While everyone has been going mad for Baymax!, Disney+’s newest collection of shorts, I have been pining for another series of shorts from Marvel Studios. Now we’re just mere hours away from I Am Groot’s arrival on the streaming service and I’m beyond excited for this next chapter for the best little tree in the MCU! So in honor of this newest adventure from the cutest Guardian of the Galaxy, Cosmic Cuisine proudly presents I Am Groot Chocolate bark!
I Am Groot Chocolate Bark was a happy little accident, something Bob Ross and his painted trees would be proud of. While my brother and I were in the middle of cooking a sweet She-Hulk surprise (coming soon in the next Cosmic Cuisine) it dawned on me that there was another MCU show coming just before our jolly green lawyer. How could we leave out the cutest tree in all the galaxy? A panic set in, or perhaps it was just the overwhelming sugar high, but a mad dash to the grocery store was in order to gather the supplies we would need to create the I Am Groot Chocolate Bark.
Baby Groot is the sweetest little tree of life there ever was and these barks are so good they could have fallen right off him! Below are four different varieties of chocolate bark. After all, the tree of life reaches through all realms and we could never pick just one! Salty, sweet, minty, even a little nutty, there’s something for everyone with our tree of life bark.
First is the refreshing, choco-minty Andes bark. With real Andes candies as part of the bark, it’s the perfect after-dinner treat. Or before, we won’t tell the Nova Corp on you! Then we have our walnut-cherry bark. It’s a heartier bark that makes a great mid-day snack. The almond bark is another great midday snack with a smooth taste and a nice crunch of almonds throughout. Finally, our cosmic bark, inspired by our Cosmic Crew here, is sure to make any snack an out-of-this-world experience!
Cosmic Cuisine: I Am Groot Chocolate Bark
In honor of our favorite tree of life and his upcoming solo series of shorts, the Cosmic Circus is excited to share I Am Groot Chocolate Bark in this edition of Cosmic Cuisine! Join us in making the sweetest bark in this corner of the cosmos with not one, but four delectable edible barks that not even baby Groot could resist!
Ingredients
- For All Barks: (Amount listed is for one individual bark)
- 2 cups Semi-sweet chocolate chips
- Gulf wax shavings
- Andes Mint Bark:
- 10 oz Andes mints, half rough chopped, half finely chopped
- 11 Oz bag White Whocolate chips
- Gulf wax shavings
- Cherry Walnut Bark:
- 11 Oz White Chocolate chips
- Gulf wax shavings
- 1/2 cup Walnuts rough chopped
- 1/2 cup Dried Cherries
- Almond Bark:
- 1 small package of Slivered Almonds
- Cosmic Bark:
- 11 oz White Chocolate divided
- Gel Food Coloring (red, blue, yellow, and green)
- Star Sprinkles
- Sanding Sugar
Instructions
- Set your double boiler over medium heat, making sure the water in the bottom doesn't boil over.
- Pour your 2 cups of semi-sweet chocolate chips into the double boiler with some gulf wax shavings.
- Let the chocolate melt, stirring consistency to reduce the chance of the chocolate burning.
- When completely melted, transfer the liquid chocolate onto a cookie sheet already lined with parchment paper. Spread it out evenly, creating the bottom portion of your I Am Groot Chocolate Bark.
- Freeze the semi-sweet chocolate bark for at least 15 minutes.
From this step, we branched out to four separate barks, each one with its own toppings and middle section. The fun part of I Am Groot Chocolate Bark is that you can make any variation you want! These are the four I made.
Andes Mint Chocolate Bark
- After smoothing out the semi-sweet chocolate chips into a bar, sprinkle a layer of the ground Andes Mints onto the chocolate bar while it's still hot. Press down gently. Freeze for at least 15 minutes
- Melt the white chocolate in a clean double boiler with some gulf wax shavings. Continue mixing to avoid burning or clumping of the chocolate
- Once smooth, pour the white chocolate over the top of the semi-sweet chocolate bar. Gently press down.
- Sprinkle the coarsely chopped Andes Mints over the top.
- Freeze again for another 15 minutes.
- Once solid, break apart and enjoy!
Cherry Walnut Chocolate Bark
- While the semi-sweet chocolate is freezing, melt the white chocolate in a clean double boiler with some gulf wax shavings. Continue mixing to avoid burning or clumping the chocolate.
- Once smooth, mix in about 1/4 a cup of both the chopped walnuts and the dried cherries into the white chocolate.
- Pour the white chocolate mixture over the semi-sweet, and smooth out as much as possible.
- Sprinkle the remaining chopped walnuts and dried cherries over the top. Press gently.
- Freeze the bark for another 15 minutes.
- Once solid, break apart and enjoy!
Almond Bark
- Add 1 oz of slivered almonds to semi-sweet chocolate and mix well.
- Pour chocolate onto the pan, topping the bark with the rest of the slivered almonds. Press down gently.
- Freeze for another 15 minutes.
- Once solid, break apart and enjoy!
Cosmic Bark
- While the semi-sweet chocolate is freezing, melt the white chocolate in a clean double boiler with some gulf wax shavings. Continue mixing to avoid burning or clumping the chocolate.
- Once smooth, divide the white chocolate into six smaller bowls, preferably glass so we're not melting plastic into our chocolate bark!
- Add different colors of the gel food coloring to each bowl until you achieve your desired color concentrations. Mix a few of the primary colors together to get secondary colors for your cosmic bark!
- Using spoons, drizzle the colored white chocolate over the top of the semi-sweet chocolate layer. Add star sprinkles and colored sanding sugar as desired.
- Freeze for an additional 15 minutes.
- Break apart and enjoy!
Some important information to achieving a successfully sweet chocolate bark
Mentioned a few times in the recipe is a double boiler, which isn’t the fueling system from the Benetar, but a system for easily melting chocolate. For those who make and work a lot with chocolate, chances are you probably own one, however, if you don’t, no need to fret! To create your homemade double boiler, all you need is two pans, relatively the same size. But not the exact same size. Use the larger of the two pans on the bottom with just a bit of water in it. Set the other pan on top and you’ll be able to melt the chocolate easily!
Something to keep in mind is that once the chocolate begins melting, it needs to be stirred consistently. This ensures that the chocolate remains silky and so that it doesn’t burn to the pan, tainting the taste of your I Am Groot chocolate bark. As well, it’s incredibly important to remember to freeze the first layer before adding the second layer! If not, the two layers will mix together, changing the two distinct sides of your bark into a muddy mess.
Above all else, the most important step is to not forget to have fun with it! There is no wrong way to make this bark, anything you want to add is totally fine! Don’t like white chocolate? Take it out! Want to make a peanut butter cup version? Well, you better send us some samples, because that sounds awesome. The goal is to enjoy the making as much as the dessert itself!
Final Thoughts on I Am Groot Chocolate Bark
So as you can see, just as there is a side of Groot for every situation, there is an I am Groot chocolate bark for any snack time need. Whether it’s a colorful time with the kids, a crunchy craving, a minty good meal ender, or a savory-sweet mix, they all can be found on the tree of life. And why limit yourself to just one? Make two, three, or even all of them and sample everything life has to offer! Once you try them you will happily proclaim “I am Groot!” and everyone will know exactly what you mean!
All five episodes of I am Groot drop this Wednesday on Disney+. Will you be making some I Am Groot chocolate bark to celebrate the arrival of his adorable series? Let us know on Twitter if you do and what version you make! If you haven’t checked out our latest Cosmic Cuisine, take a look at Anthony Flagg’s Kamala Khan-inspired Doom Dogs or his delicious Pizza Poppa-Inspired Pizza Balls!
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