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Need a simple holiday treat? You will love this incredibly easy Christmas Bark recipe! Made with rich melted chocolate and topped with sweet and salty festive toppings, it puts a festive spin on a simple chocolate bark recipe.
Homemade Christmas bark, just like Saltine Toffee and Reindeer Pretzels, is a no-bake Christmas Treat perfect for sharing with those you love or packaging as a sweet holiday gift.
Reasons to Make This Christmas Bark Recipe
- So Easy to Make. Homemade Christmas Bark takes about 5 minutes of hands-on time to make.
- Satisfying Dessert. Made with rich chocolate, sweet M&Ms, salted nuts, and crunchy pretzels, this Christmas Bark is sweet, salty, and delicious.
- Versatile. While I love topping this Christmas bark with a combination of festive candies and salty toppings, you can change up the toppings to make it with whatever you want
- Great Last-Minute Holiday Treat. Whether you have someone drop by last minute or need a quick hostess gift, this holiday bark comes together with minimal effort and is loved by any recipient.
Notes on Ingredients
- Chocolate: Because the chocolate is the star in Christmas Bark, you want to select good quality semi-sweet or dark chocolate. Chocolate chips, Ghiradelli melting chocolate, or chopped chocolate bars all work well. This is not the time to use almond bark. While it melts beautifully, the flavor is not as rich and decadent as real chocolate.
- Toppings: I like to use a combination of festive, sweet, and salty toppings to make this Christmas Chocolate Bark. Holiday candies, festive sprinkles, pretzels, and salted nuts are my go-to toppings when making Christmas Bark, but you can use what you like.
Christmas Bark Variations
You can use up to ¾ cup of any toppings you like. Pretzels, candied fruit, dried fruit, nuts, seeds, candies, etc all are great options. If you like to add larger toppings, just be sure to chop them up into smaller pieces. Below are a few of my favorite combinations.
- Keep it Simple: Simply sprinkle festive sprinkles or holiday M&Ms over the melted chocolate.
- Cranberry Almond Christmas Bark: Sprinkle dried cranberries and sliced almonds over white or dark chocolate. Finish with sea salt if your nuts are not salted.
- Melted Snowman Bark: Swap out the dark chocolate for quality white chocolate. Add candy eyes, mini M&Ms, pretzel sticks, and small peanut butter cups, to look like the parts of a snowman have melted into the snow.
- Peppermint Bark: Layer dark chocolate and white chocolate flavored with peppermint and crushed candy canes to create amazing homemade peppermint bark.
∗ Tips for Making Christmas Bark∗
- Have your pan and toppings ready BEFORE melting your chocolate. Once the chocolate is melted, you want to work rather quickly. To make that possible, line a baking sheet with parchment paper and if needed break, crush, or chop the Christmas bark toppings.
- Melt the chocolate slowly. Whether you melt your chocolate in the microwave or a double-boiler, you don't want to rush the process. Heat the chocolate over simmering heat if using a double boiler. If using a microwave, place the dark or semi-sweet chocolate into a heat-safe bowl and microwave for 30-second intervals, stirring after each interval until melted and smooth. Stop heating the chocolate when 85-90% of the chocolate chips are melted. The residual heat will continue to melt the chocolate.
- Work quickly. After spreading the melted chocolate onto the parchment paper, immediately add the toppings of your choice, so that they can adhere to the melted chocolate.
- If time permits, let the bark set up at room temperature. In a bind, place your chocolate Christmas bark in the refrigerator to set up quickly. However, if you have a couple of hours, it is best to let the chocolate harden fully at room temperature. This will prevent the chocolate from forming condensation on the surface and potentially discoloring.
How to Store Christmas Bark
It is best to store the chocolate bark in an airtight container in a cool dark place, or if your house is on the warmer side, refrigerate the bark. It will last for up to 1 week before the pretzels begin to become stale.
More Easy Holiday Recipes
- Crockpot Candy
- Santa Pancakes
- Pecan Snowball Cookies
- Candy Cane Pizza
- Christmas Fudge
- Thin Mint Cookies
If you enjoyed this simple recipe for festive Christmas Bark, I would appreciate it if you left a review and comment below.
Easy Christmas Bark Recipe
Need a simple holiday treat? You will love this easy recipe for Christmas Bark! It is a festive, no-bake recipe perfect for sharing.
Ingredients
- 12 ounces semi-sweet or dark chocolate, chopped into small pieces if needed
- ¼ cup salted pretzels, broken into small pieces
- ¼ cup mini M&Ms, in holiday colors
- ¼ cup salted peanuts
- 2-3 teaspoons Christmas nonpariels
Instructions
- Line a 10x15" rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat. Gather your toppings of choice, chopping or crushing them if needed.
- Place 12 ounces semi-sweet or dark chocolate into a large heat-safe bowl. Microwave the chocolate in 30-second intervals, stirring after each interval. Alternatively, place the heat-safe bowl over a small pot of simmering, not boiling water. Stop heating the chocolate once it is about 85%-90% melted, the residual heat will finish melting the chocolate as you stir it.
- Once melted, immediately pour the chocolate onto the prepared pan. Using an offset spatula, spread the chocolate into a layer about ¼-inch thick. It won't reach the edges of the pan, and that is okay.
- Working quickly, add the ¼ cup salted pretzels, ¼ cup mini M&Ms, ¼ cup salted peanuts, and 2-3 teaspoons Christmas nonpariels evenly over the chocolate, gently pressing down if needed to adhere.
- For best results, let the bark harden at room temperature for 2-3 hours. Speed up the process by placing the bark into the refrigerator for 15-30 minutes. Break or chop the bark up into large chunks for serving.
Equipment
Notes
Best Chocolate for Christmas Bark: Don't use almond bark. Instead, use good-quality semi-sweet or dark chocolate. You can use melting wafers (like Ghiradelli), chocolate chips, or a chopped-up chocolate bar. For white chocolate, use white chocolate that contains actual cocoa butter, not just palm oil or coconut oil.
Chocolate Christmas Bark Variations: You can use up to ¾ cup of any toppings you like. Pretzels, candied fruit, dried fruit, nuts, seeds, candies, etc all are great options. If you like to add larger toppings, just be sure to chop them up into smaller pieces.
- Cranberry Almond Christmas Bark: Sprinkle dried cranberries and sliced almonds over white or dark chocolate. Finish with sea salt if your nuts are not salted.
- Melted Snowman Bark: Swap out the dark chocolate for quality white chocolate. Add candy eyes, mini M&Ms, pretzel sticks, and small peanut butter cups, to look like the parts of a snowman have melted into the snow.
Nutrition
Calories: 128kcalCarbohydrates: 12gProtein: 2gFat: 8gSaturated Fat: 6gPolyunsaturated Fat: 0.5gMonounsaturated Fat: 1gCholesterol: 0.2mgSodium: 33mgPotassium: 152mgFiber: 1gSugar: 7gVitamin A: 2IUVitamin C: 0.1mgCalcium: 67mgIron: 0.3mg
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Tried this recipe?Mention @amindfullmom or tag #amindfullmom!
We love this and plan to make it every year.
I love hearing this, Taryn! Thanks for sharing.
Delicious recipe for Christmas bark! Will be adding to my cookie platters