One of the greatest food loves of my life is matcha. Matcha just makes everything taste better. You can have it as a drink, eat it in a pancake, or mix it in with almost any dessert. I do have to say my favorite way of consuming matcha is in desserts. Most desserts are so so sweet, so adding the bitterness of matcha creates a magical balance between bitterness and sweetness. That’s how I would describe this black sesame matcha bark. It’s a happy balance between bitter and sweet flavors, and the best part is I can easily share it with people because it’s easy to transport!
The Inspiration
I got the inspiration for this matcha bark from a small local grocery store I frequent. It’s called Meraki, and is located in Lower Nob Hill. It’s one of those grocery stores that has some of the most unique and bizarre ingredients I’ve ever seen. Like they have 6% fat milk. Have you ever seen 6% milk before? I sure haven’t. But a store like this is a food blogger’s candy store. I’ve discovered so many ingredients just from wondering around the store. For example, the other day I discovered black garlic. I did a double take at the sticker price because 1 head of garlic was $35!! Anyways, I discovered this sesame bark there that was to die for. I had never had something so good in my life, but the only downside was that it was $7 for a small bag, so I thought I am going to make this for myself.
Making the Bark
This matcha bark is insanely easy to make. The first step is to prepare a 9×13 inch pan by greasing it with oil, butter, or Pam, and lining it with parchment paper. Greasing the pan was key because it helped the parchment paper stick to the sizes of the pan and made removing the bark after it set so much easier. I am definitely applying this trick to my other recipes.
After you prepare the pan, you want to melt all of your white chocolate. You can do this using a double boiler or just with a microwave. I like the microwave method so I can clean less. lol Heat in 30 second spurts and stir between each spurt. White chocolate is so easy to melt, so it should only take 3-4 spurts before you’re done. After you melt your chocolate, set aside 1/4 cup for the pretty swirly effect. Add in your matcha powder and sesame seeds and whisk away! Work quickly as the chocolate will start to set fast. Pour the matcha white chocolate into the baking pan and spread evenly. Drizzle the 1/4 cup of white chocolate on top and use a spatula or spoon to create the pretty swirls. Let the chocolate set for at least 2 hours before eating.
Make It Your Own
One thing I love about this matcha bark is you can make it your own by using different kinds of chocolate and different toppings. In my first attempt, I tried to use a layer of dark chocolate at the bottom to balance out the sweetness of the white chocolate even more. However, I messed up a bit because I didn’t let it set before adding in the white chocolate so it ended up looking like this ugly white and dark chocolate mess. If you want to add a layer of other types of chocolate, make sure to let that layer set before adding in the next layer of chocolate. You can also add other toppings like pretzels (for some saltiness), coconut, or any type of nuts.
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Black Sesame Matcha Bark
Ingredients
- 4 cups white chocolate chips
- 1 tbsp matcha powder
- 1 tbsp black sesame seeds
Instructions
- Grease a 9x13 baking pan and line with parchment paper. The grease will help the parchment paper stick to the baking pan and make it easier to take out once the chocolate sets.
- Pour the white chocolate chips into a large bowl. Heat in the microwave in 30 second bursts. Stir the chocolate in between each burst. It should take about 3-4 cycles to fully melt the chocolate.
- Separate out 1/4 cup of melted white chocolate and set aside.
- Working quickly, add in the matcha powder and black sesame seeds to the larger bowl and stir until all the ingredients are incorporated well. Pour into the baking pan. Spread the chocolate out evenly with a spatula.
- Drizzle the remaining 1/4 cup of white chocolate on top. Use a spatula or spoon to swirl the white chocolate with the matcha chocolate, creating a pretty swirl-y pattern.
- Let the chocolate set for at least 2 hours at room temperature.
These were one of the 11 creations I made to give to family and friends last holiday season, and they were a hit overall!
They are super easy to make. It’s really a matter of melting chocolate in a double boiler, adding matcha, swirling, and spring with roastedblack sesame seeds.
Some people didn’t think the matcha flavour was strong enough as the sweetness of the white chocolate was overpowering, while others could. I wish quality white chocolate was readily available, as I think it would have helped in this situation.
Regardless it’s beautiful, perfect for sharing, deceivingly impressive, and super easy!
It’s totally adaptable to other flavours of chocolate and/or tea.
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Quality white chocolate is so hard to find. Thank you so much for making this dessert!