This quick and easy, no-bake Christmas Chocolate Bark Recipe is a must-make holiday treat. Creamy layers of chocolate and white chocolate are topped with festive candies. It’s a perfect gift!
You’ll love it as much as our Classic Peppermint Bark during the holidays!
Ok, party people, I know the holiday season can be so busy, so wouldn’t it be nice to push the easy button? That’s why you *need* easy recipes like this gem. You'll enjoy a delicious no-bake Christmas treat to spread holiday cheer in minutes!
Fair warning. It's a bit addictive! Just like Christmas Crack!
Another wonderful thing about my homemade chocolate bark is how easy it is to gift. Just package it in festive boxes, tins, or clear cellophane bags, and add a pretty ribbon or tag, and it’s ready to go! We do it every year with our Valentine's Day Bark.
Jump to:
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Quick & Easy: This DIY Christmas Bark recipe requires only a handful of ingredients and comes together in minutes. No cooking or baking skills are required.
- Simple Ingredients: You only need a few simple ingredients you may have on hand! Also, you can customize the recipe to your taste preferences.
- It’s SO Festive: Holiday chocolate bark is bursting with white, green, and red colors, making it a great addition to your cookie or dessert tray.
Ingredient Notes
There are only 4 main ingredients: Chocolate, food coloring, sprinkles, and festive candies.
- Chocolate: You can use either semi-sweet chocolate, milk, or dark chocolate, depending on your preference. We love the way the white chocolate compliments the dark chocolate. Use either baking chocolate bars or candy melts (wafers). Chocolate chips have stabilizers in them that don’t melt as well.
- White Chocolate: White chocolate tops the regular chocolate and creates a lovely white backdrop for your holiday candies.
- Red & Green Food Coloring: You’ll use a few drops to swirl into your white chocolate for a fun design.
- Holiday Sprinkles: You can use whatever Christmas sprinkles you have that go with your red and green theme.
- Crushed Peppermint Candy: We like to use candy canes we crush with a rolling pin or kitchen mallet.
- Festive M&Ms: Look for red and green M&Ms during the holidays. Otherwise, you can pick the red and green out of a regular package.
- Other Toppings: We like to use Andes Mints, broken Oreo Cookies, or chocolate chips for added flavor and texture. You could also use nuts or dried fruit instead of your favorite candies.
You can find the full recipe and instructions in the printable recipe card below.
More Flavor Combinations
- S'mores: Top your chocolate with mini marshmallows and crushed graham crackers.
- Peanut Butter: Top your chocolate bark with peanut butter chips and smashed peanuts.
- Salty & Sweet: Top your bark with chopped pretzel sticks or small pretzel twists, Rolo candies, and a dash of sea salt.
Step-By-Step Instructions
- Prep: Gather our ingredients and line a cookie sheet or a tray with parchment paper, aluminum foil, or a Silpat baking mat (Image 1).
- Melt and Spread Chocolate: Break the chocolate into small pieces. In a microwave-safe bowl or a double boiler, melt the chocolate (Image 2). If using the microwave, heat in 30-second intervals, stirring between intervals until completely melted. Be careful not to overheat. Pour the melted chocolate onto the prepared sheet pan. Use a rubber spatula to spread it into an even layer about ¼ of an inch thick, forming a rectangle or any shape you prefer (Image 3).
Refrigerate for about 10 minutes.
- Melt the White Chocolate: While the chocolate is cooling, break the white chocolate into small pieces and melt it the same way you did the chocolate (Image 4).
- Add White Chocolate & Toppings: Take the chocolate out of the fridge. Pour the melted white chocolate over the chocolate and spread it evenly with a spatula in a thin layer. Add a few drops of green and red food coloring (about 3-4 of each) to the white chocolate while it’s still soft, and swirl it around with a butter knife (Image 5). Then, top the white chocolate layer with peppermint candy, sprinkles, M&Ms, and whatever candy you like (Image 6).
PRO TIP: Gently press the candies into the chocolate while it's soft so they stay put when broken into pieces.
- Let it Set: Place the baking sheet on the counter for 1-2 hours or until the chocolate is completely set.
- Break into Pieces: Once the chocolate is completely set, break it into irregular pieces or cut it with a sharp knife. We think the irregularity adds to the charm of homemade bark.
Expert Tips
- Choose Quality Chocolate: For best results, I highly recommend starting with good quality chocolate, whether it's dark, milk, or white. Good chocolate results in better flavor and texture. You can taste it in my Dark Chocolate Peppermint Bark.
- Double Boiler or Microwave: You can melt the chocolate using a double boiler (you can create a double boiler by placing a heat-safe glass bowl over a pan with a couple of inches of water in the bottom) or microwave. But do it gently. If using the microwave, heat in short, 20-30-second bursts, stirring in between, to avoid overheating.
- Alternative Toppings: You can customize your Christmas Chocolate Bark by using whatever candies or crushed cookies you like.
- Gift in Style: If you're giving your homemade chocolate bark as a gift, package it in festive boxes, tins, or clear cellophane bags, and add a pretty ribbon or baker's twine and tag for a personal touch.
Storing
- ROOM TEMP: Store your easy chocolate bark recipe in an airtight container at room temperature for about a week.
- REFRIGERATOR: Store the bark in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 month.
- FREEZER: While you can technically freeze chocolate bark to extend its shelf life, it's not ideal. Freezing can affect the taste, texture, and appearance of the chocolate. If frozen, chocolate bark should be consumed within 2-3 months for the best results.
Recipe FAQs
Chocolate bark is a delicious and versatile candy made primarily of chocolate, which is topped with candy (e.g., crushed candy canes, M&M's, or toffee bits), cookie crumbs, and sprinkles.
For best results, chocolate Bark can be kept at room temperature in an airtight container for about a week or refrigerated for up to a month.
More No-Bake Christmas Candies
Love this Christmas Chocolate Bark recipe? Please leave a 5 star ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating in the recipe card below ⬇️ and/or a review in the comment section further down.
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Printable Recipe
Christmas Chocolate Bark
Equipment
- glass bowl
Ingredients
- 12 ounces high-quality chocolate (we like to use dark chocolate bars)
- 12 ounces high-quality white chocolate
- 1 teaspoon red and green food coloring (a few drops of each color)
- 1 ½ tablespoons festive sprinkles
- ¼ cup peppermint candy, crushed (you can use candy canes)
- ¼ cup seasonal M&Ms
- 6-7 Andes Mints, chopped up (or other candy is optional)
Instructions
- Prep: Gather our ingredients and line a cookie sheet or a tray with parchment paper, aluminum foil, or a Silpat baking mat.
- Melt and Spread Chocolate: Break the chocolate into small pieces. In a microwave-safe bowl or a double boiler, melt the chocolate. If using the microwave, heat in 30-second intervals, stirring between intervals until completely melted. Be careful not to overheat. Pour the melted chocolate onto the prepared sheet pan. Use a rubber spatula to spread it into an even layer, forming a rectangle or any shape you prefer. Refrigerate for about 10 minutes.
- Melt the White Chocolate: While the chocolate is cooling, break the white chocolate into small pieces and melt it the same way you did the chocolate.
- Add White Chocolate & Toppings: Take the chocolate out of the fridge. Pour the melted white chocolate over the chocolate and spread it evenly with a spatula in a thin layer. Add a few drops of green and red food coloring (about 3-4 of each) to the white chocolate while it’s still soft, and swirl it around with a butter knife. Then, top the white chocolate layer with peppermint candy, sprinkles, M&Ms, and whatever candy you like.
- Let it Set: Place the baking sheet on the counter for 1-2 hours or until the chocolate is completely set.
- Break into Pieces: Once the chocolate is completely set, break it into irregular pieces or cut it with a sharp knife.
Video
Notes
- Choose Quality Chocolate: For best results, I highly recommend you start with good quality chocolate, whether it's dark, milk, or white chocolate—good chocolate results in better flavor and texture.
- Double Boiler or Microwave: You can melt the chocolate using a double boiler or microwave. But do it gently. If using the microwave, heat in short, 20-30-second bursts, stirring in between, to avoid overheating.
- Make-Ahead: This recipe can be made and stored in the fridge for up to a month.
- Room Temp: Store your easy chocolate bark recipe in an airtight container at room temperature for about a week.
- Refrigerator: Store the bark in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 month.
- Freezer: You can freeze for 2-3 months, but it might affect the taste and texture of the chocolate.
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