Looking for a quick and easy candy bark recipe? I’ve got you covered. This recipe can be whipped up quickly in case you need something at the last minute!
Candy bark or chocolate bark is a classic holiday treat and there are many variants of it. Perhaps the most popular is peppermint bark. It’s a different way to enjoy your favorite chocolate along with your favorite candy, nuts, or fruits. Historically, this Christmas candy was made with hazelnuts, almonds, dried fig, and raisins in reference to the monastic robes of Augustinians, Carmelites, Franciscans, and Dominicans, respectively. Nowadays, the recipe has been adapted to fit different palates.
Moreover, it’s a staple for the holidays because of how easy it is to make. In fact, it might even be the simplest candy to make. In addition, you only need a few ingredients, and everybody loves it. You don’t need to go through complicated steps or source hard-to-find ingredients to make candy bark. You’ll only need 5 ingredients for the recipe I’ll be sharing with you and you might already have them on hand. Without further ado, let’s jump into this candy bark recipe!
Candy Bark Recipe
Ingredients for Candy Bark
12 graham crackers 3
¾ cup butter
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup chocolate, chopped
½ cup skittles or M&M’s
Instructions to make Candy Bark
- Arrange the graham crackers in a square brownie pan lined with piece of parchment paper.
2. In a saucepan, melt the butter and sugar and cook for 10 minutes until it’s deep amber color and caramel.
3. Spread the caramel all over the graham crackers and spread them all over while it’s still hot.
4. Sprinkle with chocolate pieces on top and let them melt in an already preheated oven at 350 F or 180 C degrees for 2-3 minutes.
Spread the chocolate with a spatula all over and sprinkle with skittles.
6. Let it set for 15 minutes and cut into pieces.
Enjoy! This candy bark recipe is quite simple to make.
Tips
As usual, this is the part where I give you tips on how to make candy bark. Although this may seem easy to make, some things could still go wrong, primarily when making your caramel. Below are some tips from my experience, so you don’t make the same mistakes I did!
Use a bigger pot than you think you need
When making caramel, make sure the pot or saucepan you’re using isn’t too small. Caramel can bubble up and if you’re using a smaller pan, it can end up on your stove top. If you don’t know, let me tell you that sugar syrup is really hard to clean off. Moreover, caramel syrup can get really hot. You don’t want to get a burn if it accidentally touches your skin.
Make sure you used a really, really clean pot
You know what makes good caramel? Creamy and smooth without sugar crystals. Even if you think you’ve used a clean pot, make sure to give it another wipe down before you start melting your butter and sugar. Why? Because any leftover herb or spice from your previous food can taint the caramel taste. Moreover, it will encourage the sugar to crystallize.
Prepare a bowl of ice water
The bowl of ice water has three purposes. One, to stop your caramel from cooking too much once you take it off the stove. Two, as a safety precaution if some of that caramel bubbles up and gets on your skin because hot sugar is can be quite painful. You can easily dunk your hand into the ice water. Lastly, to help you ensure your caramel doesn’t have sugar crystals. Every once in a while, your caramel can develop crystal at the sides. With a pastry brush, you can use the ice water to brush these crystals down.
Don’t take your eyes off of your pot!
Waiting for your caramel to fully melt can test your patience. However, you must fight the temptation to look away and do something else because caramel can burn easily. After all of that hard work, you don’t want to end up with burnt caramel. It’ll affect how your candy bark tastes.
Clean up
We all know how hard it is to clean hardened sugar syrup. Whatever you do, don’t try to scrape your saucepan or pot with a metal tool. Just pour some water and bring it to a boil. Wait until all that sugar has melted. Once it cools off, you can throw that water away and then clean your pot like normal.
FAQs
What is bark chocolate?
Chocolate bark is usually a sheet of chocolate covered with nuts, fruits, or candy of your choice.
How long will bark chocolate last?
Depending on your toppings, candy bark can last from four days up to two weeks. Just make sure you store it in an airtight container inside your refrigerator so it won’t get ruined by moisture.
Can you freeze candy bark?
Yes! If you made too much candy bark, you can definitely store them in the freezer for consumption at a later date. To do this, individually wrap them in cling wrap or parchment paper. Afterwards, place them in a Ziploc bag or any freezer-safe airtight bag. This can last months.
Why is it called chocolate bark?
It’s called chocolate or candy “bark” because of its resemblance to rough tree bark.
How do you package chocolate candy bark?
An easy and affordable way to package candy bark is through cellophane or small gift bags. With this, you can easily give them as gifts to your loved ones.
