Hanukkah chocolate bark is perfect for gifting during the holidays, making with kids on a lazy Sunday, or for snacking on when you don’t know if you want salty or sweet. As a busy mom of three little kiddos who like experimenting in the kitchen, chocolate bark is an easy way for them to create, without hours of clean up after!
Pretzels, M&M’s and salted peanuts come together with a bag of chocolate chips to form a salty and sweet chocolate bar. With the same easy method as my Valentine's Day Chocolate Bark and less than 7 ingredients like some of my other favorite chocolate desserts (I'm looking at you chocolate pudding pie and corn flakes cakes) this is a favorite come Hanukkah time.
While my family leans into the sweet treats, some of my closest friends are in the salty category and I wanted to get the balance just right in this bark when I was testing it. Pretzels and chocolate -- yep, nailed it! Sometimes you just want it all. And this chocolate bark recipe certainly delivers.
Ingredients
- Chocolate Chips: I like to to use semi-sweet chocolate chips here, but you can easily substitute for dark chocolate, especially if you are going to be using super sweet toppings.
- Toppings: I like to use a combination of sweet and salty. Pretzel sticks, salted peanuts and m&m's are a great combination. Adding in Hanukkah sprinkles would be fun too!
How to make chocolate bark
Making chocolate bark is as easy as chopping up your mix-ins and melting your chocolate chips in the oven for a few minutes. Then let you creativity take center stage.
You’ll want to prep your toppings and chop your mix-ins before you put the chocolate chips in to melt.
To make the bark, spread the bag of chocolate chips (I used these from Ghiradelli) out in one layer on a parchment lined baking sheet. You’ll want the chips close-ish together so that when they melt they end up touching either other.
Put the baking pan in the oven for 3-5 minutes, you just want the chips to melt enough that you can spread the melted chocolate easily. Once melty, take out of the oven and with the back of a spoon or an offset spatula, gently spread the chocolate into one even layer. This becomes the base of your bark.
Then, while the chocolate is still melty, spread your toppings over the chocolate, pressing down only enough that things stick, not so that they are submerged.
Let the chocolate cool. If you want to speed this up, you can either put it in the fridge, or outside (depending on your weather😉).
Additional Toppings
I think that a mix of sweet and salty work best. While the recipe uses pretzel sticks, M&M’s and salted nuts, any of the following would work as well. You’ll just want to make sure you keep the balance of salty and sweet in check.
- Crunchy potato chips
- Snickers bars: chopped them up w
- Sea salt caramels: I love these from Sanders (it must be the Michigander in me). You can either buy them online or get them at Costco.
- Crunchy Chex Cereal: Any variety you like works well.
Allergy friendly treat
This chocolate bark is endlessly adaptable which makes it a great option if you are trying to accommodate for friends or family with other dietary restrictions.
- Dairy Free Chocolate Chips: Trader Joe's Semi-Sweet Chips are my go to, but these Enjoy Life brand chips are a good option as well.
- Gluten Free Pretzels: There are lots of brands available. I think the Glutino pretzels stay the crispiest.
- Nut Free Candy: Plain m&m's are great because they add the pop of color you want, but you could use plain candy melts, white chocolate chips, or any type of fun and festive sprinkles.
To make an all inclusive Hanukkah chocolate bark, have people make their own. Put out allergy friendly toppings, as well as any other salty and sweet toppings you like, then let people customize their piece of bark. Use separate baking sheets to prevent cross contamination if necessary.
Our make two batches of the treat and label accordingly. It's all about kindness and love during the holidays and this is certainly one way to show it (and to teach your kiddos about how easy it is to be inclusive).
Serving Suggestions
Since this chocolate bark is so easy to put together you, could make it a DIY station at a Hanukkah party, holiday party, or movie night.
Once hardened, break into pieces and enjoy, package for gifting, or put in an airtight container for storage.
- Chocolate bark ships really well, just pack it up tightly in an airtight container and watch the smiles you get back over FaceTime when your family or friends get this treat!
- Hanukkah chocolate bark makes a great teacher gift, too. Package it up an cellophane bag, attach a little note and gift away.
Other Awesome Hanukkah Recipes
Did you try this recipe and and love it? 😍 Let me know by leaving a comment below or 5 ⭐ rating!
And make sure to sign up for my newsletter and follow along on Instagram, Pinterest, and Facebook for more simple recipes! Remember to tag us on social channels when you make a recipe at #simplegraytshirt! I 💖 seeing what you’re up to in the kitchen!
📖 Recipe
Hanukkah Chocolate Bark
Ingredients
- 12 oz semi-sweet chocolate chips (12 oz = 1 standard size bag)
- ½ cup plain M&M's
- ⅓ cup salted peanuts
- ¾ cup pretzel sticks
Instructions
Melt the Chocolate
- Preheat your oven to 300 degrees. On a parchment lined baking sheet, spread out the entire bag of chocolate chips so that they are in one even layer. Place the baking sheet into the oven.
- Leave the oven door shut for 3-5 minutes, then check and see if the chocolate chips are all melted, if not, leave them in another minute or two, being careful they don't burn.
- Once the chips are all melted, use a knife or offset spatula to spread the melted chips into one even layer of smooth chocolate.
Add the Toppings
- Layer the toppings on the melted chocolate in any order you would like, being sure to press them down a bit to ensure they stick.
- Let cool at room temp or in fridge until the chocolate has resolidified. once solid, break into uneven chunks and enjoy!
Notes
- You can use any mix-ins/toppings you like in this recipe. If you want to switch things up, use about ½ cup of up to 3 different ingredients.
- If you are a chocolate master, you can temper the chocolate on the stove and then spread onto your parchment paper before adding the toppings.
- Store the cooled chocolate bark in an airtight container on the counter or in the fridge. It freezes great too!
Leave a Reply