This prebiotic chocolate bark is gut-friendly, easy and ready in 60 minutes

Dr Megan Rossi’s simple recipe features white and dark chocolate, dried mango and pistachios. The perfect healthy treat for you and your microbes.

I always make these as gifts for my friends and family, wrapped up in tissue paper and tied with craft string.

Prebiotic Chocolate Bark
Serves 10

Ingredients

For the base

• 200g good-quality white chocolate
  
• 2 tsp extra virgin olive oil
  
• 50g good-quality dark chocolate, 70% plus cocoa solids

For the toppers

• 50g dried mango, diced
  
• 50g crushed pistachios

Method

1  Place the white chocolate in a small microwave-safe bowl and microwave for 40-60 seconds, stirring vigorously every 15 seconds, until melted.

2  To the melted white chocolate, add the oil, followed by half the toppers, and stir in. Pour the mixture onto a lined baking tray, thinly spreading the chocolate-coated mix and dotting in the rest of the toppers. Place in the fridge for 5 minutes to set.

3  Meanwhile, in a separate bowl, melt the dark chocolate in the microwave, as described above.

4  Once the white chocolate is firm, using a fork, drizzle on the dark chocolate with whipping movements. Place in the fridge for 30 minutes or until rock solid, then remove and break the bark into pieces.

Tip: The darker the chocolate, the higher the percentage of cocoa, which means the more polyphenols. This may explain why dark chocolate has been linked with decreased risk of heart disease and diabetes… albeit in moderation. In fact, one study found that daily consumption of cocoa, compared to a placebo group, significantly lowered participants’ blood pressure – a key risk factor for heart disease.

Extracted from Eat Yourself Healthy: An easy-to-digest guide to health and happiness from the inside out by Dr Megan Rossi, The Gut Health Doctor (Penguin Life, approx €19.50).