This Chocolate Bark recipe is a decadent treat that’s easy to make and great for giving as a gift. Graham crackers covered with rich caramel and dark chocolate create a bark that’s hard to pass up. Top it off with flaky salt and pecans for an incredible treat.
Chocolate Caramel Bark is one of my favorite holiday treats to give away this year, even beating out peppery peanut butter cookies. I’ve made three batches all ready and between gifts and all of us, it has disappeared very quickly. This Christmas chocolate bark is not as sweet as some because of the graham cracker base.
While it takes a couple of steps, I’ve given you some tips to make sure it turns out perfect. This recipe for chocolate is very forgiving, so even if you don’t have a candy thermometer, it’ll still be fantastic.
The first time I made this, I cleaned out my pantry and used all the scrapes of chocolate I had. It ended up being mostly dark chocolate. However, I thought it could use a little milk chocolate. The next batches I experimented and found my favorite combination which is 10 ounces of dark chocolate and 6 ounces of milk chocolate.
Any combination of bars of chocolate or chips will work so use what you like. This is the time to splurge and get the best quality chocolate that will fit your budget; you can’t go wrong with Ghirardelli.
Why you’ll love this chocolate bark recipe
- It’s got a perfect balance of sweet
- It’s a forgiving recipe and doesn’t have to be done perfectly to look or taste great!
- The pecan crunch at the end of the sweet caramel flavor along with flaky salt, is fabulous.
- I love making and giving homemade gifts – this one is a wonderful gift in a bag!
What you’ll need
- Chocolate – any type and variety will be delicious. If you are a dark chocolate fan, use all dark. You can even throw in chocolate chips. You want a total of about 16 ounces
- Graham crackers – you’ll need 15
- Butter and brown sugar – for the caramel
- Pecans and salt – for the topping
How do you make Chocolate Caramel Bark
Step 1: Line up graham crackers on a rimmed baking sheet. If, like me, you are making several batches and don’t have enough rimmed sheets, put an empty baking sheet underneath just in case it drips over. Mine did not, but came close. This is one of those recipes that it helps to have everything ready before you start.
Step 2: Make the caramel by cooking brown sugar and butter and pour it over the graham crackers.
Tips for making CARAMEL
- Make sure there is no moisture in the saucepan
- Use a candy thermometer and remove when it reaches 300º or if it starts to smell like it’s burning remove immediately.`
- If no candy thermometer, look for a deep golden color
- You don’t need to stir it, but if you just have to stir, it won’t ruin it
- Pour this over the graham crackers immediately.
Pro tip: If your butter and brown sugar separates, don’t worry, it will still taste awesome. Just pour it over the graham crackers and continue with the recipe.
Step 3: Bake for 10 minutes.
Step 4: Melt chocolate in a microwave at 50% power stirring every 30 seconds until just melted.
Step 5: Pour chocolate mixture over caramel mixture and immediately add nuts and sprinkle with flaky salt.
Step 6: Let cool completely and then refrigerate or freeze to harden before breaking into pieces.
The end result is a heavenly combination of chocolate, salted caramel and pecans on a crunchy graham cracker base. I just put them in a cellophane bag and add some ribbon to tie it shut and then store them in the freezer so that when I need to take a gift around the holidays, I have one ready to go.
Everyone who has received these holiday treats have raved about how rich and delicious Christmas bark is. It’s also great for a hostess gift or just leave a bag in the freezer and grab a piece every time you go by.
What type of chocolate is best for chocolate bark
For the first batch, I used up all the dark chocolate pieces that had been accumulating in the pantry, an ounce here and there and a few dark chocolate chips. It was amazing, especially if you are a dark chocolate fan. Every batch I make is different, just use a total of 16 ounces.
More topping ideas
Try topping your bark with slivered almonds or toasted coconut. To make the bark festive, add some colorful sprinkles or crushed peppermint. To choose a healthier option, add pepitas or chopped pistachio seeds or dried cranberries.
FAQs and tips
You can use chocolate chips and any combination of chocolate.
No big deal, just pour it all over the graham crackers and when it bakes, you’ll never know.
This will save for months in the freezer. If you are going to ship it, you will want to freeze it first to keep the chocolate from melting.
Yes, this will ship unless you live in a hot climate. Freeze first and ship so that it arrives in three days.
A double boiler is a great way to melt something on the stove. Fill a sauce pan with a small quantity of water then bring it to a boil. Hold a smaller pan with the chocolate over the hot water and stir until it’s melted. Your chocolate will melt beautifully!
Need some more Edible Gift ideas
- If you like white chocolate, then try Peppermint Brownies
- I always love to give cookies away, Peppery Peanut Butter Cookies add the perfect amount of spice in a gift
- Or try Special K Cookies for a buttery cookie with a splash of orange
- Your friends will love Pistachio Cranberry Shortbread
- For a festive gift try cherry crinkle cookies
Chocolate Bark Recipe
Ingredients
- 15 graham crackers
- 1 cup butter
- 1 cup brown sugar dark or light
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- 1 ½ cups pecans chopped
- 10 ounces dark chocolate chopped
- 6 ounces milk chocolate chopped
- ½ teaspoon sea salt for sprinkling
Equipment
- Candy thermometer
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350º.
- Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment. Place graham crackers on sheet touching each other.
- In a medium saucepan, add butter, brown sugar and salt. Bring to a boil and boil for 2-3 minutes, until a candy thermometer reads 300º. Do not stir. Pour over graham crackers, spread evenly. Bake for 8-10 minutes until it is bubbly but not burnt.
- While baking, melt chocolate in the microwave stirring every 30 seconds until just melted. Pour over baked graham cracker caramel mixture and sprinkle with pecans and flaky sea salt.
- Chill for at least 45 minutes and then break into pieces.
Video
Barbara’s Tips + Notes
- Make sure there is no moisture in the saucepan
- Use a candy thermometer and remove when it reaches 300º
- If no candy thermometer, look for a deep golden color
- You don’t need to stir it, but if you just have to stir, it won’t ruin it
- Pour this over the graham crackers immediately, if it separates, don’t worry, it will still taste awesome
- Try adding toasted coconut to the top with the pecans. Alternative toppings could be colorful sprinkles or pepita seeds.
Nutrition
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Hi Barbara, thank you for a very tasty recipe. This is the first bark I’ve ever made and I added crushed pieces of Werthers caramel candy on the top for extra crunch and used toasted almond slivers instead of the pecans.
The only problem is that once it all cooled down and hardened, the chocolate detached from the caramel when I was breaking them into bark pieces. It was like two separate layers. Any idea why?
It could be that the caramel cooked too long in the oven. Try taking it out a little sooner.