Dark Chocolate Bark has got to be hands-down the easiest candy to make! You need nothing fancy, just some good-quality chocolate and a handful of your favorite toppings. This fuss-free recipe is great for a quick holiday treat or gifting!
I'm not much of a winter person—the cold weather and I do not get along. However, the holiday season is one of my favorite times of the year! Strings and strings of twinkling fairy lights in my house, Christmas cookies, hot chocolate, and holiday music are pure joy. Chocolate is, of course, always on the festive agenda! There's no easier way to make a quick chocolate treat than chocolate bark!
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Why You'll Love This Recipe
This Christmas chocolate bark is a fabulous, foolproof recipe. With a few simple ingredients, nuts, or any of your favorite toppings - this is ready in no time.
It's perfectly sweet, smooth and delicious! You can use any chocolate you like - dark, milk, white, or a combination of these, even some high-quality dairy-free chocolate will be fabulous here.
This is such a versatile recipe. Use any toppings you fancy. Flavor your chocolate with a sprinkling of sea salt, chili powder, or cinnamon!
Dark Chocolate Bark Ingredients
Dark Chocolate: I love using dark chocolate for my desserts. The darker the better! I used 70% dark coverture chocolate in this recipe. You can use 55% or less as well.
White Chocolate: It's completely optional here, but I love the beautiful contrasting swirls. Please use a good quality baking chocolate, not a candy bar.
Pistachios: They add a gentle, sweet nutty flavor, texture, and a pop of green!
Pumpkin Seeds: I love the crunch and color they bring to this dark chocolate bark recipe.
Dried Cranberries: For a wonderful sweet-tart flavor and chewy texture.
Freeze-Dried Raspberries: Totally optional again. But they make the Holiday chocolate bark look so pretty and add a lovely tart flavor, a perfect foil to the sweetness!
Sea Salt: This rounds up the flavors so well...don't skip it!
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
What Toppings Can I Use For Chocolate Bark?
Any kind of nuts will do- raw, roasted plain, or you can even use spicy roasted nuts. Ditto for seeds. You can use sunflower, pumpkin, melon, sesame...all add that requisite crunch.
For additional texture strew some raisins, dried apricots, cherries, blueberries, prunes, toasted coconut; or anything that catches your fancy.
If you can get your hands on freeze-dried fruits, add those on too.
How about some popcorn and a drizzle of homemade vegan caramel sauce on top?
How to Make Dark Chocolate Bark?
Now that I've talked your ear off about how versatile these are, here is what you need to do to make the dark chocolate bark:
Step 1: Line a baking tray with parchment paper or Silpat. Then roughly chop cranberries and pistachios.
Step 2: Melt the dark chocolate - you can use either the double boiler method or microwave in 30-second increments. For the former method, place your chocolate in a heat-proof bowl. Put that bowl atop a saucepan of hot water and stir till the chocolate is melted.
Step 3: Once the chocolate is melted, pour it on the lined tray and spread evenly.
Step 4: Melt the white chocolate and add a few dollops over the dark chocolate. Swirl it with a toothpick.
Step 5: Sprinkle the toppings all over the surface.
Step 6: Let the chocolate bark cool in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours, to set well.
Final Step: Break into pieces and serve!
How To Serve
When the chocolate has set for a few hours, break it into serving-sized pieces! I love the rustic effect of uneven, jagged shards - so I just break at random.
They make for great snacking, a post-meal sweet treat, or an edible gift that anyone would love. Stud them full of toppings.
Top Tips
- Please use the best quality chocolate you can get for the chocolate bark recipe.
- Coverture chocolates are the best here, not candy bars.
- Though you can use a microwave for melting the chocolate, a double-boiler is the safest way. You will have more control over the melting chocolate.
- Please don't skip the sea salt, it really brings the flavors together beautifully!
Recipe FAQs
This will stay well in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks. You can also freeze it, in an air-tight container for up to 2 months.
Dark chocolate barks are made using melted good-quality chocolate. Melted chocolate is spread on a lined tray or plate and topped with nuts, seeds, and dried fruits. You can also use marshmallows like I did for my rocky road bark.
Please use good-quality chocolate for this dessert. Coverture chocolate or baking chocolates are the best for this recipe. You can pick from Callebaut, Valrhona, Ghirardelli, and Guittard are all wonderful. Amul dark chocolate also works very well for this chocolate bark recipe. You can read more about baking chocolates in this chocolate guide.
📖 Recipe
Dark Chocolate Bark
Ingredients
- 2 1/4 cup Dark chocolate I used 70% dark chocolate
- 1/4 cup White chocolate optional
- 2-3 tbsp Shelled pistachios
- 3 tbsp Dried cranberries
- 3 tbsp Pumpkin seeds
- 3/4 tsp Sea salt flakes
- 5-6 pieces Freeze-dried raspberries Optional
Instructions
- Line a baking tray with parchment paper.
- Roughly chop the pistachio and cranberries. Keep aside.
- Place the dark chocolate in a large heat proof bowl. Place that bowl atop a saucepan of hot water. Keep stirring the dark chocolate till it melts. You can also melt chocolate in the microwave in 30 second increments.
- Once melted, pour the chocolate over the lined tray. Spread evenly.
- Now melt the white chocolate ( if using) in the double boiler or microwave.
- Pour the white chocolate over the dark chocolate and using a wooden skewer, gently create swirls.
- Sprinkle on all the toppings evenly all over the surface.
- Transfer to the refrigerator for at least 2 hours to cool.
- Once completely set, break into rough bite sized pieces. Enjoy!!
Notes
- Please use the best quality chocolate you can get for the chocolate bark recipe.
- Coverture chocolates are the best here, not candy bars.
- Though you can use a microwave for melting the chocolate, a double-boiler is the safest way. You will have more control over the melting chocolate.
- Please don't skip the sea salt, it really brings the flavors together beautifully!
San Clemente California says
Keep on working, great job!