This chocolate bark is studded with kolo, an Ethiopian roasted barley and peanut snack. It’s also flavored with cinnamon, ginger, and a kick of cayenne.
Hi, I’m Tess, and I’m a dark chocoholic.
Lidnt’s 90% dark chocolate, that is.
I have a piece of it after every meal.
But sometimes I get bored of it, so I’ll put on my Willy Wonk hat and make chocolate bark with fun combinations of flavors and textures to jazz things up.
After someone gifted me a big bag of Ethiopian kolo, two things came to mind:
- I gotta post about this on my blog and
- Sprinkle it on some chocolate bark!!!
About this chocolate bark
- Not overly sweet. You’ll taste the cocoa more than the sugar. But don’t worry, there’s just enough sugar that it’s not too bitter (which is why most people don’t like dark chocolate).
- Stupid easy to make. You’ll have a late-night sweet in just three simple steps: melt chocolate, add toppings, and chill in the fridge while you watch Netflix.
- Full of Ethiopian flavor. To make the flavor more 3D, I added some spices to the chocolate. It’s meant to be a super paired-down version of Berber, a super flavorful Ethiopian spice blend made with up to 14 different spices!!!
Gather Your Ingredients
- Chocolate: I used baking chocolate because it has a higher percentage of cocoa and melts better. But you can use chocolate chips or regular chocolate bars. I used two bars with different cacao percentages to even out the sweetness levels.
- Spices: We’re using simple spices that most of us have in our pantry—cinnamon, ginger, and cayenne. This is a nod to the Ethiopian spice blend, Berber. Feel free to play and add more spices like cardamom or nutmeg.
- Coconut oil: The secret to giving this chocolate its sheen ✨
- Kolo: Our featured funky ingredient! It comes in different variations, some with roasted chickpeas or lentils. They can also be sweetened with sugar or simply sprinkled with salt. Whatever you get, it will be delicious!
- Maldon Salt: This is the glue that brings all the flavors together! Flakey salt looks really nice, but use whatever salt you have just, half the amount in the recipe.
What is kolo?
Kolo is a popular snack in East Africa made of dry-roasted barley mixed with salt, spices, and sometimes peanuts. It has a nice crunch and nutty flavor, perfect for snacking on its own or for topping your yogurt, ice cream, soups, or salads.
Where can I buy kolo?
You can buy kolo in specialty stores, international markets, or Amazon. Some Ethiopian restaurants sell bags of kolo. You can ask your local restaurant if they sell them.
More recipes with chocolate
Chocolate Chip Chestnut Shortbread
Blood Orange Chocolate Dipped Fortune Cookies
Ethiopian Kolo Chocolate Bark
Ingredients
- 4 ounces 90% or 100% baking chocolate finely chopped
- 4 ounces 50% or 60% baking chocolate finely chopped
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/4 teaspoon cayenne
- 1/2 teaspoon coconut oil
- 1/4 cup kolo
- 1/2 teaspoon Maldon flake salt
Instructions
- Line a 13 by 9-inch rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Place dark chocolate in a glass liquid measuring cup and microwave, stirring every 30 seconds with a rubber spatula, until almost fully melted.
- Stir in cinnamon, chili powder, ginger, and coconut oil until smooth and chocolate is fully melted.
- Pour onto parchment paper and spread evenly.
- Sprinkle it with kolo and flakey salt.
- Refrigerate for 20 minutes.
- Once set, break the bark into pieces.
- Store bark in an airtight container in the fridge for 1-2 months.
Really good post
Thank, Mom 🥰