As far as handmade gifts go, chocolate bark seems a bit like cheating. After all, you’re just melting some chocolate and throwing some stuff on top.

But you can personalize it with your toppings of choice … dried apricots, toasted pistachios, sea salt, candied ginger, cacao nibs … the list goes on.

And as simple as it is, it never fails to get an “Oh, wow!” reaction from the recipient. So this Valentine’s day, blow your sweetie away with this dark chocolate bark. The heart-healthy dark chocolate, dried blueberries, toasted almonds and orange zest will touch your loved one’s heart … in more ways than one.

Blueberry-Almond Dark Chocolate Bark

Ingredients:

• 12 ounces 70-72% vegan dark chocolate, broken into large pieces
• ½ cup sliced almonds, lightly toasted
• 1/3 cup dried blueberries (wild blueberries if you can find them)
• Grated zest of 1 orange

Preparation:

1. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. Place two thirds of the chocolate in a glass bowl. Microwave in 30-second spurts until the chocolate is just about melted. Add the remaining chocolate and repeat until the last pieces are nearly melted. Stir with a silicone spatula to finish the melting process.  (If you don’t have a microwave, you can melt the chocolate in a double boiler.)
3. Pour the chocolate onto the parchment paper, and spread with the spatula to create a rectangle of about 12 x 8 inches. Sprinkle on the toppings.
4. Refrigerate until hard, then break into pieces and store in an airtight container.