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This simple Cherry Chocolate Bark is the perfect holiday homemade gift for a chocolate lover. It’s only 4 ingredients, doesn’t require baking, and just screams Happy Holidays! Add to the list for your annual cookie baking day alongside the Gluten-Free Brownies and Soft Ginger Cookies. I dare you to eat just one piece.
With all the end-of-year gatherings my family has this year related school, sports, friends and more, this no-fail Cherry Chocolate Bark comes to the rescue. Here’s a few reasons why I love this recipe:
- Don’t have to turn the oven on! No baking and you just need one measuring cup for everything.
- Kid-friendly: kids can help make and eat this chocolate bark. Let them get creative in sprinkling varies goodies on top to make it their own.
- Festive gift: If you want to spread a little holiday cheer, wrap up pieces of this bark in little clear baggies with cute ribbons and deliver to friends, neighbors, teachers and more.
- Fast to make: you can make multiple batches of homemade chocolate bark in 1 hour and have a variety of treats to share.
- Not crazy sweet: it’s as perfectly sweetened, chocolate treat you didn’t know you needed this season. A winning dessert for everyone.
- Versatile: Using the melted chocolate, you can top it however you want, creating a variety of flavors and colors. I’ve got some great ideas below that you can use for inspiration.
Cherry Chocolate Bark Ingredients
My recipe has just 4 ingredients, seriously! Here’s what you need to make an epically awesome dessert:
- Semi-sweet chocolate chips: I find that semi-sweet is the crowd pleaser. While adults might gravitate towards dark chocolate and kids want milk chocolate, this kind provides the best all-around flavor and sweetness level. You can use chips or chop up full bars.
- Sliced almonds: This provides the perfect crunch with a bit of nuttiness. Sliced almonds also make breaking the chocolate bark into pieces easier.
- Dried, tart cherries: Since the chocolate will bring a lot of sweetness, using tart cherries will bring balance. Plus, there’s just something so satisfying about pairing chocolate and cherries.
- Coarse sea salt: That fancy salt someone bought you for a house warming gift, or that you got on a whim? Use that here! Flaked sea salt also works great. It’s beautiful, crunchy and brings out the other flavors beautifully.
How to Make Cherry Chocolate Bark
To make this recipe, you’ll need a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper, a heatproof glass bowl and an offset spatula. You’ll need to melt the chocolate in a microwave or stove top.
- Place a rimmed baking sheet lined with parchment in the freezer to get very cold.
- Melt the chocolate: Simmer of small saucepan of water on the stove. In a heatproof glass bowl set over the simmering water, melt the chocolate chips, stirring frequently so that the bottom doesn’t burn or stick. Be careful not to let water droplets into the bowl or this will cause the chocolate to seize.
You can also use the microwave, if you wish. Heat for 30 seconds, stir, and heat for 30 more seconds. Repeat until most of the chocolate is melted. - Once most of the chocolate is melted, remove from heat. Continue to stir until the remaining pieces are melted. Avoid stirring to quickly as this will create air bubbles.
- Pour the melted chocolate onto chilled parchment paper in the baking sheet and use a spatula to spread it out evenly, almost to the edges.
- Immediately sprinkle the sliced almonds and dried cherries over the chocolate, followed by sprinkling the salt.
- Refrigerate until firm, about 2 hours.
Helpful Tips
Chocolate chips can be swapped with milk, dark, or even white.
Almonds can be swapped for pecans, pistachios, pumpkin seeds or walnuts. Dried cherries can be swapped for dried cranberries, dried blueberries or candied ginger.
Homemade Chocolate Bark Variations
One of my favorite reasons to make homemade chocolate bark is how easy it is to change it up! I can top with whatever dried fruit I want, mix up the nuts that go on as well, or use a mixture of white and dark chocolate for some festive flare.
Here are a few combinations I love:
- 1 layer of dark chocolate, 1 layer of white chocolate, crushed candy canes
- Semi-sweet chocolate, crunched pretzels, peanuts
- Dark chocolate + crunched potato chips
- Dark chocolate + semi sweet chocolate swirled together with dried blueberries and hazelnuts
- Go wild and chop up your fav candy bars into the melted chocolate for a Snickers or Peanut Butter Cups bark that will be gone in minutes.
Chocolate Bark FAQs
Homemade chocolate bark typically contains a base of chocolate; you can choose white, dark, semi-sweet or milk. It can be vegan or non, depending on your preference. Then you add toppings to it like sliced nuts, dried fruit, candy and more. My recipe uses semi sweet chocolate topped with sliced almonds, dried cherries and coarse sea salt.
Making chocolate bark is so easy! First, melt the chocolate either on the stove or in the microwave. Then spread it out on a parchment lined baking sheet then top with desired toppings. Refrigerate or freeze to help the whole thing set. Finally, remove and break into pieces and try not to eat it all in 1 sitting. You can also layer different kinds of chocolate or almond bark to achieve the exact look and flavor you want.
Almond bark is a bit different than melting chocolate. Melting chocolate is real, high-quality chocolate that you melt. Almond bark is artificially flavored vegetable fat. You can use either in a chocolate bark recipe, or you can just use a real chocolate bar (or chocolate chips) for your bark. If you want a chocolate-free option, use white chocolate or almond bark as the base of your candy bark.
More Festive Homemade Desserts
My kids ask for Chocolate Chip Cookies from Thanksgiving to New Years. They’re a constant presence ion my house this time of year. I also enjoy making my soft Ginger Cookies to share with family and friends. My dad loved ginger snaps, so this recipe always reminds me of him.
If you want another easy + no-bake option, try this freezer Peanut Butter Fudge… it won’t stick around for long at any party! You can also make a batch of my fudgy Gluten-Free Brownies or Rice Krispie Treats and throw some sprinkles on top to make them even more festive and inviting.
I can’t wait for you to whip up a batch of this Chocolate Almond Bark; it is seriously easy and so delicious. How are you going to top yours? Drop and comment and let me know!
Cherry Chocolate Bark
Equipment
- stove top
Ingredients
- 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips vegan
- 1 cup sliced almonds
- 1 cup dried tart cherries
- ½ tsp sea salt
Instructions
- Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment and place in the fridge or freezer to chill.
- In a heatproof glass bowl set over a pan of simmering water, melt the chocolate, stirring occasionally. Be careful not to let any water get into the bowl or the chocolate will seize.
- Remove the bowl from the heat when some pieces of unmelted chocolate still remain. Stir well until the remaining chocolate melts, but do not stir too vigorously or air bubbles will form.
- Pour melted chocolate onto the chilled, parchment lined pan and use a thin spatula to spread it out evenly, almost to the edges. Immediately sprinkle the almonds and cherries over the chocolate, evenly covering it. Then sprinkle the salt.
- Refrigerate until firm, about 2 hours.
- Break bark into pieces to serve. Store in an air-tight container in the fridge.
Notes
- This can be stored in the refrigerator up to 1 week.
- Feel free to use whatever toppings you want over the melted chocolate. Here are a few combos you can try:Â
- 1 layer of dark chocolate, 1 layer of white chocolate, crushed candy canes
- Semi-sweet chocolate, crunched pretzels, peanuts
- Dark chocolate + crunched potato chips
- Dark chocolate + semi sweet chocolate swirled together with dried blueberries and hazelnuts
- Go wild and chop up your fav candy bars into the melted chocolate for a Snickers or Peanut Butter Cups bark that will be gone in minutes.
- This can be added to a cookie tray, just let the person you are giving it to know that it is best stored in the fridge.
Excellent and easy recipe! I used the tart cherries and if you like sweet and sour, you will love it. I used regular semisweet chocolate chips and they are the perfect degree of sweetness to offset the cherries. I used flaked sea salt and that worked well. Instead of using the fridge to firm the chocolate, I used the freezer or a short time as I do when using molds to make chocolate roses, etc. Also, I used the microwave on high to melt the chocolate, 30 seconds at a time, stirring gently each time but taking out when there are still some pieces unmelted as suggested. I wish to try the cranberries next as well as the white and dark chocolate combo to use up leftover candy canes. This recipe will make the perfect ending to a dinner party along with hot coffee or dessert wine. I am so excited that you posted this recipe, Jen! Thank you so much!
This was so easy to make, and fun for the kids to help with. We had all the ingredients so my daughter and I made it and enjoyed for a snack. I love that it wasn’t overly sweet, just the perfect amount.
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