How To Incorporate Dried Fruit Into Homemade Chocolate Bars

Homemade chocolate bars are satisfying, easily customizable, and relatively simple to make. With many different styles of chocolate and complementary fruits, nuts, and other accouterments to choose from, the possibilities for unique and clever combinations are nearly endless. To infuse a bit more nutritional value into your chocolate bars, adding dried fruit will bring a delightful variance to both the taste and texture of your chocolate while still fully satiating your sweet tooth. If you're stumped on how to incorporate dried fruit into your homemade chocolate bars, fear not as it's much easier than you might think. Starting with a basic Chocolate Bar Mold (available on Amazon), you can either pop pieces of your favorite chopped fruits into the molds first before pouring the chocolate over them or pour the chocolate into the molds first and gently press the fruit into the backside of the bars.

Both of these methods are equally effective and will alter the look and feel of your chocolate bars depending on which one you choose. If you prefer to decorate your chocolate bars with a visible sprinkling of fruity additions, you'll likely want to place the fruit first and then pour the chocolate over it. On the flip side, if you want a chocolate bar that has more of a surprise element to the presence of fruit, pop the pieces into the back and level out the pressed pieces as best you can before letting the chocolate set.

You should always have freeze-dried fruit in your pantry to keep a shelf-stable and nutritious snack on hand at all times. It's also great for cooking and baking and, of course, making delightful homemade chocolates. If you're stumped on which fruits to put in your chocolate, having a variety of both dehydrated and freeze-dried fruits gives you the opportunity to experiment and determine your favorites for the best addition to your homemade bars. Whether you choose dark, milk, or white chocolate or get creative by combining a couple of different types, you'll find many great tasting combinations.

For example, the best type of fruit to pair with white chocolate is something that will cut through its sweetness and counterbalance the flavor with a bit of tanginess and acidity such as raspberries, kiwis, or citrus. If you want to try a dried fruit-inspired riff on a mango chili-stuffed chocolate bar recipe, start with semi-sweet or dark chocolate bars and add chili flakes and bits of dried mango to your molds. You can also take a cue from the trendy Dubai chocolate bars, which feature a filling of pistachio cream and knafeh (shredded phyllo pastry), and make a homemade milk chocolate bar into which you've pressed pistachio pieces and your favorite dried fruits.