29 Chocolate Bark Recipes Even Better Than A Candy Bar (2024)

FAQs

Is chocolate bark the same as a chocolate bar? ›

what is bark? Bark is simply melted chocolate that's poured into a sheet pan and broken into pieces once it's set. You can use literally any kind of chocolate – chocolate chips, melting wafers, fancy “feves” – and it will always come out great (see: cobweb bark, red white and blue bark, and almond butter bark!).

Like other forms of sheet candy, such as brittle, peppermint bark is generally made by pouring tempered chocolate over the top of crushed hard peppermint. Once the chocolate has cooled, it's then cut up or broken into smaller pieces.

Almond bark (also known as vanilla flavored candy coating) is a chocolate-like confection made with vegetable fats instead of cocoa butter and with coloring and flavors added. It can be bought in packages, blocks, or round discs where candy and baking supplies are sold.

To keep your chocolate bark from melting, a proper tempering process is necessary. Tempering is a process where the chocolate is brought to certain temperatures, which essentially optimizes the form of the cocoa butter fat crystals and keeps it stable.

So not only is this bark delicious, it is nutritious, too! (Dark chocolate is also a great source of antioxidants along with nutrients like magnesium and iron. OK I'll stop with the nutrition facts for now). The salty-sweet taste and crunchy and smooth textures make for a super satisfying dessert.

That's because your chocolate wasn't tempered. Tempered chocolate sets at room temperature and has a snap just like a chocolate bar you buy from the store. Though I've known about the method and reasoning to temper chocolate for a long while, I was always too intimidated to try it!

If you store your chocolate bark in an airtight container in the pantry, it will keep well for up to 2 weeks. During the summer (or if you live in a warm climate), place chocolate bark in the fridge to prevent it from melting. What other toppings could be used on chocolate bark? The possibilities are endless!

The name "bark" or "candy bark" doesn't exactly explain itself, does it? Barks like this peppermint bark are called that because of the way the chocolate candy breaks into craggy pieces that resemble the layers and borders of tree bark. Also, many barks are made with dark chocolates, so the color is similar, too.

It doesn't have a lot of flavor but it can easily be added to other melts or chocolate chips to get a good coating.

Candy Melts®, candy wafers, chocolate coating, almond bark—they're all products made for dipping, molding, and coating without needing to temper chocolate. I'll call them candy wafers here, but if you see them sold under another name, don't be alarmed. They'll all work just the same.

What does chocolate bark taste like? ›

This particular chocolate bark is both an all encompassing sensory treat. It's great for gifting and it checks off all the boxes by being salty, sweet, crunchy, aromatic, and decadent. My rule of thumb is no matter what type of chocolate you use, make sure it's good quality for the best flavour.

To prevent this from happening, let your chocolate bark set in a cool but room-temperature spot in the house — don't stick it in the fridge or the freezer to try and speed things up. Similarly, you should store the chocolate bark in a cool room-temperature place like the pantry.

If you melt the chocolate and work with it without tempering, it will take a long time to set up, will not be shiny, and won't snap; rather, it may be flexible, dull and brittle.

Slowly stir in: A little at a time, stir the colored, melted butter into the chocolate. The MOMENT you see the chocolate begin to lose its smooth texture and seize up into tiny chunks, STOP. That's as far as you can go in adding color of this kind (water-based in melted butter) to the chocolate without ruining it.

Dark, milk and white are the main types of chocolate. Ingredients not derived from cocoa have been added to bars since the beginning of the chocolate industry, often to reduce production costs.

What About Chocolate Chips? While you can bake with chocolate chips, they are not the same as baking chocolate. Chocolate chips have less cocoa butter and contain stabilizers to help keep their "chip" shape while baking. They usually can't be used interchangeably with baking chocolate in recipes.

Most chocolatiers and candymakers recommend tempering chocolate for bark because it gives chocolate a beautifully glossy finish and a satisfying, clean snap when broken. It also sets up more quickly and keeps longer at room temperature.