Chocolate bark is a great holiday gift that is incredibly easy to make at home! Plus, when you make it yourself, you can customize it exactly how you’d like it (or with exactly what you have in your cupboards :)). I’ll give you a basic recipe for what to follow and then a bunch of creative variations, but honestly, feel free to use whatever sounds best to you.
A must with chocolate bark is starting with good quality chocolate – melt it in a heatproof bowl in 15 second increments in the microwave or in a double boiler. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper and spread the melted chocolate out. Before it sets, you add all the different toppings that you want and set it aside for about 1-2 hours to firm up. Cut into pieces and serve at room temperature.
You can also do two layers of chocolate. Just let the first chocolate layer cool for about 15 minutes before pouring over a second layer of a different type of chocolate. The second layer can be a solid layer or you can use a fork or skewer to make swirls. Up to you!
Now onto the flavor combinations:
- Semisweet chocolate + peppermint infused white chocolate + candy cane pieces for traditional peppermint bark
- Chocolate covered coffee beans with chocolate drizzles
- Freeze dried strawberries (would be great on dark or white chocolate)
- Pomegranate seeds + chocolate chips
- Dried cherries + pistachios
- Cashews, dried apricots and dried cranberries (recipe)
- Walnuts and marshmallows for a rocky road style
- Pretzels + Rolos
- Sea salt + roasted almonds
- Graham crackers + marshmallows for a s’mores style
- Candied ginger or orange peel
- Toasted coconut flakes + almonds
- For spicy bark – dark chocolate with red pepper flakes or a mixture of cinnamon and cayenne pepper + sea salt
- Peanuts + pretzels
- Crispy rice cereal
The possibilities for chocolate bark are literally endless! Have fun with it and give everyone this delicious DIY gift for the holidays this year.