Crunch time: date and matzo bark

When you Google date bark, the first result says “date bark (viral recipe)”. I’ve never knowingly caught a viral recipe in my life. Not knowingly, but of course I’ve caught one; that’s how viruses work – you don’t have to be on TikTok for one to enter your kitchen or your bloodstream. It might find its way to you via your Facebook-loving auntie or a parent on the school gate who gives you their Cheetos because they’ve run them through an additive-tracking app and need them to be gone from their own shelves.

I proffer this recipe not because it’s trendy (it looks to have been a thing for at least 18 months) or because it tastes like a ‘healthy Snickers’ (nope), but because if you – like me – are forever looking for new ways to stuff dark chocolate, dates and nuts in your mouth, this is a good one. I added matzo, which is another thing I’m vaguely aware people like to barkify. I wanted the crunch. I also tried and loved a tahini and pistachio version of this. Adapt liberally! That’s what trends are for.

Food styling by Joss Herd; prop styling Tabitha Hawkins