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This Chocolate Bark is the best holiday gift! It’s so customizable, so yummy, and takes a quick 10 minutes to prep!
Easy Christmas Chocolate Bark
I think we can all agree that easy desserts are a life saver during the holidays. Sometimes we just don’t have time to spend all day in the kitchen baking away, right?
This Homemade Chocolate Bark is the best easy treat. It takes just 10 minutes to prep and it’s incredibly customizable. You’ll just start with a base of melted chocolate, then load it up with any and all of your favorite sweet and salty mix-ins.
Homemade bark is a hit at every holiday party!
What is Chocolate Bark?
Chocolate bark is a dessert made with a thin base of melted and hardened chocolate filled with tons of mix-ins. Those mix-ins can include anything from candy, coconut, dried fruit, nuts, crushed cookies, and more!
Chocolate bark is a classic during the holiday season, but really makes an excellent treat all year round!
Ingredients Needed:
- Chocolate: Dark chocolate chips are my favorite, but you can use whatever plain chocolate you like.
- Toppings: This is where you can get crazy with it. See below for tons of toppings ideas and check out the recipe card to see what toppings I went with!
Chocolate Bark Topping Ideas: Get Creative!
- Nuts. Add chopped almonds, peanuts, pistachios, macadamia nuts, hazelnuts, pecans, cashews, you name it.
- Seeds. Sprinkle on sunflower seeds or pumpkin seeds.
- Candy. Chopped up your favorite candy bars or top the bark with M&Ms or crushed candy canes.
- Cookies. Try chopped Oreos, chocolate chip cookies, or any crunchy cookie you love.
- Dried fruit. Dried cranberries, cherries, ginger, or golden raisins are all great options.
- Citrus. A sprinkle of orange zest is a great way to kick the flavor up.
- Caramel. I use my All-Purpose Caramel from the Lexi’s Clean Kitchen cookbook.
- Coconut. Coconut flakes or shredded coconut
- Drizzles., melted pb, or even another chocolate. White chocolate would be really pretty
- Something salty. Crushed potato chips, pretzels, popcorn pieces, or just a sprinkle of sea salt.
How to Make Chocolate Bark
This chocolate bark recipe takes a quick 10 minutes to prep!
- Melt the chocolate: In a double broiler, bring one inch of water to a simmer. Set a heatproof bowl of chocolate chips over the water, then let it melt, stirring often.
- Add toppings and chill: Pour the melted chocolate over a lined, rimmed baking sheet (or sprayed cookie cutters on lined baking sheet), add your desired toppings, then chill in the fridge until hardened.
Tips and Notes
- Use a double broiler. The double broiler method is the best way to melt chocolate without burning it. Melting it directly over the heat will likely affect the flavor.
- Find a good quality chocolate. A nice dark chocolate is the way to go. It is the entire base of the dessert, after all.
- If you’re melting the chocolate in the microwave, I recommend doing so at 50% power and stirring frequently to prevent it from seizing up.
- Use cookie cutters! Cutting your bark into fun shapes is a great way to make it extra festive. Get creative with it. And feel free to use different cutters for different holidays. I like to lightly spray them with oil so they pop out easily. You can also gift the cookie cutter, too! Double gift.
- Gift it. Wrap a few pieces of bark up in cellophane, tie it up with a bow, and give it to all your friends, family, and neighbors for the holidays.
How Long Will Chocolate Bark Last?
Homemade chocolate bark will last in an airtight container for 2-3 weeks. I recommend storing it in the fridge to ensure that the chocolate doesn’t melt!
Storing for longer? Wrap the chocolate bark tightly in a couple layers of plastic wrap and keep it in the freezer for up to 6 months. When you’re ready to serve, thaw it in the fridge, then dig in.
More Homemade Bark Recipes You’ll Love
- Easy Peppermint Bark
- Sea Salt Trail Mix Chocolate Bark
- Sea Salt and Chocolate Orange Bark
- Pumpkin Spice Chocolate Greek Yogurt Bark
Watch The Video
Chocolate Bark
Ingredients
- 1 10 oz. bag dark chocolate or chocolate of choice
Topping ideas:
- 1 tablespoon Paleo and Vegan Caramel
- 1-2 tablespoons orange zest
- 1/2- 1 teaspoon coarse sea salt
- 1/4 cup dried bing cherries golden raisins, or dried fruit of choice
- 1/4 cup nuts or seeds of choice finely chopped
- 1/3 cup shredded coconut
Instructions
- Heat chocolate using a double broiler method (Bring one inch of water to a simmer in a small pot. Set the heatproof bowl over the mouth of the pot (water should not touch the bottom of the bowl). Stir chocolate as it softens. When you have just a few small unmelted chunks, remove bowl from heat and stir to melt the rest).
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Pour out chocolate and lightly spread into a rectangle onto parchment paper. Place into the fridge until bark hardens.
- If using cookie cutters: lightly grease and pour chocolate to desired thickness (1/4 inch or so). Add toppings and place in fridge until bark hardens.
- Wrap in cellophane with a bow for the perfect holiday gift!
Notes
- Store in the refrigerator until ready to gift.
At what point do you cut it with cookie cutters and how do you keep it from just breaking apart?
Hi Debby – that’s step 3 in the recipe card. You pour the chocolate into the cutters then chill.
how fun, maybe the best of this recipe is the recommended set of toppings, so many fun things to choose from and even a great option for my recommended dose of dark chocolate for the nutritional benefits, so thank you!
How cute! I am so baking this next week to have them around just before Christmas! 🙂
I agree with Sarah…so clever!!
I LOVE the idea of making bark in cookie cutters! That’s such a cute and festive idea 🙂