29 Chocolate Bark Recipes Even Better Than A Candy Bar (2024)

FAQs

Is chocolate bark the same as a chocolate bar? ›

what is bark? Bark is simply melted chocolate that's poured into a sheet pan and broken into pieces once it's set. You can use literally any kind of chocolate – chocolate chips, melting wafers, fancy “feves” – and it will always come out great (see: cobweb bark, red white and blue bark, and almond butter bark!).

Chocolate bark should be stored cool but not too cold, remember chocolate can sweat and become aqueous in the cold. Better a dark, cool, cellar type room. Airtight container, away from any strong smells and this should do the trick.

Tempered chocolate is wonderful to use when making homemade candy, such as truffles or peanut butter cups, or peppermint bark, because it maintains a nice smooth, shiny, and hard texture even at room temperature.

Stored in an airtight container in the fridge the homemade chocolate bark recipe will stay good for 2-3 weeks. If you decide to leave the chocolate bark out at room temperature it will last for about 5 days. Therefore, I definitely recommend storing it in the fridge to extend the bark's shelf life.

So not only is this bark delicious, it is nutritious, too! (Dark chocolate is also a great source of antioxidants along with nutrients like magnesium and iron. OK I'll stop with the nutrition facts for now). The salty-sweet taste and crunchy and smooth textures make for a super satisfying dessert.

In conclusion, white chocolate and almond bark are popular treats with different flavors and textures. White chocolate is made from cocoa butter, sugar, milk solids, and vanilla. In contrast, almond bark is made from sugar or corn syrup, vegetable oil or shortening, almonds or other nuts, and flavorings.

That's because your chocolate wasn't tempered. Tempered chocolate sets at room temperature and has a snap just like a chocolate bar you buy from the store.

You don't add ingredients to chocolate to make it harden, you temper it by heating it to a specific temperature, cooling it to another temperature, then heating it again. This causes the chocolate to crystalize in a way that leaves it hard and shiny. The temperatures are different for different kinds of chocolate.

It could be that your room temperature is too high. If the temperature is over 68 F, this can cause problems. The ideal setting temperature is between 65 and 68 degrees Fahrenheit. It could also be that the chocolate wasn't tempered, because untempered chocolate takes quite a bit longer to set.

And while candy melts are great for cake pops, in a recipe like this, you'll really taste the difference between actual chocolate and candy melts. I recommend Ghirardelli, Guittard, or Baker's brand bars of chocolate when making bark.

Why does my chocolate bark not snap? ›

If you melt the chocolate and work with it without tempering, it will take a long time to set up, will not be shiny, and won't snap; rather, it may be flexible, dull and brittle.

To cut set chocolate without cracking, I would recommend heating your knife with hot water, drying excess water off of the knife, and then *carefully* cutting into the chocolate.

Chocolate turning white is due to processes known as 'fat bloom' and 'sugar bloom'. These happen when the cocoa butter or sugar in the chocolate reacts to changes in temperature or exposure to moisture, leading to a white or greyish coating on the surface.

It's not a good idea to add butter to your chocolate in an attempt to soften it. The water content in the butter will cause the chocolate to seize. I suggest adding some coconut oil to the chocolate to make it less brittle.

Generally, dark chocolate tends to last longer than milk or white chocolate due to its lower moisture content and higher cocoa content. Dark chocolate usually will retain its full flavor for about 1.5 to two years at room temperature, and milk chocolate and white chocolate for about one year.

What About Chocolate Chips? While you can bake with chocolate chips, they are not the same as baking chocolate. Chocolate chips have less cocoa butter and contain stabilizers to help keep their "chip" shape while baking. They usually can't be used interchangeably with baking chocolate in recipes.

Once the chocolate has cooled, it's then cut up or broken into smaller pieces. It's easy to see, then, why the most commonly accepted origin of chocolate "bark" comes from the fact that the treat, when finished, resembles the craggy surface of a tree.

It doesn't have a lot of flavor but it can easily be added to other melts or chocolate chips to get a good coating. But- on its own it still does a great job.