This quick and delicious recipe for Red White and Blue Bark is here just in time for all your Fourth of July celebrations. The sweetness of the chocolate paired with the salty and crunchy pretzels will light fireworks on your tongue. In less than an hour you’ll have a colorful dessert on the table for all your Fourth festivities.
Seriously though, this easy chocolate bark is SO good and SO simple to make. Not to mention, it looks great as a party favor. The ingredients are very simple, and can be assembled in about 10 minutes. That means all you have to worry about are the other amazing recipes you have planned this July.
Reasons You’ll Love This Easy Candy Bark
Colorful and Festive – This recipe is not only sweet to eat but looks gorgeous on the table or in your festive photos!
Simple and Easy – The prep time only takes about 10 minutes! The rest of the time you just have to let it cool while you cool down by the pool!
Sweet and Salty – The chocolate and pretzels combination is a match made in heaven.
Family Fun – Let your kids in the kitchen for this recipe and have them decorate the bark with the fun and colorful toppings!
Ingredient Notes and Substitutions
This is an overview of the ingredients you will need to make this fun Red, White and Blue Bark for the 4th of July. Important notes and substitutions for certain ingredients are discussed. The full printable recipe, with amounts and specific details, can be found at the bottom of the page.
Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips – Any brand works fine since you’ll be melting them down. You can also use candy melts. Personally I love using dark chocolate as well, but it’s simply a matter of taste.
White Chocolate – While you can use white chocolate chips or chopped white chocolate, I actually find that candy melts work really well. They firm up nicely, and give you a more true white color.
Mini Marshmallows – Not only do the mini-marshmallows help with the red, white and blue color theme, they add another layer of flavor and texture.
Mini Salted Pretzels – You can use unsalted as well, but the salted pretzels gives this recipe an extra level of flavor!
Red and Blue M&M’s – Sometimes M&Ms will sell a bag of red white and blue candies for the season, but if you can’t find that, just pick out the red and blue ones from a regular bag and eat the rest! You can add mini marshmallows for the white color.
Red White and Blue Sprinkles – The sprinkles give this bark a “firework” look to it, but feel free to get as festive as you want and add as much red white and blue candy that you can think of.
How To Make Chocolate Bark
Let’s discuss the steps you’ll take to make this Fourth Of July Chocolate Bark If you want to skip my discussion, tips, information and answers to frequently asked questions, just scroll to the bottom of this post for the printable recipe.
- Start by grabbing a 9×13 baking tray and lining it with parchment paper. Next, In a microwave-safe bowl pour in the semi-sweet chocolate chips and heat them in 30-second increments.
- Make sure to stir it after every 30 seconds until completely melted.
- Once melted, take a rubber spatula and pour the melted chocolate onto the parchment lined baking sheet and spread it evenly. Pop the tray in the refrigerator, and let it cool until the chocolate has set completely which usually takes about 20 minutes.
- While that cools, grab another heat safe bowl and microwave the white chocolate chips in 30-second increments.
- Stir until fully melted like before.
- Take the baking tray out of the fridge and pour the white chocolate over the set semi-sweet chocolate. Make sure it’s even by spreading the white chocolate with a spatula.
- For this next step you’ll want to act quick so the chocolate doesn’t set. Add your pretzels, M&M’s, mini marshmallows, sprinkles, and any other toppings all over the top of the bark.
- Once the toppings are added, place this 4th of July bark back into the refrigerator for an additional 20 minutes, or until set. Remove the chocolate bark from the refrigerator and break into large pieces before serving!
Recipe Tips & Advice
Storage – You can store your patriotic candy in a plastic bag or airtight container for about 7 days at room temperature.
Materials – You will need a 9×13 baking sheet, some parchment paper, microwave safe bowls and a rubber spatula.
Faster Method – If you’re in a rush to get this done and want the chocolate to cool faster in between preparing the bark, you can freeze the first layer of chocolate until completely set (about 10 minutes). If you use this method, you’ll have to act fast when pouring the white chocolate on top. Since the bottom layer will be cold, the white chocolate layer will set immediately. You will also want to apply the toppings to the white chocolate right away or they will not stick.
Recipe FAQs
Ideally, you’ll want to serve this indoors, especially during the summer. Make sure the bark is on a dry surface and keep it in an environment that is less than 70°F. If you do these things, it should be fine
Yes, you can melt the chocolate on the stovetop using a double boiler.
There isn’t any special way to cut this white chocolate bark, and it doesn’t have to be even. You can take a knife to this bark, (be careful!) but breaking it with your hand works just fine.
More Red, White and Blue Recipes
More Recipes To Try
I love to make this type of easy bark for many holidays and celebrations. Here are some of my favorites…
For the Fourth of July, try my Red, White and Blue Cocktail. It’s delicious, cute and quick to make and can be made as a mocktail.
Red White And Blue Bark
Ingredients
- 12 ounces semi-sweet chocolate
- 12 ounces white chocolate
- 1/2 cup mini salted pretzels
- 1/4 cup red and blue M&Ms or Red, White and Blue M&Ms
- 1/4 cup mini marshmallows
- 3 tablespoons red, white and blue sprinkles
Instructions
- Line a 9×13 baking tray with parchment paper or a silicone mat.
- In a microwave-safe bowl heat the semi-sweet chocolate chips in 30-second increments, stirring until melted. Using a rubber spatula, pour the chocolate onto the parchment paper spreading it evenly. Refrigerate the bark until the chocolate is set, about 20 minutes
- In a second bowl, melt the white chocolate chips in 30-second increments until fully melted. Pour the white chocolate over the set semi-sweet chocolate. Spread an even layer with the rubber spatula.
- Then add the pretzels, M&M’s, mini marshmallows, and sprinkles all over the top of the bark. Do this quickly before the white chocolate layer sets. Add the 4th of July bark back into the refrigerator for an additional 20 minutes, or until set.
- Remove the 4th of July bark from the refrigerator and break into large pieces.
Notes
Nutrition
Disclaimer
Nutrition information is estimated as a courtesy. If using for medical purposes, please verify information using your own nutritional calculator. Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
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