• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

The Petite Cook™ logo

  • Recipes
  • Italian Recipes
  • Lifestyle
  • Cookbooks
  • Nav Social Menu

    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
menu icon
go to homepage
  • Recipes
  • About
  • Cookbooks
  • Lifestyle
  • Travel
  • Press
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
  • subscribe
    search icon
    Homepage link
    • Recipes
    • About
    • Cookbooks
    • Lifestyle
    • Travel
    • Press
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
  • ×

    Home » Recipes » Dessert Recipes

    Best Christmas Chocolate Bark

    Published: Nov 6, 2019 · Modified: Mar 11, 2022 by Andrea

    Jump to Recipe

    Learn how to make the best Christmas chocolate bark. A wonderful way to transform plain chocolate into a special treat to share!

    This Christmas chocolate bark is probably one of my most favourite edible homemade gifts to make.

    It's super quick to prepare and easy to customize to meet your taste and the ones of the people you love.

    Homemade foodie holiday gifts are my favourite things to receive for Christmas.

    How can you not love personalized gifts that are made with all the love and care possible?

    Christmas chocolate bark cut into pieces

    From all the bark recipes out there, this one is definitely my favourite, as it includes healthy-ish ingredients and no extra sugar.

    I love the delicious combination of smooth dark chocolate, crunchy chopped pistachio and almonds, and sweet dried cranberry.

    They make this bark so colourful and festive, and since these ingredients are naturally sweet, you can skip any extra sugar.  

    WHAT KIND OF CHOCOLATE YOU NEED

    Always use high-quality chocolate for the best results.

    For me, it's got to be dark chocolate, preferably the bitter-sweet 70% kind.

    You can totally play around and use white chocolate or milk chocolate if you like. 

    And you can also use dairy-free alternatives or mix-and-match dark & white chocolate for an awesome marble-effect bark.

    Moreover, you can use chocolate chips, or chocolate bars chopped into little chunks.

    EXTRA INGREDIENTS

    All you need to make this gorgeous Christmas chocolate bark is 3 main basic ingredients:

    • chocolate
    • nuts
    • dried fruit

    Once you have picked your favourite chocolate, you'll just need some nuts and dried fruit of your choice.

    NUTS AND SEEDS

    Add extra crunchiness to your bark using your favourite nuts.

    I've used almond and pistachios, but you can literally top your chocolate bark with any nuts and seeds you like.

    Use chopped nuts or whole nuts, from roasted hazelnuts and pumpkin seeds to pecan nuts or macadamia nuts, the sky is the limit.

    DRIED FRUIT

    No festive bark is complete with some delicious dried fruits.

    For a traditional holiday, treat opt for soft dried cranberries, but chopped dried apricots are yummy too.

    To make things a little exotic try dried chopped mango, it's simply divine.

    EXTRA TOPPINGS

    • Sea salt works brilliantly with dark chocolate, enhancing the natural flavour of the chocolate.
    • Dried chilli flakes will give you a warm spicy kick, whilst a pinch of cinnamon is always welcome.
    • A swirl of dulce de leche is almost impossible to resist.
    • Some creative holiday toppings include mini marshmallows, candy canes, mini-pretzels, or peanut butter cups.

    And if you're looking to try a classic, give peppermint bark a try too.

    chocolate chips in one bowl, next to dried cranberries in a small bowl, next to pistachios into another small bowl.

    HOW TO MAKE THIS CHOCOLATE BARK

    This chocolate bark recipe comes together in just as little as 10 mins, requiring very little effort from your side.

    • Melt the chocolate.
    • Pour the melted chocolate over a baking sheet covered with parchment paper, and top with all your favourite toppings.
    • Now, all you have to do is wait until your chocolate bark is set up, it should take about 1-2 hours.
    • Then just break it up into pieces and enjoy these delicious bites of goodness.
    Christmas chocolate bark cut into pieces

    Making this Christmas chocolate bark is so much fun especially if you have kids, I'm sure they'll have a great time making their own. 

    Each bite is a roller-coaster of textures and flavours, and because you can swap in any fruit or nuts you like, every batch will taste completely different and absolutely yummy.

    Christmas chocolate bark cut into pieces

    MORE CHRISTMAS DESSERT RECIPES TO TRY

    • Italian Butter Cookies
    • The BEST Vegan Apple Crumble
    • Amaretti Cookies - Italian Almond Cookies
    • Pandoro Christmas Tree Cake
    • Chocolate Salami - Salame al Ciocciolato
    • Best Italian Hot Chocolate - Thick and Creamy!
    • Easy Clementine Cake
    • Crema Pasticcera - Italian Pastry Cream
    Christmas chocolate bark cut into pieces, image optimized for Pinterest

    DID YOU MAKE THIS RECIPE?

    Please let me know how you liked it! Leave a comment below and share a picture on Instagram with the hashtag #thepetitecook!

    Don't forget to subscribe to my newsletter and follow along on Facebook, Pinterest and Instagram for all of the latest updates.

    Print SaveSaved!
    5 from 1 vote

    Best Christmas Chocolate Bark

    Prevent your screen from going dark
    Learn how to make the best Christmas chocolate bark. A wonderful way to transform plain chocolate into a special treat to share!
    Prep Time10 mins
    Resting time:1 hr
    Total Time10 mins
    Course: Dessert
    Cuisine: Holiday Cooking
    Serving: 12
    Calories: 247kcal
    Author: Andrea Soranidis

    Ingredients

    • 300 g dark/milk/white chocolate or chocolate chips, I use Belgian 70% dark chocolate
    • 120 g unsalted pistachios, roughly chopped
    • 120 g soft dried cranberries, chopped
    • a handful of almond flakes, optional
    • sea salt flakes

    Instructions

    • Place ⅔ of chocolate chips in a heat-proof bowl over a pan of simmering water. Stir the chocolate until melted, then take off the heat and stir in the remaining chocolate chips.
    • Pour the melted chocolate over a baking sheet covered with parchment paper or cling film.
    • Top with pistachio, almond and cranberries, and sprinkle with sea salt.
    • Allow to set for 1-2 hours, then break into pieces and serve.

    Notes

    How to store chocolate bark: Place the chocolate bark into a air-tight container and store in the fridge for up to 1 week.
    Did you try this recipe? Tag @thepetitecook or use the hashtag #thepetitecook - Looking at your pictures makes my day!

    Nutrition

    Calories: 247kcal | Carbohydrates: 23g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 16g | Saturated Fat: 7g | Cholesterol: 1mg | Sodium: 6mg | Potassium: 295mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 13g | Vitamin A: 36IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 34mg | Iron: 3mg

    The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

    More Dessert Recipes

    • Italian Hangover Cake
    • Italian Chocolate Cookies
    • Christmas Tiramisu
    • Italian Christmas Cookies - Anginetti Cookies
    • Facebook
    • Twitter
    • Yummly

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Andrea says

      December 16, 2015 at 1:09 am

      Hi Mary, the leaves are purely decorative and are not intended to be ingested. As to the berries, the ones you see in the images are cranberries, perfectly safe to eat 🙂

      Reply
    2. Mary Coyle says

      December 15, 2015 at 1:01 am

      The chocolate bark looks delicious, but the fotos showing the bark next to holly berries, which are poisonous, and holly leaves, which if ingested can cause some nasty symptoms, almost look as if it is okay to add holly berries in place of the cranberries.

      Reply

    Leave a Reply Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    Recipe Rating




    Primary Sidebar

    About Andrea

    Andrea Soranidis, founder of The Petite Cook.


    Welcome to my kitchen!
    I’m Andrea, I'm Italian, and I absolutely LOVE cooking.
    Grab a fork and join me!
    READ MORE ABOUT ME…

    Footer

    ↑ back to top

    Follow us

    The Petite Cook™

    Quick and Easy Italian Recipes Anyone Can Cook


    About Andrea

    Privacy Policy

    Work with us

    Terms

    Press

    Nutrition Disclaimer

    As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

    Copyright © 2022 The Petite Cook. The Petite Cook® is a registered trademark.