🔑 Quick Answer: Chocolate bark is a thin sheet of melted chocolate topped with nuts, fruit, or spices, set until firm and broken into pieces. This easy version swirls almond butter into 12 ounces of dark chocolate, then adds honey-roasted pistachios and chopped California prunes. It makes about 20 pieces in 55 minutes, and most of that is setting time.
This easy chocolate bark recipe should top your list if you’re looking for the perfect homemade gift for the holiday season. This treat is quick to make and relatively healthy, so it’s a welcome departure from the overly sweet, sugar-laden desserts this time of year. You could make this dark chocolate bark any time of year, but we love gifting this to (or making it with!) your nearest and dearest.
Why Trust Us
I’m Aida Mollenkamp, a California native who lives in Mammoth Lakes. I am a professional recipe developer and have created more than 1,500 easy but elegant recipes over my career. Every recipe is tested three to five times before it publishes.
I created this bark with our friends at California Prunes, and the version below uses a shortcut: a little coconut oil in the chocolate and a stint in the freezer. This recipe was tested with a mix of chocolate, different kinds of nut butter, and nuts and this combination is one that we all loved the most as it’s sweet but not too and still easy to make.
Best for: anyone who wants a homemade holiday gift and doesn’t think of themselves as a baker.
Why You’ll Love This Chocolate Bark Recipe
You’ll love this chocolate bark recipe even if (especially if!) you don’t consider yourself a baker because it’s super easy to make. You can change the choice of toppings to your favorites but try it at least once because it’s a total crowd-pleaser. It’s just worthy of being a holiday gift as it is a healthy (but decadent) afternoon snack. And did we mention it is one super easy dessert to make?!?
Recipe Ingredients
Here’s what each ingredient brings to this chocolate bark.
- Dark chocolate is the base, and we like it best semisweet or dark, around 60%. Milk chocolate works too, as long as it’s good quality, like Guittard, Valrhona, Callebaut, or Madecasse.
- Runny almond butter gets swirled through the chocolate. We use a natural one like MaraNatha, but any smooth nut butter works. It should have the texture of honey, so add 1 to 2 teaspoons of coconut or vegetable oil if yours is too thick.
- Pitted California prunes bring a rich, natural sweetness. Chopped sweet cherries or dates work in their place.
- Shelled pistachios give the bark its crunch. Roasted cashews, almonds, hemp seeds, or pumpkin seeds all work if pistachios aren’t your thing.
- Honey coats the pistachios before they roast, which gives them a brittle-like texture. Use maple syrup instead to make the bark vegan.
- Coconut oil is optional, and it helps the chocolate set and keeps the nut butter pourable. Vegetable oil works too.
- Ground cinnamon goes on the nuts. Use as much as you like, or swap in cardamom, cloves, or nutmeg.
- Flaky sea salt balances the sweetness and brings out more flavor, as it does in nearly all our sweets.
How To Make This Recipe
Here are the five steps to make this easy recipe:
- Make The Honeyed Nuts: Roast the pistachios with honey, cinnamon, and salt at 400°F for about 10 minutes, until they’re golden. The nuts aren’t essential, but we encourage you to make them at least once, because the honey gives them a brittle-like texture that adds another dimension to the bark.
- Melt The Chocolate: If you want this chocolate bark to snap and not melt at room temperature, you’ll need to temper the chocolate. We add coconut oil to the chocolate to help stabilize the chocolate and store it in the freezer to keep it from melting. But your best bet is to take the time to temper it.
- Spread And Scatter: Use a pastry knife or offset spatula to spread the chocolate thinly. Then swirl in the nut butter and scatter the small pieces of prunes and the honeyed nuts over the top.
- Let It Set: If you’ve tempered the chocolate, the bark will set in a cool room under 65°F with no freezer needed. Otherwise, freeze it for about 30 minutes, until it’s solid.
Break It Up: Now for the fun part! Break the bark into pieces of various sizes and serve.
California Prunes For The Win
We created this homemade chocolate bark with our friends at California Prunes. It’s an easy-to-make, quick dessert made even better by the key ingredient: prunes! We like using dried fruit like prunes in desserts because they bring natural sweetness and help make your sweets a little healthier.
While they have no fat or cholesterol, prunes contain vitamins, fiber, and antioxidants. A serving of just four prunes has 11% of your recommended daily fiber, 6% potassium, and 20% vitamin K, so they’re a great addition to a healthy diet. We like to use D’Noir Prunes in recipes because they’re preservative-free and tend to be plump and flavorful.
A few more of our favorite ways to use California prunes include this Apple and Prune Tart and this Easy Clafoutis Recipe with Prunes and Chai Spices.
More Of Our Favorite Flavor Combinations
A few other of our favorite toppings to take this simple recipe to the next level are:
- Candy cane pieces and coconut flakes
- Peanut butter cups and cacao nibs
- Potato chips and cayenne salt
Other Easy Chocolate Recipes
Here are a few more of our easiest chocolate recipes:
Frequently Asked Questions
You don't have to, but it's your best bet if you want bark that snaps and doesn't melt at room temperature. Tempered bark sets in a cool room under 65°F. If you skip tempering, the coconut oil helps the chocolate set, and you'll keep the bark in the freezer.
Keep untempered bark in an airtight container in the freezer so it doesn't melt. Tempered bark can stay in an airtight container in a cool spot.
The honey-roasted nuts can be made up to 2 days ahead and stored between sheets of parchment in an airtight container. They bark will last 7 to 10 days when stored in the freezer or refrigerator or in an airtight container in a cool room.
What To Drink With Chocolate Bark
A tawny port’s nutty, caramel notes pick up the honey-roasted pistachios, and its sweetness keeps the dark chocolate from tasting bitter. Pour it small, since the bark is already rich.
Homemade Chocolate Bark Recipe
Equipment
Ingredients
For The Honey Roasted Nuts:
- 1/2 cup shelled pistachios
- 1 tablespoon honey
- pinch ground cinnamon
- pinch Maldon sea salt or other flaky sea salt
For The Chocolate Bark:
- 12 ounces dark chocolate (about 60%), or semisweet or milk chocolate (baking wafers or chopped chocolate works best)
- 1/4 cup creamy almond butter (runny not dry) or your favorite nut butter
- 4 teaspoons extra virgin coconut oil or vegetable oil, divided
- 10 pitted prunes finely chopped
Instructions
For The Honey Roasted Nuts:
- Heat the oven to 400°F and arrange a rack in the middle. Meanwhile, line a small rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. Place the honey in a microwave-safe bowl and warm it for a few seconds or until it is easily pourable. Stir the nuts in the honey to coat them, then spread them out in an even layer on the baking sheet and sprinkle, as desired, with cinnamon and flaky sea salt. Roast the nuts for 10 minutes or until they're golden. Remove from oven and let cool at least 5 minutes. Once cool, break the nuts apart into clumps. (The honey roasted nuts can be made up to 2 days in advance. Store between parchment paper in an airtight container until ready to use.)
For The Chocolate Bark:
- Line a large rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat. Place the chocolate and the runny nut butter into two separate microwave-safe bowls. Add 2 teaspoons coconut oil to the chocolate and (if the nut butter is not runny enough) to the nut butter. Microwave them both at 15 second intervals, stirring regularly, until they're smooth and pourable.
- Pour the melted chocolate on the lined baking sheet and spread it into a thin, even rectangle using a knife or offset spatula. Next, drizzle three parallel lines of the nut butter down the chocolate (you may not use all the nut butter, FYI). Using a butter knife, drag across the nut butter and swirl until the bark has bits of nut butter and chocolate throughout. Scatter the chopped prunes and honeyed nuts over the top and add additional flaky sea salt and cinnamon, as desired. Place the bark in the freezer to set, about 30 minutes. Once solid, remove from the freezer and use a sharp knife or your hands to break into uneven pieces.
