Table of Contents:
- Why Is Bark Candy Called Bark?
- What Is Halloween Bark Made Of?
- What You Need to Make This Halloween Bark Recipe
- How to Make These Fun Halloween Treats
- How to Make This Sweet Treat Your Own
- Fun & Fearsome! How To Make Haunted Halloween Candy Bark
- How Long Can You Store Halloween Bark?
- Does Bark Need To Be Refrigerated?
A Sweet Second Act: How to Turn Leftover Halloween Candy into Chocolate Bark
It’s almost Halloween. While this isn’t technically a “holiday”, it’s still true that Halloween-themed treats and desserts are a big hit wherever you go at this time of year. If you or your kids will be throwing or attending a Halloween party, an easy Halloween dessert is an absolute must. Today we are sharing a super easy Halloween candy bark recipe that would work this Halloween season as a:
- classroom treat,
- party favor, or
- party dessert
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Why Is Bark Candy Called Bark?
Let’s start with some candy basics before we get into this easy Halloween bark. What exactly IS bark? This culinary term refers to chocolate that has been melted, spread out in a thin layer, and then filled with various items such as candy, nuts, etc. It is called “bark” because the finished result is rough and uneven, and very much resembles the trunk of a tree.
What Is Halloween Bark Made Of?
There are many ways to make the candy version of chocolate bark. We will show you how we like to make ours, and then give you some ideas for how you can customize it for your tastes and preferences. This treat is so yummy, and it only takes a few minutes to make. And there’s no baking required, meaning it’s the easiest thing to whip up.
What You Need to Make This Halloween Bark Recipe
This is one of our most delicious recipes yet, and it’s just so simple. You only need a few ingredients to make up a batch of this Halloween chocolate bark, and here’s what we used to make ours:
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Medium microwave-safe bowl
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Large baking sheet
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Piece of parchment paper
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20 ounces of your favorite chocolate or melting wafers. Jodie likes @ghirardelli milk chocolate, so that’s what we used this time.
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Reese’s Pieces
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Candy corn
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Pretzels
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Fun Halloween sprinkles
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Googly eyes
How to Make These Fun Halloween Treats
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Place the piece of parchment paper onto your baking sheet and set aside.
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Put your chocolate into your microwave safe bowl and melt according to the package directions. Do this at 50% power for 30 second intervals, stirring until fully melted. Be careful with this step, as chocolate can burn easily in the microwave if it heats for too long.
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Pour your melted chocolate into your prepared baking sheet.
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Spread your chocolate with a silicone spatula into an even layer.
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Then it’s the fun part! Sprinkle your pretzels, Reese’s Pieces, candy corn, and sprinkles over the chocolate while it is hot so everything will stick to it properly.
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Let your bark cool until it sets (this will be quicker if you put it in the fridge than if you leave it at room temperature on the counter, but both will work).
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When it is cool (about 2 hours in the fridge), you can break it into uneven, random smaller pieces for serving.
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Put it on a serving plate or wrap it up in some pretty cellophane bags tied with a ribbon to take to classroom parties or, if you have an October birthday, to make party favors for.
How to Make This Sweet Treat Your Own
That is how we made our bark, and we are so happy with it! But like so many of our simple yet delicious recipes, there are little tweaks to really make it work for you and your sweet tooth.
Chocolate
We love the fancy milk chocolate option we chose, but the sky is really the limit when it comes to your type of chocolate base. You could use:
- Dark chocolate
- Melted white chocolate chips or white candy melts
- Orange candy melts (to really get into the Halloween mood). Many different colors of these melting wafers would be fun.
- Semi-sweet chocolate
- Vanilla almond bark
Toppings
The great thing about this bark is that you can incorporate anything as a topping, including your own favorite Halloween candy. This dessert also has a great messy vibe that encourages broken chunks of your favorite candy bars and a random distribution of whatever else you choose. That’s why we love this no-stress super easy party food.
If you like candy bars, consider breaking one or more into pieces and sprinkling them over your bark. These work well:
- Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups
- Snickers bars
- Oreo cookies
- Kit Kats
You can also put all kinds of other stuff on there:
- Themed sprinkles
- Candy eyes or candy eyeballs
- Leftover candy
- Nuts, such as pistachios or peanuts. Just make sure it is safe to give out nuts first.
Our only suggestion for a MUST-HAVE in this recipe is something salty. Nuts or pretzels will cut the sweetness and give you a different texture and flavor too.
Fun & Fearsome! How To Make Haunted Halloween Candy Bark
Equipment
- 1 microwave safe bowl
- 1 Baking Sheet
- 1 piece parchment paper
Ingredients
- 20 ounces milk chocolate
- 1 cup assorted candy
- 1/4 cup pretzels
Instructions
- Place the piece of parchment paper onto your baking sheet and set aside.
- Put your chocolate into your microwave safe bowl and melt according to the package directions. Do this at 50% power for 30 second intervals, stirring until fully melted. Be careful with this step, as chocolate can burn easily in the microwave if it heats for too long
- Pour your melted chocolate into your prepared baking sheet.
- Spread your chocolate with a silicone spatula into an even layer.
- Then it's the fun part! Sprinkle your pretzels, Reese's Pieces, candy corn, and sprinkles over the chocolate while it is hot so everything will stick to it properly.
- Let your bark cool until it sets (this will be quicker if you put it in the fridge than if you leave it at room temperature on the counter, but both will work).
- When it is cool (about 2 hours in the fridge), you can break it into uneven, random smaller pieces for serving.
- Put it on a serving plate or wrap it up in some pretty cellophane bags tied with a ribbon to take to classroom parties or, if you have an October birthday, to make party favors for.
Nutrition
How Long Can You Store Halloween Bark?
There is no hard and fast rule for this but think about the ingredients you have added to your chocolate to create your bark. However long you would want your chocolate bars, candy, pretzels or nuts sitting out on the counter is how long you should plan to store your bark for. We would be comfortable storing it for about 5 days on the counter in an airtight container, or a bit longer in the fridge. But really, this is best served fresh within a couple of days, so don’t make it too far in advance of your party.
Does Bark Need To Be Refrigerated?
No. While it sets up faster initially if you set your pan of warm bark in the fridge for a few hours, it is unnecessary. As stated above, your bark does not need to be refrigerated but will keep a few extra days if it is.
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