This keto chocolate bark with sea salt and almonds is easy to make and totally addictive. A little bit salty, a little bit sweet, and a whole lot delicious! Low carb and sugar free chocolate almond bark.
This keto chocolate bark recipe was first published in 2013. I recently made it again and was completely wowed by how good it is. It’s a tasty low carb dessert that stands the test of time. It’s back on the top of my favorite keto candy recipes!
I like to refer to this keto almond bark as addictive, but let’s take a closer look, shall we? Because there are good addictions and there are not-so-good addictions. And this one definitely falls into the good addiction category.
Sugar is addictive. I will venture to say that in the past few decades of nutritional science, this has become indisputable fact. Anyone who has ever tried to break their sugar habit will agree with me, I am sure.
Now that I’ve broken the habit, I look back and I can see just how addictive sugar really was. Eating something sugary always led to the desire for more sugar. The craving for more sugar. This is a common problem in many people eating a standard American diet. Even a little taste of sugar can trigger that uncontrollable desire.
Conquering Your Sugar Addiction
Some people feel you should eschew sweets all together when you go on a keto diet. Whereas others, myself included, feel that having keto sweets allows us to stay on track and stick with the program. Every person has to find their own way through it, their own personal journey. I can’t tell you what’s right for you.
But for me, being able to have a chocolate treat that is free of sugar and still feels like an indulgence is a powerful antidote.
Here’s the thing about low carb and sugar-free versions of my old favorites: they taste just as good, sometimes even better, than the originals, but are not nearly so addictive.
They tend to be much higher in fat, and thus much more filling. And because of the low carb and low sugar content, they don’t kick off that crazy roller coaster of cravings. Sometimes they taste so good that I find myself salivating at the very thought of them and can’t wait to have more, so I suppose that’s a sort of craving. But it’s not quite the same as the serotonin rush brought on by a sugary, carby snack. It’s much more manageable.
Sweet and Salty Keto Almond Bark
This keto chocolate bark was inspired by some dark chocolate sea salt almonds that my husband fell in love with. They were most definitely NOT sugar free, so I decided I had to fight fire with fire.
Keep in mind that this was back in 2013, when good sugar free chocolate that wasn’t loaded with artificial sweeteners wasn’t readily available. So I had to make everything from scratch. I had previously made my own keto sugar free chocolate chips, and I knew that it would make a delicious dark chocolate base for the bark.
The advantage to making your own keto chocolate is that you really control the ingredients. No commercial additives, no junk, no fillers.
I also wanted to capture that salty sweet taste for the almonds themselves, so I made a mixture of Swerve Sweetener and some butter, then tossed the almonds in it. After they cooled, they were like salty almond toffee. Delicious on their own and doubly delicious in the bark!
How to make Keto Chocolate Bark
This is an easy recipe to make, even when creating your own sugar free dark chocolate. You can watch the video in the recipe card for extra tips, but here are some pointers for getting it right:
- Prep the almonds. Bring the sweetener and butter to a boil and cook it for a few minutes, then add roasted almonds and a bit of sea salt. Spread them out on a pan in a single layer to cool.
- Make the chocolate mixture. You do need cocoa butter for this keto chocolate bark recipe. It’s the difference between a firm bark at room temperature, and a melty chocolate mess. You can purchase it online and in some health food stores like Whole Foods. I really like this one from Wild Foods because it comes in little discs and is easy to measure out.
- Use gentle heat. Unsweetened chocolate is finicky and can seize easily. Melt it double boiler style, with a heatproof pan set over a pan of barely simmering water. I like to get my water going over medium heat, but then reduce it to low when I add the chocolate.
- Coat the almonds. Break up your almonds so they aren’t sticking together, and then add most of them to the chocolate mixture. Keep a handful for the top of the bark so that they show through.
- Spread out the bark. You can make it thicker or thinner, as you desire, but try to get the almonds in one layer. Sprinkle with a little additional flaked sea salt, if desired.
- Chill the chocolate bark. Pop the whole sheet pan in the fridge to set the chocolate. If you can fit it in your freezer, it’s even faster!
- Break it up. Use your hands to break the bark into irregular pieces. Now you’re ready to eat!
How to store Keto Chocolate Almond Bark
This sweet chocolate treat should be fine on the counter for several weeks, assuming you don’t live in a very hot environment. It’s also fine in the fridge for weeks.
Store it in an airtight covered container for freshness.
More Delicious Keto Bark Recipes
- Keto Brownie Bark
- Keto Peppermint Bark
- Keto Raspberry Coconut Bark
- Frozen Cheesecake Bark
- Keto Cinnamon Praline Bark
- Keto Vanilla Protein Bark
Keto Chocolate Almond Bark
Ingredients
- ¼ cup Swerve Brown
- 1 tablespoon butter
- ¾ cup roasted almonds unsalted
- ¼ teaspoon sea salt
- 2 oz cocoa butter
- 1 ½ oz unsweetened chocolate chopped
- ⅓ cup powdered Swerve Sweetener
- ⅓ cup cocoa powder
- ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
- Additional sea salt for sprinkling
Instructions
- Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In a medium saucepan over medium heat, combine the Swerve and butter. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for about 2 minutes, watching carefully. Stir in the almonds and sea salt.
- Spread the almonds out in a single layer on the prepared baking sheet, breaking up any clumps. Let cool.
- Set a heatproof bowl over a pan of barely simmering water. Combine the cocoa butter and unsweetened chocolate and stir until melted and smooth.
- Stir in the powdered sweetener, then stir in the cocoa powder, until smooth. Remove from heat and stir in the vanilla extract.
- Break up the almonds and reserve about one quarter of them. Stir the remaining almonds into the chocolate until well coated. Spread the mixture out onto the same parchment-lined baking sheet, keeping the nuts in a single layer.
- Sprinkle with the reserved almonds and additional sea salt, if desired. Chill until set, 1 to 2 hours. Use your hands to break into chunks.
Becca says
Made this today and it came out amazing! This was my first time working with cocoa butter but I don’t think it’ll be my last, thanks and keep the amazing recipes coming!!
Carolyn says
Thanks, Becca!
Diana says
Hi,
I just wanted to share this:
I went to my local whole foods last night looking for a few random ingredients and accidentally stumbled upon organic cacao butter; I remembered seeing (and drooling over) this recipe, so I decided to grab a one lb. bag ($10.99) thinking it was
a) there, and
b) cheaper than at amazon.
They had 2 different brands, and I grabbed the one that came in chunks (the other one was one solid block).
I thought that was the end of that story, until this morning when I actually looked at the receipt and realized that the charge for it was only $8.99.
Do whith that information what you will (I know not everybody has a whole foods nearby); for myself, I’m going back tonight after work and getting maybe 2 more lbs which I will keep in the fridge till about Christmas, since I think this bark will make for delicious presents for a some very special people.
Darlene says
Would love to try this recipe but can not find the swerve sugar especially the confection. Is there a different brand that can be used?
Carolyn says
You can try other brands of erythritol, I know there are some powdered ones, but they may give you a cooling sensation like mint.
Shaina says
It looks and sounds amazing. What an inspiring story, too.
Emily @ Life on Food says
This looks amazing! A little bit of dark chocolate is always so satisfying.
Candace Karu says
This is going to be my go-to treat in the coming months…thanks!
Brenda @Sugar-Free Mom says
This would be my perfect dessert over anything else! The salty with the sweet is the best and I love how they look Carolyn! Way to go! Totally agree about the sugar addiction to white refined flour and sugars! I’m a testament as well to the fact that I rarely ever even crave or want sugary carb loaded desserts when others are eating them.
Stacy @Stacy Makes Cents says
I want to pin this…but I can’t. I can’t do this to myself. Okay, I can. No. No I can’t. But I want it.
Carolyn says
Haha!
Sherrie says
Thank you so much for all your great chocolate (and other) recipes ! I was diagnosed in April and was keeping my chocoholism in check but really having trouble not “cheating” and the cravings were getting progressively worse until I came across your website about a month to two ago. My cravings are in check and the “cheats” have been replaced with much healthier alternatives thanks to all your wonderful recipes. You are an inspiration. Thanks again!
Carolyn says
That’s great news, Sherrie. Honestly, chocolate itself isn’t high carb, it’s all the sugar that’s added to it. That made me very happy to discover!
Eric says
I’m trying to figure out how much is one portion. I know it is one twentieth of the whole recipe, but how big is it? How much does it weigh? Is it just a teensy little bit of chocolate crack, or is it a satisfying serving?
Carolyn says
Good question. Since you break it up with your hands, it’s hard to quantify but I just thought about how much of it we ate in one sitting (not including me going back for more several times into the kitchen!). It’s not a tiny piece, I’d say it’s about half the size of a regular chocolate bar. Which is a very reasonable amount for a serving size and if you give in and have two pieces (or a bunch of little broken pieces), you’re still keeping it in the 4-5 net carb range!
DessertForTwo says
Low-carb crack? Sign me up! 🙂
Shyla says
What exactly does the powdered swerve do? Could you blend up the regular swerve in a Ninja, do you think?
Carolyn says
Possibly. Might be a tiny bit grittier, but since it already has almonds and sea salt, you probably won’t notice. No matter how good your ninja is, you wont’ be able to powder it as much as commercial brands can, but you can certainly try that.
Luigi UK says
would this recipe work replacing swerve sweetner with xylitol ?
Carolyn says
Yes for the chocolate coating. I am not sure about the part where you coat the almonds because erythritol (Swerve) hardens well and sticks to the almonds. I don’t know that xylitol will do that but it’s worth a try.
Donna says
Xylitol is almost the same as swerve really. We use it almost exclusively.
Donna says
Should have added that we will powder ours in a coffee grinder. You can buy it powdered but it’s more costly.
Carolyn says
Hi Donna. I completely disagree that xylitol is almost the same. There are a number of differences, including how it behaves during baking, how it affects blood sugar and the fact that it causes most people a good deal of GI distress. Xylitol has its uses, certainly, but I don’t find it nearly as good at erythritol in general and Swerve in particular. That is, of course, my own opinion! 🙂
Sarah G says
Where does one find cocoa butter? I think you’ve mentioned this before but I can’t remember.
Also, sadly, I’ve noticed that half the time I use erythritol I’ll get a bad stomach ache. That makes me sad because it takes so good and keeps my sugars in good line. Any thoughts?
Melanie says
If you click on the link for Cocoa Butter in the ingredient list, it takes you to Amazon. I’ve never tried cocoa butter, either! I’m intrigued!
Carolyn says
Yes, that’s because people keep asking me about my favourite brand. I really like that Kakosi organic, it comes in a bag in small chunks and so it’s easy to measure out. Cocoa butter is very hard at room temperature, so when you get a huge chunk, it’s hard to cut up.
Carolyn says
Hi Sarah….my thoughts on the erythritol…unfortunately, this happens to some folks. Rarely but it does. My best idea is to really reduce that amount and use more stevia in most of my recipes, but that won’t work for this one, unfortunately. You can’t caramelize stevia and it’s very bitter when combined with chocolate like this.
Sarah G says
Aw, ok. 🙁
Thanks! At least there are a lot of other recipes I can try the Stevia mix with.
Michelle says
Try Lokanto monkfruit- it’s just as delish and measures cup for cup with sugar in recipes
6ftblondstef says
Lakanto is still Erythritol ! There only a tiny bit of monkfruit in jt.
Kim says
This looks so good! I’ve never used cocoa butter before and seeing the price of it, I guess I know why. Is there any substitute? Or is it worth the cost?
Carolyn says
There’s no real sub that will make your bark nice and solid, like real chocolate. Butter or coconut oil are softer and your bark will be the same. But you can certainly try. I personally recommend trying the cocoa butter at least once in a while. That 16 oz bag lasted me a good couple of months because I only use it for things like this.
Kim says
Thanks! I am going to have to give it a try. If I get hooked – I’m blaming you. 🙂
Ann Cammack says
How do you store your cocoa butter? I love to make chocolates (low carb) and never even knew this stuff existed. Thanks.
Carolyn says
It keeps fine for a few months in the cupboard. It’s very hard and pure so it doesn’t go rancid quickly.
Jeanette says
I love a little sea salt on top of chocolate bark ~ looks so good Carolyn!
Jessica@AKitchenAddiction says
This sounds amazing! Love the dark chocolate and sea salt combination!
Georgia @ The Comfort of Cooking says
What a delicious treat! I love how dark this beautiful bark is!
Victoria says
Yup, crack sounds about right. So where do I send my address? You deliver?? 😀
Katharine says
ohmygosh. ohmygosh. ohmygosh!!