White chocolate bark is an easy, versatile treat for the holidays. The white chocolate provides a sweet canvas to decorate with colorful dried fruits, nuts or candies of your choosing.
Today I’m going to show you two ways to make white chocolate bark for the holidays: (1) a cranberry pistachio bark and (2) a peppermint bark.
Cranberry Pistachio Bark
The only baking required for this recipe is to toast pistachios. Place whole, shelled pistachios in a preheated oven for about 7 minutes to bring out their flavor.
While they are toasting, dice 5-6 whole, dried apricots and measure out 1/4 cup of dried cranberries. Prepping the ingredients before you start melting chocolate is key. You’ll have a short window to set the toppings in place before the chocolate starts to harden. If the toppings aren’t in the chocolate, they will fall right off!
So now that your toppings are ready, let’s melt the chocolate. You can do it with a double-boiler method like I used when making Saltine Toffee Bark. Or you can do it in the microwave: place the chocolate in a microwave-safe bowl and heat on high for 30 seconds. Stir well and then return it to the microwave for another 30 seconds. Continue to stir and heat in 15-second intervals until it’s just melted. Then stir until it’s completely smooth.
A quick note about chocolate: Ghirardelli is my choice for baking, and I recommend using their melting wafers or baking bars. In terms of chips, I have had great success with melting Nestle white chocolate chips (above) in the microwave.
Once the chocolate is melted, pour it into a parchment paper-lined 8×8 baking pan and smooth it to the edges.
Sprinkle pistachios, apricots and cranberries on top. Press the toppings down lightly to set them into the chocolate.
Refrigerate for 20 minutes or until firm. Break it up into pieces by hand or cut them into neat squares. Enjoy!
Peppermint Bark
Start by prepping the topping. I have mini candy canes in my cupboard for my kiddos so I needed about 10 of them to fill a 1/4 cup. Place them in a plastic bag and tap with a rolling pin. You don’t need to clobber them into sand; just break them up into different size pieces.
For the peppermint bark, we’re going to make three thin layers of chocolate — semi-sweet sandwiched between white.
LAYER 1: Melt white chocolate just as above. When it’s smooth, stir in 1/8 teaspoon of peppermint extract. Spread the white chocolate in the parchment paper-lined 8×8 pan.
LAYER 2. Melt semi-sweet chocolate and stir in 1/8 tsp of peppermint extract. Spread this layer on top of the white chocolate.
LAYER 3. Melt more white chocolate — no peppermint extract for this layer — and spread on top of the semi-sweet layer. Sprinkle with candy cane bits.
Refrigerate for 20 minutes and break into bite-size pieces.
Packaged in decorative tins, both of these white chocolate barks make festive and delicious homemade gifts.
What are some of the homemade treats you like to give as gifts? Please share your ideas in the comments below. See you again tomorrow! — v.
The 12 Baking Days of Christmas 2017
Day 1 ❄︎︎ Gingerbread Whoopie Pies
Day 2 ❄︎ Skillet Sugar Cookies
Day 3 ❄︎ Cranberry Orange Scones
Day 4 ❄︎ White Chocolate Bark: Two Ways
Day 5 ❄︎ Rudy’s Gingerbread Loaf
Day 6 ❄︎ Homemade Cornbread
Day 7 ❄︎ Homemade Cornbread Stuffing
Day 8 ❄︎ Red Velvet Cookies
Day 9 ❄︎ Red & White Marbled Cupcakes
Day 10 ❄︎ Mini Caramel Apple Pies
Day 11 ❄︎ Make-Ahead Breakfast Casserole
Day 12 ❄︎ Christmas Checkerboard Cake
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White Chocolate Bark: Two Ways
Ingredients
- CRANBERRY PISTACHIO BARK
- 12 oz white chocolate
- 1/4 cup whole shelled salted pistachios
- 1/4 cup dried cranberries
- 1/4 cup dried apricots, diced
PEPPERMINT BARK- 12 oz white chocolate, divided
- 6 oz semi-sweet chocolate
- 1/4 cup candy cane pieces
- 1/4 tsp peppermint extract, divided
Directions
- Step 1 For the Cranberry Pistachio Bark: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and place pistachios in a single layer. Bake for 7 minutes. Set aside to cool.
- Step 2 Line an 8×8″ baking pan with parchment paper, taking care to smooth the bottom and leave a bit over the edges. The excess paper will make it easier to lift the bark out of the pan once it has set.
- Step 3 Place white chocolate in a microwave-safe bowl and heat on high for 30 seconds. Stir with a rubber spatula, return it to the microwave for another 30 seconds. Continue to stir and heat at 15-second intervals until the chocolate is melted. Stir until completely smooth.
- Step 4 Pour melted chocolate into the 8×8 pan and spread lightly to the edges. Sprinkle the top evenly with cooled pistachios, cranberries and diced apricots. Press the nuts and fruit lightly so they will set in the chocolate. Refrigerate for 20 minutes. Cut and break the bark in bite-size pieces and serve at room temperature.
- Step 5 For the Peppermint Bark: Line an 8×8″ baking pan with parchment paper, taking care to smooth the bottom and leave a bit over the edges. The excess paper will make it easier to lift the bark out of the pan once it has set.
- Step 6 Place candy canes in a plastic bag and break into small pieces with a rolling pin. Set aside.
- Step 7 Place 6 oz white chocolate in a microwave-safe bowl and heat on high for 30 seconds. Stir with a rubber spatula, return it to the microwave for another 30 seconds. Continue to stir and heat at 15-second intervals until the chocolate is melted. Add 1/8 tsp peppermint extract and stir until completely smooth. Pour melted chocolate into the 8×8 pan and spread lightly to the edges.
- Step 8 Repeat the melting process with semi-sweet chocolate. Once melted, add 1/8 tsp peppermint extract and stir until completely smooth. Pour melted semi-sweet chocolate onto the white chocolate layer and spread lightly to the edges.
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Step 9
Repeat the melting process with remainder of white chocolate. Pour melted white chocolate on top of the semi-sweet chocolate layer and spread lightly to the edges. Sprinkle the top evenly with candy cane bits. Press the candy lightly so they will set in the chocolate. Refrigerate for 20 minutes. Cut and break the bark in bite-size pieces and serve at room temperature.
Cranberry Pistachio Bark adapted from Ina Garten, Food Network.
Mmm… I’m a big white chocolate fan and the pistachio and dried fruit additions sound delicious!
I don’t make foods as gifts… I’m an okay baker, but I don’t cook much and on’t have any special recipes. But I remember fondly the shaped butter cookies (spritz?) that my mom always made every Christmas. Yum!
I think you’ll like the cranberry pistachio bark then, Kathleen. It is one of my favorites; I snag a piece each time I find myself in the fridge so it disappears quickly! I haven’t tried the spritz cookies yet, but I have fond memories of them, too. Maybe next year!