Loaded Christmas Bark

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Loaded Christmas Bark โ€” ๐ŸŽ„๐Ÿ’šโค๏ธ This EASY, no-bake chocolate bark is LOADED with goodies!! Oreos, M&Mโ€™s, peanuts, pretzels, and sprinkles! Great for holiday parties and cookie exchanges! Salty, sweet, and addictively good!!

five big pieces of christmas bark on a white platter

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    Easy Chocolate Christmas Bark Candy

    Christmas bark is something I remember fondly from childhood. Except the kind my mom and the neighbor ladies made wasnโ€™t quite as doctored up as this version. 

    โ€˜Tis the season and the more goodies the merrier is the way I look at it. Fa la la la la.

    This is a ridiculously easy no-bake treat with Oreos, pretzels, peanuts, M&Ms, white chocolate chips, and holiday sprinkles all embedded into dark chocolate. In this busy season, the words โ€œno-bakeโ€ are Santaโ€™s gifts to me.

    Itโ€™s salty, sweet, and crunchy with so much texture and flavor in every bite. It hits all my dessert hot buttons and is perfect for cookie exchanges or impromptu holiday parties.

    christmas bark topped with M&M's, white chocolate chips, and festive sprinkles

    Ingredients in Christmas Bark Candy

    To make this easy no-bake Christmas treat, youโ€™ll need: 

    • Oreos โ€“ any kind
    • Pretzels โ€“ use gluten-free if needed
    • Salted peanuts โ€“ another nut may be substituted
    • Chocolate โ€“ semi-sweet or dark
    • Holiday M&Mโ€™s
    • White chocolate chips
    • Holiday sprinkles โ€“ any shape or color

    Note: Scroll down to the recipe card section of the post for the ingredients with amounts included and for more complete directions.

    Need to Make This Bark Allergen-Friendly?

    This is a very easy no-bake dessert to make allergy-friendly. Check the pretzels and other toppings to make sure theyโ€™re gluten-free, for example. Use your favorite vegan chocolate. Omit the peanuts if you have a peanut allergy, and so on.

    How to Make Christmas Bark

    This has got to be the easiest Christmas chocolate bark ever! Hereโ€™s a look at how the recipe comes together: 

    1. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
    2. Scatter the Oreos, pretzels, peanuts over the parchment paper.
    3. Evenly drizzle the mixture with melted chocolate.
    4. Before chocolate sets, evenly top with the M&Mโ€™s, white chocolate chips, and sprinkles.
    5. Let set until hardened before breaking and eating.
    close up of a piece of christmas bark candy

    Recipe FAQs

    Whatโ€™s the Best Chocolate for Christmas Bark?

    I use Trader Joeโ€™s Pound Plus Bars because they melt beautifully and are well-priced. Specifically I use one-half pound of the 72% and one-half pound of the Dark.If you canโ€™t find it in your area, look for chocolate candy melts or try buying chocolate in bulk bins that looks like small discs.

    Can I just use chocolate chips?

    Use chocolate chips only as a last resort. Chocolate chips have stabilizers in them that prevent them from melting easily (great for cookies, not good for candy bark!).

    Can I Add Extra Toppings?

    Feel free to add whatever goodies you have on hand. I  made my Christmas bark with pretzels, M&Mโ€™s, and other goodies but peanut butter cups, leftover Halloween candy, etc. would also work โ€” trash it up however you see fit.

    Can I Double This Recipe?

    Absolutely! This recipe can easily be doubled, tripled, etc.

    Do I need to temper the chocolate?

    I did NOT temper the chocolate to make the chocolate bark and no one complained. Tempering the chocolate would make it shiny once set to room temperature and would also give it more of a snap.

    How long does christmas bark last?

    Bark will keep airtight at room temperature for up to 2 weeks, in the fridge for at least 1 month, and in the freezer for at least 4 months. I store mine in the fridge (itโ€™s warm in San Diego even in the winter) and take it out about 15 to 20 minutes before serving.

    If you know how to temper chocolate and have the patience to do it this holiday season, go for it. Otherwise the bark is so loaded with toppings that I donโ€™t think it matters one way or another.

    Loaded Christmas Bark - This EASY, no-bake chocolate bark is LOADED with goodies!! Oreos, M&M's, peanuts, pretzels, and sprinkles! Great for holiday parties and cookie exchanges! Salty, sweet, and addictively good!!

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    4.84 from 12 votes

    Loaded Christmas Bark

    By Averie Sunshine
    This EASY, no-bake chocolate bark is LOADED with goodies!! Oreos, M&M's, peanuts, pretzels, and sprinkles! Great for holiday parties and cookie exchanges! Salty, sweet, and addictively good!! ๐ŸŽ„๐Ÿ’šโค๏ธ
    Prep Time: 10 minutes
    Cooling Time: 50 minutes
    Total Time: 1 hour
    Servings: pounds bark
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    Ingredients 

    • 12 Oreos, quartered
    • about 1 1/2 cups pretzels, coarsely chopped or broken
    • ยพ cup salted peanuts
    • 1 pound dark chocolate*, coarsely chopped (or use semi-sweet)
    • ยฝ cup holiday M&Ms, (I used plain M&M's but you can use peanut or your favorite variety)
    • ยฝ cup white chocolate chips
    • 3 tablespoons holiday sprinkles, (or as many as desired)
    Prevent your screen from going dark

    Instructions 

    • Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and scatter the Oreos, pretzels, peanuts, and toss with your hands to mix. The dry ingredients should be touching but not overlapping; set aside.
    • To a large, microwave-safe bowl add the chocolate and heat on high power for 30 seconds to melt. Stop to check and stir. Reheat in 15 second bursts until chocolate can be stirred smooth.
    • Evenly drizzle the chocolate over the dry mixture on baking sheet. If there are stray dry ingredients around the perimeter that didnโ€™t get coated with chocolate, itโ€™s okay to toss them on top of the chocolate so they adhere.
    • Before chocolate sets, evenly sprinkle the M&Ms, white chocolate chips, and sprinkles.
    • Place tray in fridge or freezer until chocolate sets before breaking into pieces and serving.

    Notes

    *Chocolate: I used Trader Joeโ€™s Pound Plus Bars; one-half pound of the 72% and one-half pound of the Dark. Read blog post for additional tips. 
    Storage: Bark will keep airtight at room temp for up to 2 weeks, in the fridge for at least 1 month, and in the freezer for at least 4 months. I store mine in the fridge (itโ€™s warm in San Diego even in the winter) and take it out about 15 to 20 minutes before serving.

    Nutrition

    Serving: 1, Calories: 328kcal, Carbohydrates: 39g, Protein: 4g, Fat: 18g, Saturated Fat: 8g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 7g, Cholesterol: 4mg, Sodium: 136mg, Fiber: 3g, Sugar: 26g

    Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

    More Easy No-Bake Christmas Treats:

    ALL OF MY CHRISTMAS RECIPES!  

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    Loaded Christmas Puppy Chow โ€” This fast, easy, no-bake holiday treat is LOADED with all the good stuff! Chocolate, peanut butter, sugar, M&Ms, peanut butter cups, and pretzels for a salty-sweet, crunchy, and addictive snack!

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    Christmas Chocolate-Covered Oreos โ€” Oreo cookies dipped in chocolate and loaded with sprinkles are an irresistible holiday treat! Fast, EASY, no-bake, can be made in advance!

    A white platter with chocolate-covered treats, decorated with red, green, and white icing and sprinkles. Surrounding are small bowls of sprinkles and ribbons.
    4.84 from 12 votes (10 ratings without comment)

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    Please note: I have only made the recipe as written, and cannot give advice or predict what will happen if you change something. If you have a question regarding changing, altering, or making substitutions to the recipe, please check out the FAQ page for more info.

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    Comments

    1. 5 stars
      This is excellent but I when I take it out of the fridge to serve it, it starts to get soft as it loses the chill and it gets all over your fingers. Anybody got a suggestion besides eating it faster??

      1. Hi Rudy this bark should not really soften.

        Once you melt chocolate, and it sets back up, you donโ€™t need to keep it in the fridge. It will be fine at room temp. I am not sure what kind of chocolate you used. But I would just keep this out at room temp. It will have some condensation from the fridge but that will dry up.

    2. 5 stars
      This bark is amazing, itโ€™s a tradition with our grandkids, they have fun making this and especially breaking the Oreos!  Weโ€™ve used Christmas sprinkles, winter sprinkles and fall sprinkles this bark can take on any and every holiday/season.  Itโ€™s one of the  few sweet treats I canโ€™t keep my hands out of.   Good stuff!

    3. I just made this colorful bark. It was super easy, and looks just like Christmas! The only ingredient I changed, was using salted mixed nuts instead of peanuts. Thank you! Have a Merry Christmas!

      1. Thanks for trying the recipe and Iโ€™m glad it came out great for you! The salted nut mix was great Iโ€™m sure!

    4. We just made this bark, and it was a big hit and so easy to make. Itโ€™s also super festive! Thank you for the recipe, which we will make year after year. Merry Christmas!

    5. Wow! These are so delicious and simple. Thanks for this recipe โ€“ sometimes my little nieces and nephews donโ€™t enjoy the more grown up desserts, but they sure do love these. Canโ€™t wait to have them help me make another batch this week! Happy Holidays!

    6. This is perfect to munch on while watching Christmas movies! So thick and filled with goodies! Love it!

    7. I love TJs chocolate too. These are amazing, everything all in one! I know a few who would gobble these up!

    8. Oh my gosh. I feel a little woozy after looking at all these pictures โ€“ so many awesome things packed into one treat! If it wasnโ€™t so late, Iโ€™d run out and grab all the chocolate I can get my hands on to start making these. :) Thank you for sharing!

    9. What a pretty bark! I love all of the goodies in this (not to mention how easy it is to make)! The perfect last minute gift or holiday treat!

      1. No-bake stuff, this time of year especially, and easy recipes, are what make make my world go โ€™round :)

    10. Iโ€™ve never seen a more loaded bark recipeโ€“this has it all!! Lots of good stuff covered in chocolate and very festive. It looks like it comes out fairly thick too (great for sinking oneโ€™s teeth into)!

      1. It comes out nice and thick so you can really sink your teeth into it. If youโ€™ve ever had Trader Joeโ€™s Cowboy Bark, it reminds me of that, but with holiday flavors, more loaded up, richer, and a bit thicker too because of all the goodies it accommodates :)