Chocolate bark is a lovely edible gift idea for Valentine's Day. Making it could not be simpler, so it's ideal for cooking with kids.
Melting the chocolate in short bursts in the microwave makes the process far safer and easier for children to help you with, compared to melting it over a pan of boiling water.
Use whatever type of chocolate your recipient will love best - dark for grown ups, milk or white for children, or even a mix of all three.
I decided to dye the white chocolate pink using food colouring, for an extra loved-up look.
Save money by using supermarket brand cooking chocolate - the quality of both Sainsbury's Belgian Cooking Chocolate and Tesco Finest are superb.
Arm yourselves with plenty of decorations to bling up the bark - I used a mixture of white chocolate chunks, mini marshmallows, ruby red dried cranberries and glitter. But you could also use red sweets, heart sprinkles - whatever takes your fancy.
Package up in cellophane bags with pretty ribbon, or hunt out some heart shaped tins from pound shops and line with greaseproof or tissue paper.
Valentine chocolate bark
200g milk (or dark) chocolate 200g white chocolate
pink gel food colouring (optional)
assorted sprinkles
1. Lay out two baking sheets lined with greaseproof paper.
2. Break the chocolate into chunks and place in two separate microwavable bowls.
3. Pop the bowl of milk chocolate chunks into the microwave on full power for one minute. Stir then return for a further 10-20 seconds. Stir and then repeat until the chocolate has completely melted.
4. Pour onto one of the baking sheets and smooth out to cover the surface evenly with the back of a spoon or spatula.
5. Now melt the white chocolate in the same way. If you like you can add food colouring once it has melted.
6. Spoon splodges of melted white chocolate around the surface of the milk chocolate - using around one third of the white chocolate.
7. Take a fork and swirl the white chocolate into the milk chocolate to create the bark effect.
8. Pour the remaining white chocolate onto the other baking sheet and spread out evenly.
9. Scatter both trays with your decorations, then pop into the fridge to set.
Once it's firm you can break it up into pieces and package it up. Store in the fridge.