Christmas Bark: 16 Snap-and-Share Candies That Fill Every Holiday Tin in One Afternoon, No Thermometer Needed

Christmas bark is the candy that saves December: melt chocolate, spread it thin, scatter the toppings, chill, and snap. No candy thermometer, no fussy dipping, no special pans. One sheet of Christmas bark breaks into enough pieces for three or four gift tins, and the leftover shards never last the night. Grandma made hers on the back porch where it was cold enough to set, and everyone on the street seemed to know when it was ready. Below are 16 of our favorite versions, from the classic peppermint layers sold at holiday shops to cranberry pistachio, potato chip, eggnog and a lighter frozen yogurt bark for the kids. If you want the backstory, the history of peppermint bark is a fun read. Line a sheet pan and pick a flavor..

Classic Peppermint Christmas Bark

This is the one everybody pictures: a dark chocolate base, a snowy white chocolate top and a blizzard of crushed candy canes. It costs a fraction of the boxed version at the mall, and it looks just as pretty stacked in a tin. The secret is letting the dark layer set only until it is firm but still a little tacky, so the white layer grabs on and the two never split apart. Tuck a few pieces next to your homemade gifts in a jar and the neighbors will think this Christmas bark came from a shop..

You will need: 12 ounces dark or semisweet chocolate, 12 ounces white chocolate, 1 teaspoon peppermint extract, 8 regular candy canes, crushed.

How to make it: 1. Melt the dark chocolate and spread it 1/4 inch thick on a parchment lined sheet pan. Chill 10 minutes. 2. Melt the white chocolate, stir in the peppermint extract and spread it over the dark layer. 3. Scatter the crushed candy canes on top, press lightly, chill 30 minutes, then snap into pieces.

Gingerbread Cookie Bark

Every cookie jar has a few broken gingerbread men at the bottom, and this is the best place for them. Crisp cookie pieces stay crunchy in a bed of white chocolate, and a pinch of cinnamon makes the kitchen smell like Christmas morning. Kids love smashing the cookies with a rolling pin, so let them. It sits beautifully on a platter next to a plate of stained-glass Linzer cookies and this Christmas bark takes about fifteen minutes of real work.

You will need: 16 ounces white chocolate, 2 cups crisp gingerbread cookies broken into pieces, 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon, 2 tablespoons red and green sprinkles.

How to make it: 1. Melt the white chocolate with the cinnamon and spread it on a lined sheet pan. 2. Press the gingerbread pieces into the chocolate and shower with sprinkles. 3. Chill 30 minutes until firm and break into rough shards.

Caramel Drizzle Nut Christmas Bark

If your family fights over the nutty candy bars in the holiday stocking, make this. A dark chocolate base gets loaded with roasted mixed nuts, then a ribbon of warm caramel and more chocolate is drizzled over the top. It tastes like a fancy candy shop treat, but it comes together on one sheet pan. Fans of our copycat homemade candy bars will recognize the salty sweet trick. A tiny pinch of flaky salt at the end makes every bite pop.

You will need: 12 ounces dark chocolate, 1 1/2 cups roasted mixed nuts, 1/2 cup thick caramel sauce, 2 ounces milk chocolate for drizzling, flaky salt.

How to make it: 1. Spread melted dark chocolate on a lined pan and scatter the nuts over it. 2. Drizzle the caramel and melted milk chocolate across the top in thin lines. 3. Sprinkle with flaky salt, chill 45 minutes and cut or snap into pieces.

White Chocolate Cranberry Bark

Ruby red cranberries against creamy white chocolate look like Christmas without a single drop of food coloring. A zigzag of dark chocolate on top keeps it from being too sweet and makes it look like it came from a bakery case. This is the Christmas bark people ask for in January when the tins are empty. Pack it in the same tin as powdery snowball cookies and the red and white colors look like a holiday card.

You will need: 16 ounces white chocolate, 1 cup dried cranberries, 2 ounces dark chocolate, optional 1/2 teaspoon orange zest.

How to make it: 1. Melt the white chocolate, stir in half the cranberries and the zest, and spread on a lined pan. 2. Press the remaining cranberries on top. 3. Drizzle melted dark chocolate in a zigzag, chill 30 minutes and break into pieces.

Candy Cane Hot Cocoa Christmas Bark

This is a mug of hot cocoa you can hold in your hand. Milk chocolate gets a spoonful of cocoa mix stirred in, then it is topped with mini marshmallows and crushed candy canes. Drop a piece into a cup of warm milk and it melts into the best cocoa of the season. If you really want to show off, use homemade marshmallows cut into tiny cubes. It is the Christmas bark kids beg to help make.

You will need: 16 ounces milk chocolate, 2 tablespoons hot cocoa mix, 1 cup mini marshmallows, 4 candy canes crushed.

How to make it: 1. Melt the milk chocolate and stir in the cocoa mix until smooth. 2. Spread on a lined pan and press marshmallows and candy cane pieces on top. 3. Chill 30 minutes and cut into squares so the marshmallows stay put.

Dark Chocolate Pistachio Bark

Bright green pistachios on glossy dark chocolate look elegant enough for a party tray, yet this is the easiest bark on the list. Roasted salted pistachios do all the work, adding crunch and just enough salt. It is a grown-up flavor that pairs well with coffee after dinner. If you liked our no-bake chocolate salami, this tastes like its thin, crispy cousin. Chop the nuts roughly so some big pieces show on top.

You will need: 16 ounces dark chocolate, 1 cup shelled roasted salted pistachios roughly chopped, optional pinch of cardamom.

How to make it: 1. Melt the chocolate with the cardamom and spread 1/4 inch thick on a lined pan. 2. Scatter the pistachios evenly and press them in gently. 3. Chill 30 minutes and break into long, jagged shards.

Potato Chip Christmas Bark

Salty, crunchy and sweet all at once, this is the Christmas bark that disappears first at every party. Thick ridged potato chips hold their crunch under milk chocolate, and a drizzle of white chocolate makes it look festive. Anyone who loves the saltine toffee on the cookie tray will fall hard for this one. Use sturdy kettle style chips, since thin chips go soft. Make it no more than two days ahead for the best crunch.

You will need: 16 ounces milk chocolate, 3 cups thick ridged potato chips lightly crushed, 2 ounces white chocolate, flaky sea salt.

How to make it: 1. Spread half the melted milk chocolate on a lined pan, add the chips, then pour the rest over the top. 2. Drizzle with melted white chocolate. 3. Sprinkle with sea salt, chill 30 minutes and snap into pieces.

Cookies and Cream Bark

Crushed chocolate sandwich cookies folded into white chocolate taste like the ice cream flavor every kid orders. It is the simplest crowd pleaser in this gallery, and it travels well in a lunch box or a cookie exchange box. Save a few big cookie chunks to press on top so people know what they are getting. It would fit right in on a Pittsburgh wedding cookie table next to the fancier trays.

You will need: 16 ounces white chocolate, 15 cream-filled chocolate sandwich cookies, crushed, plus 4 cookies broken into large pieces.

How to make it: 1. Melt the white chocolate and stir in the crushed cookies. 2. Spread on a lined pan and press the large cookie pieces on top. 3. Chill 30 minutes and cut into bars or break into chunks.

Eggnog Spiced White Chocolate Bark

This bark tastes like a cup of eggnog by the tree, minus the punch bowl. A little store-bought eggnog and fresh nutmeg turn plain white chocolate creamy and warm. Toasted pecans on top add crunch. It is family friendly and very easy to love. Bakers who swear by gooey butter cookies at Christmas will love how rich this tastes. Use a light hand with the eggnog so the chocolate stays smooth.

You will need: 16 ounces white chocolate, 2 tablespoons eggnog at room temperature, 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg, 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon, 3/4 cup toasted pecans chopped.

How to make it: 1. Melt the white chocolate gently, then stir in the eggnog and spices a little at a time. 2. Spread on a lined pan and scatter the pecans over it. 3. Dust with extra nutmeg, chill 45 minutes and break into pieces.

Dark Chocolate Cranberry Christmas Bark

Dark chocolate and tart cranberries are an old-fashioned pairing that never goes out of style. A drizzle of white chocolate dresses it up for the holidays. Because it is less sweet than most candy, it is a good choice for teachers, mail carriers and anyone who already has a mountain of cookies. Slip a bag into one of these dollar store gift baskets with a mug and some cocoa and you have a gift for under ten dollars.

You will need: 16 ounces dark chocolate, 1 cup dried cranberries, 1/2 cup chopped toasted almonds, 2 ounces white chocolate.

How to make it: 1. Spread melted dark chocolate on a lined pan. 2. Scatter the cranberries and almonds over it and press in lightly. 3. Drizzle with melted white chocolate, chill 30 minutes and snap into pieces.

Chocolate Hazelnut Bark

Toasted hazelnuts smell like a European Christmas market, and they are wonderful in milk or dark chocolate. Rubbing off the papery skins after toasting makes the nuts taste sweeter. A swirl of chocolate hazelnut spread gives the slab a marbled look. This one feels special enough for a host gift. If your family makes swirled holiday babka, you already know how good chocolate and hazelnut are together.

You will need: 16 ounces dark or milk chocolate, 1 cup toasted skinned hazelnuts roughly chopped, 3 tablespoons chocolate hazelnut spread.

How to make it: 1. Spread melted chocolate on a lined pan. 2. Dot with the hazelnut spread and swirl with a knife, then add the hazelnuts. 3. Chill 40 minutes and cut into slabs.

Toasted Almond Dark Chocolate Bark

Grandma kept a jar of almonds in the pantry just for December, and this is what she made with them. Toasting the almonds first is the key step, since it makes them crunchy and deeply nutty. A bit of almond extract in the chocolate doubles the flavor. It is simple, sturdy and ships well. For more ideas with the same nut, our almond desserts from a European bakery gallery is a good next stop.

You will need: 16 ounces dark chocolate, 1 1/2 cups roasted almonds, 1/4 teaspoon almond extract, flaky salt.

How to make it: 1. Toast the almonds at 350 F for 8 minutes and cool. 2. Melt the chocolate with the extract, stir in most of the almonds and spread on a lined pan. 3. Top with the rest of the almonds and salt, chill 30 minutes and break.

Fruit and Nut Christmas Bark

This version looks like a jeweled slab and lets you clean out the baking cupboard. Cashews, pistachios, raisins and bits of dried strawberry or papaya all work. Mix colors so every piece looks different. It is a lovely old-fashioned candy that reminds many of us of holiday shop windows. Pack it with the homemade fudge and Christmas candy from our archives for a classic tin.

You will need: 16 ounces milk chocolate, 1 1/2 cups mixed nuts and dried fruit such as cashews, pistachios, raisins and dried strawberries.

How to make it: 1. Spread melted chocolate 1/3 inch thick on a lined pan. 2. Scatter the fruit and nuts in a colorful pattern and press them in. 3. Chill 40 minutes and cut into rectangles.

Peanut Brittle Chocolate Bark

Broken peanut brittle and a scatter of pistachios turn plain chocolate into a two-candy treat. Store-bought brittle works perfectly, so there is still no candy thermometer involved. Lay some pieces flat and some on their sides so it looks rustic. If you want to make the brittle yourself, the recipes in our old-fashioned homemade candy gallery show how grandma did it.

You will need: 16 ounces dark chocolate, 1 1/2 cups peanut brittle broken into pieces, 1/3 cup chopped pistachios.

How to make it: 1. Spread melted chocolate on a lined pan. 2. Press the brittle pieces and pistachios into the chocolate. 3. Chill 30 minutes and break into irregular chunks.

Chocolate Swirl Frozen Yogurt Bark

For a lighter treat between all the cookies, frozen yogurt bark is cool, creamy and fun to make with kids. Thick yogurt is spread on a pan, swirled with melted chocolate and dotted with berries and nuts, then frozen solid. It keeps in the freezer for weeks. It also makes a great addition to the make-ahead school morning bites you already have in the freezer. Serve it straight from the freezer since it softens quickly.

You will need: 2 cups plain Greek yogurt, 3 tablespoons honey, 3 ounces dark chocolate melted, 1/2 cup raspberries or dried cherries, 1/4 cup sliced almonds.

How to make it: 1. Stir the honey into the yogurt and spread 1/2 inch thick on a lined pan. 2. Swirl in the melted chocolate and scatter the berries and almonds. 3. Freeze 3 hours, break into pieces and keep frozen.

Greek Yogurt Fruit Bark

This rainbow sheet of frozen yogurt is the bark to make for little ones or anyone watching their sugar. Blueberries, raspberries, diced peaches and a sprinkle of coconut freeze into a colorful slab that looks great on a brunch table. Greek yogurt is linked to more protein than regular yogurt, which may help it feel like a snack instead of candy. Like our sheet pan slab pies, one pan feeds a crowd.

You will need: 2 cups vanilla Greek yogurt, 1 cup mixed berries, 1/2 cup diced peaches, 2 tablespoons shredded coconut, 2 tablespoons chopped pistachios.

How to make it: 1. Spread the yogurt 1/2 inch thick on a parchment lined pan. 2. Scatter the fruit, coconut and pistachios over the top and press lightly. 3. Freeze 3 hours, cut into pieces and serve frozen.