Spotted: Chocolate Bark, and 6 other Crafty Recipes

I’m the crafty type, and so when I cook, I like to have plenty of room to play with my food. Exacting recipes don’t fit the bill here; instead, I like a recipe that gives me ample scope for imagination, with lots of places to make mods without messing my food up.

Such is the range of possibilities with this chocolate bark recipe from Raw Manda. Yes, the recipe is raw and vegan, which are both bonuses (and the basic one that she lays out here includes pomegranates, so yay!), but the most exciting part is how versatile it is.

Don’t like pomegranates? Use crushed candy cane, candied ginger, peanuts, or nothing at all.

Don’t like bark? Pour this over cake or pie.

DO like candy? Turn these into truffles.

Don’t like chocolate? Don’t be silly.

If you keep a lookout for them, you’ll find plenty of crafty recipes, ones that let you play with them and mod them and hack them to your heart’s content. Here are just a few to get you started:

1. dehydrated crackers. Play with different nut and seed combinations, alter the level of saltiness, experiment with dried fruits, and mix up the spices.

2. extracts. I make peppermint the most, but this method also works with vanilla, and any other herb that you’d like to play with!

3. granola. Change out the nuts and the fruit, add chocolate chips, take the level of sweetness up or down, and play with the spices.

4. muffins. Start with one of the recipes in this round-up, and then add diced fruit, nut butters, chocolate chips, or nuts and seeds.

5. overnight oatmeal. This is a simple recipe, but it’s great to have oatmeal ready and waiting for you in the refrigerator every morning! Play with the fruit, add jams or fruit sauces, warm and then stir in nut butters, add or subtract sweetener to taste.

6. popovers. This one is fun because you don’t have to add the mix-ins until you’re ready to bake. Each person can build her very own custom popover!

[chocolate bark image via Raw Manda]