch deep. Bring to a simmer. Place a smaller pot inside, but not touching the water. Put the chocolate in the small pot and stir until fully melted. See photo below for how I arrange the pots. This is not 100% secure but it works for me. These are the pots and pans that I have.
5. Pour & sprinkle: Pour the melted chocolate onto parchment-line baking sheet, spread evenly, using a rubber spatula to smooth into an even layer. Sprinkle with pepitas and kumquats. Place in the fridge until set and cut into desired-sized pieces.

In conclusion

This snacking chocolate is my new favorite thing! Full of color, flavor and texture in all the best ways. It also so easy to make and customizable. You can use this basic method and measurements to create all kinds of snacking chocolate varieties. Have fun!

If you try this recipe, I wanna see! Leave a comment/rating below and/or find me on instagram @thefigjar.

MORE KUMQUAT RECIPES YOU’LL LOVE

Snacking Chocolate with Roasted Kumquats and Pepitas

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This snacking chocolate is full of flavor and color! It so easy to make and makes a lovely homemade gift.

• Author: Becky Schmieg
• Prep Time: 15 minutes
• Cook Time: 45 minutes
• Total Time: 1 hour
• Yield: 10 1x
• Category: Dessert, Snack
• Cuisine: American

Ingredients

Units USM Scale 1x2x3x

• 8 oz dark chocolate (chopped)
• 1/4 cup roasted kumquats
• 1/4 cup roasted pepitas
• 2 tsp sugar
• sea salt

Cook Mode Prevent your screen from going dark

Instructions

1. Roast pepitas and kumquats first. See directions above or this post for more info.
2. Set up double-boiler. Place a medium-sized sauce pan over medium high heat, fill with 1 inch of water and bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Place a smaller pot or stove-top safe bowl nestled inside the larger pot. The bottom of the small pot or bowl should not touch the water. See note on using the microwave to do this.
   
3. Add chocolate to the small pot or bowl and stir until melted, about 10 minutes.
4. Pour melted chocolate onto a parchment lined baking sheet in an even layer. Use a rubber spatula to smooth it out if necessary.
   
5. Place kumquats in a bowl and sprinkle with 2 tsp sugar. Toss to coat.
   
6. Sprinkle with kumquats, pepitas and sea salt— pressing any kumquats down that might be protruding too much.
   
7. Place in fridge for at least 30 minutes for chocolate to set. Then cut or break into desired-size pieces.
   
8. Store in an air-tight container in a cool, dry, location.
9. Enjoy!

Notes

To melt chocolate in the microwave: place chocolate in microwave-safe bowl and heat for 20 second intervals, stirring after each interval until melted. 

Disclaimer: this post may contain affiliate links, which means if you decide to purchase any of the items linked in this post, I should earn a small commission. This creates no additional cost to you and helps support the work that goes into running The Fig Jar. Thank you! -Becky