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This Christmas Bark Recipe is different than any bark you’ve ever seen with its fun and festive shapes! Keep this fanciful recipe close at hand. Because, whether or not you’re a baker, it may very well be your secret weapon for holiday dessert success. 

simple chocolate bark recipe

If you use a gluten free crispy rice cereal, it’s also a great recipe to have when serving holiday guests that are Celiac or gluten intolerant. 

Perfect for serving during holiday gatherings or sneaking ice cream while wrapping gifts, this bark is all about making your season brighter (and tastier). And the twist? Unlike traditional bark, it’s made with cocoa instead of chocolate and you can make it in any shape you desire using a variety of Christmas cookie cutters! 

Christmas Bark Recipe Materials

• Christmas cookie cutter set
• Silpat silicone baking mat
• Doughmakers 14” x 20.5” Cookie Sheet
• Spatula
• Unbleached parchment paper
• 2-cup Fire-king Glass measuring cup

For decor:

• Candy eyeballs
• White sparkle icing gel (to hold eyes)
• Mini M&Ms 

This recipe will make about 18 Christmas bark shapes. But the yield will depend on how many layers of chocolate you make these. If you want 3 dozen, double the recipe.

Technically, this Christmas bark recipe isn’t a ‘real’ bark because we’re not using chocolate. Instead, our recipe is much like hard shell ice cream topping; like the chocolate shell you get with soft serve ice cream. It uses cocoa powder and coconut oil (along with flavouring, like peppermint or vanilla, and nut butter).

With the addition of crispy rice cereal, It’s crunchy, sweet, and a little messy—just like the holidays themselves! And it couldn’t be easier.

Just add all the ingredients (except for the crispy rice) into a microwavable measuring cup and give it stir. Then microwave for 10 seconds on high heat in the microwave. We flavoured this batch with peppermint, but feel free to use vanilla or almond extract if you prefer. By the way, if you’re wondering who invented peppermint bark, check out this article! 

Give it a stir again to evenly distribute the heat. If it’s not totally melted and needs a few more seconds, microwave it again. It should be perfectly liquid and pourable.

Christmas Chocolate Bark Challenges

When I came up with this Christmas bark recipe, I anticipated facing two challenges:

1. Would the mixture stick to the cookie cutter, making it difficult to unmold?
2. Would the mixture seep out from underneath the cookie cutters?

To tackle the first challenge, I experimented with lining one cookie cutter with non-stick foil and greasing another with the coconut oil used in the recipe. However, I quickly realized there’s no need for either! The cookie cutters work perfectly as-is, no prep required.

On a side note, the rice cereal we’re using for this recipe is gluten-free. Can I just say how disappointed I am that Kellogg’s discontinued their gluten-free Rice Krispies in the U.S.? Apparently, they’re still available in Canada, but Hubs unknowingly picked up this Nature’s Path brand instead. Don’t get me wrong—it works wonderfully in this recipe and tastes great! But for a plain bowl of cereal, I still prefer Kellogg’s. It’s hard to beat the iconic snap, crackle, and pop when it meets the milk!

For the second challenge, most cookie cutters aren’t perfectly flat, which means any gaps can cause the thin chocolate to seep underneath, as shown below.

At first, I add rice krispies around the perimeter to ‘dam’ the leakage.

Pop it in the freezer for a few minutes. Once the chocolate sets, you can break off the excess and easily pop the treats out of the cookie cutters.

The only downside? You’ll end up with leftover pieces. Though, if you enjoy snacking while you work, that might not be such a bad thing! But don’t worry—there’s a simple trick to solve both challenges!

The Solution

The trick is to freeze the cookie cutters on a Silpat sheet before pouring in the chocolate mixture.

Start by filling the cookie cutters with a layer of crispy rice cereal for added crunch. As a bonus, I place salted almonds into the points of the snowflake before adding the cereal; those are my favourite bites!

Once assembled, place the entire Silpat-lined tray in the freezer for about 10 minutes.

Now, when you fill the cookie cutters, there’s far less leakage. The cold instantly solidifies the chocolate, thanks to the coconut oil in the recipe. And it works just like the hard shell coating on soft-serve ice cream.

So much better!

If you like, you can briefly freeze again and pour a second thin layer of chocolate to cover the crispy rice – or you can leave them rustic.

If there’s any chocolate left in the measuring cup, you can mix in some crispy rice and press it into a cookie cutter to freeze and set. Personally, I prefer to use a spatula to scrape out every last drop of chocolate!

Unmold the Chocolate Bark

To release the chocolate bark from the cookie cutters, take them out of the freezer. Then peel them away from the Silpat  gently push outward on the sides in a few spots. You might hear a ‘pop’. Now press near the edge with your thumbs to ease them out and release them completely. If you skip the double layer of chocolate, this is how the front will look (with the exception of the first one for comparison).

Place them onto another cookie sheet lined with parchment paper.

But if you prefer the look of chocolate, simply flip them around so that side becomes the ‘presentation side.’ As you’ll see when we get to decorating, I chose to display both!

Decorate Chocolate Bark Recipe

Now it’s time to decorate if you wish. I really do think this step takes them to the next level!

We’re using Mini M&Ms, candy eyeballs and white sparkle icing gel to ‘glue’ everything into place.

Keep these frozen until you’re ready to serve, as they can soften at room temperature.

Here they are, perfect for garnishing a scoop of ice cream. The mitten on the upper right was made using the last bit of chocolate in the measuring cup, so that one is my snack!

Christmas chocolate bark

The ones with almonds don’t really need any extra decoration, but if you like, feel free to add M&Ms for even more flair!

We’re serving this chocolate bark with mint chip ice cream.

Enjoy Your Christmas Bark!

Here’s the ginger bread man and tree:

Chocolate Bark

And the star and snowman. Handle them carefully or you might accidentally shift an M&M as you see here on the point of the star.

Peppermint Bark Recipe

The reindeer and mitten again show the contrast between the chocolate and crispy rice presentations.

By the way, if you’re a fan of reindeer this Christmas, be sure to check out this ice cream sandwich recipe! We also made this reindeer wreath to complete our reindeer theme this year.

Christmas Chocolate Bark

And finally, the snowflakes with almonds, my personal favourite!  Do you have a favourite design?

Chocolate bark recipe

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