Chocolate Bark is so easy to make and offers so many possibilities, it’s the perfect fix when a craving strikes, or when company arrives unannounced.

I’m such a huge fan of Chocolate Bark! I mean, what’s there not to like about it? I it comes together in no time, dirties practically no dishes, requires no special equipment and is ready to eat in mere minutes. Sure, I mean, technically, you DO have to let it set, but that step could easily be expedited if you needed a fix real quickly, or if company dropped by unannounced.

Another undeniable quality of this lovely treat is its phenomenal versatility. You can choose to make virtually any combination that your heart desires! Doesn’t matter whether you’re on team dark, milk or white chocolate: you can go for any which one you prefer, and even mix and match!

Then comes the matter of what to add to that chocolate. Nuts and dried fruits are definitely the first options that come to mind, but here, the possibilities are practically endless. Some are in favor or adding puffed or crushed cereal, desiccated coconut, granola, pretzels, candies (gummy bears or crushed candy canes, anyone?) and even bacon to theirs! What’s more, you also get to decide whether you want to mix those in or just sprinkle them on top of your chocolate. Or maybe do a combination of both, why not?

But I digress… I think I got a little carried away. You probably got the idea by now, right? ENDLESS POSSIBILITIES!

For this particular batch, I chose to keep things real simple but went for highly contrasting colors, flavors and textures: bittersweet, dark chocolate meets sweet and silky white chocolate in a sexy swirly tango while soft, blushing red and tangy cranberries timidly hold hands with crunchy, blond and slightly salty roasted peanuts.

A memorable union that your taste buds won’t soon forget…

Step-by-step instructions & pictures

Not that they are really all that necessary… but they’re always nice to have, still! 

First off, line a 13″ x 18″ baking sheet baking sheet with parchment paper.

Melt the dark chocolate in the microwave in 30 second burts, stirring well for an equal amount of time between each burst, until the chocolate is completely melted.

Repeat with the white chocolate.

Add the roasted peanuts to the melted dark chocolate and stir until well coated; likewise, stir the dried cranberries into the melted white chocolate.

Then, randomly drop spoonfuls of both chocolate mixtures onto your prepared baking sheet, alternating between white and dark and making certain that all the dollops connect.

Next, create swirls in the chocolate by running the tip of a paring knife or a wooden skewer across the dollops.

You can create as much or as little swirls as you like here: just go wild and let your blade or skewer spin and twirl in all directions, go back and forth, rotate, zig-zag, basically just let it dance in that beautiful patch of chocolate.

Just be careful not to overdo it, or you might end up with something that looks more like milk chocolate!

When you’re happy with your swirls, place the pan in the refrigerator for about 30 minutes, or until the chocolate bark is completely set. If you’re in a real pinch, or need a chocolate fix real bad and like NOW, you could stick your pan in the freezer instead, and your bark would be ready to break-up in a fraction of the time, perhaps even in as little as 5 minutes!

As soon as your chocolate is set, use your fingers to break it into several pieces of different shapes and sizes.

You can then store your chocolate bark in a cool dry place in an airtight container for up to several weeks;

“Can” being the key word, here…

Storage is entirely optional!