Halloween Bark
Step up the spook factor this holiday with a batch of Halloween Chocolate Bark. Topped with colorful sprinkles, Halloween candy and edible eyes, this sweet and salty chocolate bark recipe is fun to make with kids, give to trick-or-treaters or serve at a costume party.
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Halloween Bark recipe:
Halloween is always a fun time around here. Other people’s kids probably spend all month planning their costumes, but mine are all about the treats. (But don’t get me wrong, there is considerable costume discussion, too.)
Last year, we made monster rice krispie treats, and we had a blast with the edible candy eyeballs.
The girls begged me to get more this year so we could make more fun Halloween treats. We decided on a delicious, chocolatey Halloween Bark. It’s covered in candy, pretzels and, yes, more of the edible eyes.
Quite honestly, this is the perfect combination of sweet-salty. It’s also the perfect snack to make with kids because, well, it is one of the easiest recipes you’ll ever make! No double boiler required.
It’s great for Halloween parties or you can bag it up and give it out as a Halloween treat.
Why I love this recipe:
You’ll love this fun treat for a few reasons:
- Halloween Bark can be all sweet or the perfect combination of sweet-salty and the perfect snack to make with kids.
- You can double or triple it if you want to serve it at a party or share with friends and family.
- Layer on the treats you like! It’s so fun to sprinkle on your favorite Halloween candy. (I think these would be excellent with Reese’s Piece or chopped Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups.)
More Halloween recipes to try: Halloween Oreo Rice Krispie Treats | Halloween Popcorn Snack Mix | Halloween Funfetti Cookies
What you need to make this recipe:
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- Parchment paper or wax paper
- Rimmed cookie sheet
- Offset spatula
- Sharp knife for cutting
- Zip top bags for crushing pretzels, candy and cookies
- Heat-proof, microwave-safe bowl
- Airtight container
- Cellophane bags
- Disposable piping bag for extra drizzle, if desired
Let’s talk ingredients!
In addition to the tools above, you’re going to need some ingredients to make this recipe, too! Chances are, you might already have some of them in your fridge or pantry. Scroll down to the recipe card for the full measurements and instructions.
Here’s what you’ll need to grab from your local grocery store:
- Chocolate chips — I used semi-sweet chocolate, but you can do dark chocolate, milk chocolate, bittersweet chocolate or white chocolate, or a mix of all of the above. You could even melt some more of a different type of chocolate and use it as a drizzle with a piping bag.
- Pretzels — you can do the sticks or mini pretzel… they just need to be broken down into smaller pieces. You can also sprinkle on sea salt or another salty snack instead, or skip the salty altogether if you’d rather it be 100% sweet stuff.
- Candy corn — we used the traditional tri-color of orange, yellow and white, but you can use whatever color combo you find. The more bold, the better if you ask me. The candy corn pumpkins would also be so cute.
- Halloween sprinkles — go nuts! You can do green and purple jimmies like I did, or do the more traditional orange and black jimmies. Bat-shapes, mini ghosts or tiny pumpkins are all fun, too. It’s Halloween… there are no rules, OK?
- Eyeball sprinkles — optional, but so so fun. It definitely adds a macabre look and makes each piece of the chocolate bark resemble a little monster.
Variations on this easy Halloween dessert:
- Add your favorite candy… or use leftover Halloween candy!
- Swap out the chocolate. A white chocolate base would make this a White Chocolate Bark. Dark chocolate would make these Dark Chocolate Bark.
How to make Halloween Bark
Here’s how to make this fun recipe for Halloween season:
Line a rimmed large baking sheet with parchment or wax paper. Set it aside.
Place chocolate chips in a microwave-safe bowl.
Melt in the microwave at 50% power in short 20-second intervals, stirring between each so as not to burn the chocolate, until it is completely melted. Please keep an eye on them because burned chocolate is so sad.
Pour onto the prepared baking sheet. Spread with an offset spatula until about a quarter-inch thick. (You can make this thicker, though you will have less.)
If you like, you can refrigerate it now, then add another layer of another type of chocolate. You can also add another layer now and swirl them together. Up to you!
Add chopped pretzels, candy corn, sprinkles and any other toppings you like. (More ideas below!)
Place it in the refrigerator for 30 minutes to set. Once it is set, roughly chop it with a sharp knife into 2-inch, irregularly shaped pieces.
Halloween Bark Toppings
The fun of Halloween Bark is that you can top it with whatever you fancy.
Here are a few ideas:
- Pretzels
- Sprinkles
- Edible eyeballs
- Halloween trail mix
- Candy corn
- Candy corn pumpkins
- Chopped or mini peanut butter cups
- Crushed potato chips
- Flaky sea salt
- Roasted pumpkin seeds
- Cereal
- M&M’s or mini M&M’s
- Chopped candy bars such as Snickers or Kit-Kats
- Chocolate covered espresso beans
- Pretzel mummies
- Gummy worms
- Chopped nuts
- Dried fruit, like dried cranberries, apricots, etc.
- Drizzles of melted, contrasting chocolate
- Drizzles of melted, colorful candy melts
- Chopped Oreo cookies
- Your favorite candies, like Snickers bars, Kit Kats or any other spooky candy bars
How to store
Store your bark in an airtight container in the refrigerator. It can become very melty very quickly if left at room temperature.
If adding to cellophane bags, refrigerate the pieces in the bags until ready to hand out.
Erin’s Easy Entertaining Tips
Wouldn’t these easy Halloween treats be fun to share at a gathering?
Here’s what I would do if I were serving these in an entertaining atmosphere.
- Make this at a Halloween party and let kids add their favorite toppings. You can pour small amounts of chocolate on parchment-lined plates. It’ll be ready in 30 minutes, so they can take some home at the end of the party.
- Make a double batch and put some pieces in a cellophane bag to share with friends, neighbors and teachers. It’s a great party favor, too.
- Keep it in the fridge until ready to serve because it does melt easily. If transporting, keep it in a cooler.
Frequently Asked Questions
Bark candy made with chocolate and candy can last for 2-3 weeks in the fridge. If any items on the bark can go stale, like pretzels, it may not last as long.
You can make Halloween bark with melted chocolate chips or white chocolate chips and spreading it into a thin layer. While the chocolate is still in a melted state, top it with candies, sprinkles and other toppings, then let it set up in the fridge. Once set, you can cut it into shareable pieces.
Candy bark is called bark because it resembles large pieces of tree bark.
Quick tips and tricks to making the best Halloween Bark
- Be careful when melting the chocolate chips in the microwave, especially white chocolate. Warm it in short intervals at 50% power, stirring between each. When smooth, remove it. If it burns, you cannot get it back.
- Sprinkle on the toppings evenly so that when you cut the pieces, chances are good there will be some of everything on each piece.
- Wait until the chocolate has set before chopping it, 30 minutes to an hour.
More Halloween recipes
Want to make this one? Check out how easy it is to make…
Halloween Bark
Ingredients
- 1 cup chocolate chips 190g / 6.65 oz.
- ½ cup chopped pretzels 28g
- ¼ cup candy corn 50g
- 1 tablespoon Halloween sprinkles 15g
- 1 ½ teaspoons eyeball sprinkles 6g
Equipment
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Instructions
- Line a rimmed sheet pan with wax or parchment paper. Set aside.
- Place the chocolate chips in a microwave-safe bowl. Melt in 30-second bursts in the microwave until completely melted.
- Pour the melted chocolate onto the prepared baking sheet.
- Spread with an offset spatula until ¼” thick. (This will make for a thinner bark. You may make yours thicker, but you will have less pieces and it will also take longer to solidify.)
- Sprinkle chopped pretzels, candy corn and sprinkles on top. Finish with candy eyeballs.
- Place in the refrigerator for 30 minutes to set.
- Once set, chop with a sharp knife into 1-2” irregularly sized pieces.
- Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator until ready to enjoy.
Notes
Nutrition
About the Author:
Erin Parker is a Southern gal living in Texas with her husband and two daughters. She started The Speckled Palate to share what she was cooking as a newlywed… and over the years, it’s evolved to capture her love for hosting. Specifically, the EASIEST, lowest key entertaining because everyone deserves to see their people and connect over good food. Learn more about her…
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