Christmas Bark is an easy and fun no-bake holiday treat that takes minutes to make this season.
You may have heard of peppermint chocolate bark, and while that is popular, many ways include almond bark and candy melts to create a perfectly customized and festive holiday dessert.
Holiday Bark is SO Easy!
Simple to put together, add chocolate bark to a reusable tin and gift this holiday treat out. Combines amazingly with Grinch Bark or Cream Cheese Mints for a whole spread of cheer.
With only two essential ingredients, chocolate bark can be made in a variety of ways. An easy go-to dessert every season, personalized white chocolate bark made with red and green candy melts is a classic holiday favorite that you can load up with goodies!
Ingredients
- Bright white candy melts – The base of this chocolate candy bark is the white chocolate candy melts. While you could melt down other quality chocolate onto the prepared baking sheet, the truth is that candy melts and melted chocolate that is explicitly meant for desserts work the best over sweet chocolate chips. Unless using a double boiler, melting semi-sweet chocolate chips or white chocolate chips can be super challenging.
- dark green candy melts + red candy melts
- holiday sprinkles
- holiday candy pearls
Why you will love Christmas Bark
Toppings are simply customizable. From the best holiday sprinkles to nuts, pretzels, chocolate chips, or dried fruit, holiday bark has no end in sight on the number of alterations that are quickly done.
No baking – Nothing says ease like a no-bake dessert in the latter part of the year. While the turkey is baking, the kids can decorate white chocolate bark, which will be ready to go right after dinner.
Easily doubled, Christmas bark can be made in huge batches and then stored at room temperature for two weeks or in the fridge for up to a month and makes one of the most delicious treats.
How to make White Chocolate Christmas Bark
Preparation: Place parchment paper onto a rimmed baking sheet. Set aside.
- Place dark green candy melts into a resealable sandwich bag but do not seal shut. Do the same with the red candy melts into a separate bag.
- Place bright white candy melts into a microwave-safe bowl and microwave on 50% power for 60 seconds. Stir. Return to microwave, heating, and stir until melted. Set aside and keep warm. Place bags of candy melts into a microwave. Heat for 30 seconds at 50% power. Knead each bag and flip it over. Return to the microwave and continue to heat and knead until completely melted. Seal the bag and snip a tiny opening in the tip of the bag.
- Working quickly, spread the bright white candy melts onto the prepared cookie sheet parchment paper until about 1/8″ thick. Draw spiral lines of dark green candy melt starting at the center of the bark.
- Repeat spiral with the red candy melts.
- Drag a knife through the center of the candy swirling the colors.
- Sprinkle with holiday sprinkles and candy pearls. Let stand to harden.
- Once hard, break into small pieces before serving.
- Store leftover candy bark in a sealed container at room temperature.
What is Chocolate Bark?
Chocolate bark is a combination of chocolate and oil. They come in baking bars (baking chocolate), almond bars, or candy melts. These options are designed to make for easy melting, so the dessert always comes out perfectly.
Chocolate Bark Toppings
Sprinkles – There is no shortage of holiday sprinkles, dots, nonpareils, and jimmies in various seasonal colors and shapes. We used Betty Crocker Festive Trees and Celebration Pearls Candy in Red, White & Green.
Nuts – Small bits of peanuts, cashews, pecans, almond slivers, pistachios, or walnuts can bring a variety of tastes, textures, and crunch to a Christmas bark. Make sure the nuts are crushed down to bite-sized pieces.
Mini Chocolate Candies – Mini candy like holiday M&M’s, mini chocolate chips, peanut butter chips, or Reese’s pieces are a great addition to a Christmas Candy Bark.
Dried Fruit – The best seasonal dried fruit that works in tandem with white chocolate bark is dried cranberries. Not only are dried cranberries holiday-friendly, but they also look gorgeous and are slightly sweet. Other choices are dried cherries and dried blueberries.
Misc – Peppermint pieces or crushed candy canes, toffee bits, candy pieces, cookies like Oreos or Chocolate Chip, multi-layer bark with different candy colors, or mini marshmallows.
Expert Tips
It’s best to use candy melts or melting chocolate over “real” chocolate. Natural chocolate can be a little trickier to melt correctly and can often leave novices frustrated.
If you are not familiar with chocolate melting (and the seizing of chocolate in the microwave), stick to candy melts or chocolate bars specific for melting desserts. These can usually be found in the baking aisle in any grocery store.
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