DARK CHOCOLATE MENDIANTS TWO WAYS: LAVENDER, WALNUT & HONEYCOMB + ROSE, PISTACHIO & CACAO NIB.

GIVEAWAY: SCROLL DOWN TO ENTER!

I’ve written a lot about holiday traditions—and lack thereof—in the previous weeks. I’ve written about creating rituals that sustain and hearten, and how the absence of such rituals can be particularly difficult in times of celebration and gathering. We all want, at the end of the day, to feel held, embraced, buoyed by the people around us, and the beauty we share with those people. But, increasingly, we live far from family, and often even farther from places that really feel like home. I’m still not sure Los Angeles feels like home to me, but, more than ever before, I want it to.

My list of New Year’s resolutions reads more like a home improvement to-do list than a set of self-improvement goals. I’m fine with my diet, but my walls need art, my closets need cleaning, my storage system needs reorganizing, my kitchen needs a major overhaul. Perhaps it’s because my publisher just sent the Kale & Caramel cookbook off to the printer in China and I’m already itching for the next thing, but I’m deeply interested in nesting right now. Nesting, and making homemade holiday gifts, that is.

These simple dark chocolate disks are far and away my favorite treats to make and gift over the holidays. They’re infinitely customizable, can be flavored with any spices you like (some cardamom would be delicious on the rose, pistachio, and cacao nib version), and are truly beautiful.

The earthy and floral notes of Scharffen Berger’s 70% Cacao Bittersweet Chocolate Baking Bar are drawn out by the nuts and flowers, as well as the additional sweetness of honeycomb and the crunch of Scharffen Berger Cacao Nibs. Can you tell I’m in love with this chocolate? It’s smooth, creamy, bold without any excess edge. It’s perfect on the palate.

Maybe the best part about these mendiants is that they feel fancy but are ridiculously easy to make. The only prep required is melting chocolate and chopping up your toppings. The rest is pure inspiration. While these flavor combinations are some I’ve loved in the past (just wait til you pop that honeycomb, sea salt, and lavender in your mouth), feel free to mix it up. I also love citrus zest, hazelnuts, bee pollen, hemp seeds, candied ginger—the world is your chocolate oyster.

And when you make them, I want to hear all about it! Let me know what you end up loving.

GIVEAWAY TIME!

Even better, how about I give you and a friend all the chocolate you need to make these mendiants at home (plus way, way more!)? It’s giveaway time (U.S. only, giveaway closes at midnight December 22, 2016)! Scharffen Berger is generously offering one Deluxe Baking Kit for you, and one to give to a friend. Each Deluxe Baking Kit is valued at $87 USD and includes all the chocolate pictured here:

(2) 62% Cacao Semisweet Baking Bars

(2) 62% Cacao Semisweet Baking Chunks

(2) 70% Cacao Bittersweet Baking Bars

(2) 70% Cacao Bittersweet Baking Chunks

(2) 99% Cacao Unsweetened Baking Bars

(1) 100% Cacao Unsweetened Natural Cocoa Powder

To enter, make sure you complete both steps below:

1) Leave a comment below sharing what you’d like to put on your chocolate mendiants, and;

2) enter your email address in the subscribe field in the sidebar above to make sure you’re signed up for the Kale & Caramel newsletter! Let me know you’re subscribed in the comment you leave below so I can confirm.

Now go tell your friends to enter, too, so they’ll give you a baking kit if they win!