I love nuts of all kinds, but I have to say that pecans are my absolutely favorite. Up until 3 years ago when my mother sold the family home, all my pecans came from the pecan tree in the backyard of the house in which I grew up. When I moved to New Mexico, my mother would ship me bags of shelled pecans for Christmas. Yes, I said “shelled” pecans! On my visits back home, I would raid her freezer which normally had more pecans that she could eat. It always gave me a thrill to think that I was still eating pecans from the same tree after all of these years!
Now I have to buy my pecans, so I buy in bulk from a New Mexico grower called Stahmanns. This recipe was actually inspired by some Salted Pecan Bark that I purchased with my last bulk order. The bark was SO good! Bobby and I both wanted more after it was all gone, so I decided to give making bark a try. BIG mistake – HUGE mistake!!!! Not only did it turn out fabulous, but making it was SO EASY and at least 1/3 the cost! It took about 15 minutes of prep and cook time and then 30 minutes to cool in the refrigerator. It’s going to be really hard NOT keeping some of this bark in the pantry at all times!
Salted Pecan Chocolate Bark
A delightful chocolate treat that is easy enough for the kids to make, but a treat that kids and adults will love.
*See Kitchen Notes for more information.
- 1 – 3.5 to 4.5 ounce bar of chocolate (60% cocoa)
- 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate morsels
- ½ cup chopped pecans
- Sea salt
- Cover a cookie sheet or sheet pan with aluminum foil.
- Break the chocolate into a heat proof bowl over a pot of boiling water (or use a double boiler). Top with the chocolate morsels.
- When all of the chocolate is melted, add ¼ cup of pecans. Stir to combine.
- Remove from heat and pour onto aluminum foil and spread with a spatula to the desired thickness.
- Top with the remaining pecans. Press pecans gently into chocolate if needed.
- Let the chocolate cool for about 5 minutes then sprinkle generously with sea salt.
- Let cool completely.
- Cut to the desired size or break into pieces. To speed up the cooling process you can place the sheet in the refrigerator for about 30 minutes or so.
Chocolate – The 60% cocoa and semi-sweet morsels was a melt in your mouth combination For our tastes, anything higher the 60% was too bitter.
Addiction Warning!
The first few batches I made I cut into small squares thinking that we would just nibble on a few pieces and put the can back in the pantry for another night. Wrong! We would both take several pieces at once, eat them and then grab another handful. One batch lasted 2 nights – tops. Now I break into larger pieces. One or two of the larger pieces seem to satisfy that nighttime sweet craving. Now a batch lasts a little longer than 2 nights.
Yes – we love this bark! I know you will too.
My local supplier of New Mexico pecan is the New Mexico Pecan Company.
Here are some other chocolate and pecan treats that you’ll enjoy:
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Thank you for sharing your delicious Salted Pecan Bark with The Gallery of Favorites. It sounds so tasty – and perfect for holiday gift giving too!
Excellent! I used toasted pecans and added dried tart cherries to half the batch. Yum. We had a couple pieces before the rest went home with Dad for Father’s Day. He loved it. A second batch for Ted and I is cooling now. Thanks MJ. Oh and I melted the chocolate in the microwave. Start with 1 1/2 minutes in a bowl covered with plastic wrap that has a couple slits from a paring knife. Stir and continue heating in 30 second increments until it’s melted. Trying hard to keep the house cool.
Thanks Su Anne! I’m so glad that you and everyone liked it!!! I love the idea of toasting the pecans first! I’ll try that the next time. Thanks for the heads-up on the microwave method! Anything to keep the heat out of the kitchen.
I have to make this!! How amazing to have a Pecan tree growing up?
I get Pecans at either Trader Joe’s or the bulk section of Whole Foods. Do you live near either one?
Thanks for the tip! There is a Whole Foods near me but not a Trader’s Joe. I’ll check it out. I hope you do make this. It’s SO GOOD! Have a great weekend!
Addiction warning is right! Glad you posted that, but I probably won’t listen 😉 Too bad they closed down, I usually get any nuts from farmer’s markets or Whole Foods. And I also adore pecans, this looks amazing!
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This looks amazing – like a delicious slice of heaven. I will be featuring it tomorrow on my H&S Hop highlights.
I’m with you, pecans are my favorite nut too. This looks so good.
OMG… this is something I “shouldn’t” look. You know why, because I’m so…addicted with chocolate with nuts. It doesn’t take me too long to finish that box. I am true chocoholic… Thank you for this recipe. I love dark chocolate so I will adapt and make my own bark!!!
oh how I wish pecans are less expensive here.. i’ve been making many chocolate recipes lately but one can never have too much chocolate! can’t wait to try this recipe. I’m staying in a hot tropical country weather, can these be kept at room temperature or must be refrigerated?
Shannon, pecans should be refrigerated or stored in the freezer. I wouldn’t let them sit out for more than a week. I hope you do get to try this. I don’t think I’ll ever be able to make another bark! 🙂 Thanks for dropping by.
Thanks for linking up to Showcase Your Talent Thursday, you have been featured! http://whatscookinglove.blogspot.com/2012/05/showcase-your-talent-thursday-7.html
what is it about sweet & salty that it is soooo addictive & delicious???!!!
wonderful i love to have the whole dark chocolate.. i will probably finish in one day… heee..heeeee..
I love pecans too and this bark looks and sounds fantastic. I recently discovered sea salt soiree intense dark chocolate by Ghirardelli and love the slightly salty taste in chocolate. I know I’ll like your bark recipe very much. 🙂
This bark looks so good! I think pecans are my favorite nut too. I bet that was great always having so many of them available. Thanks for sharing at Showcase Your Talent Thursday!
Totally in love with this bark! I could eat this and only this for the rest of my life 🙂
I can see how these can be addicting! They look fantastic!
love that little box too, as many have said. so cute and i would probably eat the whole batch if i made this! i’m glad to have found your blog and i’ll be sure to pop over sometime again to see what you’re cooking. feel free to drop by my web-home sometime! x
What a sweet treat for the moms 🙂 I can see how this would be extremely addicting!
thanks everyone for your wonderful comments! I hope you are all having a great weekend and for you mothers out there – Happy Mother’s Day weekend!
Wow this sounds so good! I love all of the ingredients, this could be dangerous for me (my hips)! Great recipe!
Simple, easy, perfect! I adore pecans in chocolate, the sea salt would put it right over the top for me. I just picked up a smoked sea salt at our gourmet spice shop in town, this has me wondering if this should be the first way I should use it!
Hi MJ,I wonder if they ship to Malaysia? Pecans cost a fortune out here, but it would be great to make some pecan chocolate ice cream right now.
I don’t doubt for a second looking at those pictures that these are addicting.
This must taste amazing! I got to try 🙂
Salt, nuts, and chocolate? Lord help me. This is my all time fav snacky indulgence.
Oh it’s so sad when favored businesses close 🙁 MJ, I’m going to be honest. I’ll probably never ever make this…because you’re right and I would eat the whole thing in a night or two! 🙂 I still love the whole idea, maybe I can do this as a special treat every once in awhile.
I grew up in the same town as Stahmann farms! What a small world. This recipe looks fabulous BTW
Thanks Kelly! It is a small world! It’s so sad that they’ve had to close down.
This is one of those deceptively simple desserts that packs a lot of flavors. Pecans are not my favorite nut, but I think they’re perfect for this recipe!
This reminds me of a English toffee recipe I have. Congratulations on making the foodbuzz Top 9!
Congratulations on your foodbuzz top 9, today!
Wow! This looks incredible MJ! Congratulations on top 9 today.
Woww.. looks super tempting and perfect.. lovely step by step pictures..
Adding salt to sweet recipes is always a great idea, this bark looks and sounds delicious
Your tempting word like “Easy” “addiction” makes me trouble with these chocolate with nuts. I don’t know if I had any chocolate with pecans before. My favorite has been almonds (dark chocolate with almonds) but I must taste pecans – I think I might be hooked and wonder why I was eating chocolate with almonds all these years. Definitely will try. I better make small amount because I am the only one who will be eating these… dangerous dangerous…
Thanks Nami! You really should try it with pecans. I like almonds and chocolate, but I LOVE pecans and chocolate. It might be a southern thing, but if you try it, let me know how you like it. Have a great weekend!
I love the combo of salted nuts and chocolate! Very interesting.
This recipe looks so easy and delicious. I think we’re all in trouble now 🙂
I can’t make bark very often because I’ll eat it all. And pecans are my favorite nut – there’s just something about them I can never seem to get enough of.
Yum, MJ! A very decadent dessert – I bet it washes well with some black coffee. Very cozy for those chilly spring nights..!
Both bark and box are GREAT! Love the photos too.
This recipe looks very nice and less messy. I hope if I can make these square a little soft so my mom can taste it. Very good testure and color. I love pecan, coco and chocolate mix.
Hi MJ – I only just discovered the name “bark” for this type of thing before Christmas. Is it called bark because of tree bark, do you know? It looks incredible – I can totally imagine that it’s a dangerous thing to keep in the house. Still, at least it’s not milk or white chocolate – that would be much more guilt-inducing, although I’m not sure if it would work so well. I think the combo of plain chocolate and nuts is probably one of the best flavours there are for chocolate!
This sounds and looks delicious! I have never tasted pecans but I have a huge weakness for all sweet things with nuts. Pecans are very difficult to find here and quite expensive too. I’m a little envious you had a pecan tree at your mother’s house. I too would have raided your mother’s fridge, if I had got a chance. 🙂
Oh my this sounds so lovely! I like the salty sweet idea, and the combination of the two different kinds of chocolate to give a wonderful balance of flavour.
I’m sorry your pecan supplier has shut down, and I hope you find a new one soon!!
I’ve never made bark, salted pecan or otherwise. Although I’ve eaten more than my share. But all I have to say is: Darn You! 😉 Now that I know how easy this is, how can I resist? I can’t! 🙂 Really fun post – thanks.
I’d love to try this and place them in neat little boxes with ribbons. This’d be great holiday gifts or Mothers’ Day treats, or just to show appreciation to someone who did you good. I for one would really be pleased to receive something sweet as a gift. Indeed, pecans are a popular favorite. Thanks for sharing!
Thanks! It is a lovely box isn’t it? Bobby gave it to me as a gift years ago with a nice pair of earrings inside. 🙂
Oh my, I am not sure that I should have read this. You know I don’t make desserts but this is just too easy to pass up. Pecans and chocolate and all I have to do is melt it and then chill it. I will let you know how it turns out. Thanks MJ and I hope you have having a wonderful day. It is quite warm here in FL.
Please do let me know if you like it! I don’t make dessert either so this has become a real treat – maybe too much so! 🙂 Have a great weekend!
Chocolate bark has been on my list forever but I am honestly scared to try it, I don’t think it would even last 2 nights in this house
Oh my!!Chocolate and pecans and you’re so lucky you had your own tree!!You know what, you’ve given me a perfect recipe for my left over chocolate sauce from the Berry strudel I’d made earlier (its in my freezer!)Cannot wait to try 🙂
I love any kind of bark and I love sweet/salty combos – so this is perfect! So awesome that you got your pecans from your mom’s tree growing up, and sad that your pecan seller has closed! That’s really too bad.
MJ….just one question. Do you ship to D.C.??? This looks fabulous! Much better than anything you could buy! I love bark….so versatile. But I love that you used pecans….my favorite! I don’t know if I could have left that pecan tree! Beautiful photos as always! : )
ps How special is it to have your own pecan tree! Jealous!
This sounds dangerous to keep around! I love the salt and pecan and chocolate. Yum
At one time I ordered from Stahman’s too but switched to http://www.berdoll.com after we stopped at their roadside business south of Austin. They have several varieties of pecans, in the shell and out, as well as lots of goodies like pecan bark. My personal favorite is the Kiowa Pecan but all the varieties are tasty. I order a years worth in late November-early December each year and specify I want the new crop. I’ll knock some salted pecan bark out real soon!
Thanks for the information Su Anne! I’ll check Berdoll out. Hope you enjoy the bark! Have a great week!
Oh, MJ, I am fully aware of the addictive quality of chocolate – haha! – I make chocolate clusters with a similar mixture and we are always amazed to see how quickly they go…Your bark has it all – gorgeous, quality dark chocolate, with nuts and salt… yup, the stuff that ‘more’ is made of ;-). (so pretty too! love the second shot – well done).
We rarely eat pecans in Europe (they are more expensive than walnuts for example) and I don’t remember the last time I had them… Your bark looks gorgeous and I must say I rarely make bark because I find it always too irresistible to stop eating! It’s such a simple and rewarding sweet treat.
I totally agree about the 80% cocoa chocolate. I once bought it and had to mix with some milk chocolate because it was simply too “stuffing”. Now I use a 70% dark chocolate.
Oh I don’t know what I would do if I didn’t have continuous access to good pecans! 🙂 They are more expensive than walnuts and almonds, but there are just some things I can’t live without. Like chocolate, they are a necessity! Thanks for your comments!
I totally agree with you about this being dangerous… this is one of my favorite ways to eat chocolate. I love that you made this dark chocolate and added salt too. 🙂 Mmm..Mmmm… Good! 🙂
How lucky you were to have pecans from your mother tree for all these years. I know you must feel a little sad every time you have to buy it now. I am going to google what a pecan tree looks like… I have never seen one.
I agree with Tessa – this looks like a perfect gift to bring over for a little get together. I wonder how it would be with even darker chocolate?
We didn’t like the 85% cocoa – too bitter. I think the salt may have enhanced the bitterness because normally I love really dark chocolate! But I think it all comes down to personal tastes. Thanks for stopping by!
Looks delicious! I really like that box. This would be an excellent host/hostess gift!