Valentines chocolate bark recipe
Valentines chocolate bark is simple to make, it’s ready in hardly any time at all, and it’s a quick and easy Valentine treat idea. Melted dark chocolate and white chocolate is topped with freeze-dried strawberries, sprinkles and a bit of flaky sea salt.
I’ll give you variations and substitutions where I can, plus helpful tips and tricks for success. Read on for this info as well as the recipe. If you’d like to skip straight to the recipe, use the jump to recipe button at the top of the post.
You may also be interested in my fruit and nut chocolate bark and my homemade buckeyes recipes. For ease of browsing, you can find all of my no bake desserts in one place.
Pook’s Pantry participates in affiliate programs. If you make a purchase through one of my links, I may earn a small commission. For more information, please see my disclosure policy.
Valentines chocolate bark with dried fruit
Fruit and chocolate go together really well – we all know that. But for chocolate bark, I prefer using freeze dried fruit, or dried fruit. Fresh fruit adds moisture to chocolate, something chocolate doesn’t like. In addition, the fruit will weep and make it messy (think chocolate covered strawberries that have been in the fridge for a couple of days).
Freeze dried fruit lacks moisture, so it will not make a mess of your chocolate bark. However, after a few days, the strawberry slices will become less crispy, and a little chewy.
What you need to know
I used 70% dark chocolate bars for the base of this bark. It’s not terribly sweet, but it is not bitter either, which some really dark chocolates tend to be. It also balances nicely with the white chocolate and the freeze dried strawberries.
I don’t recommend melting chocolate chips to make this Valentine’s chocolate bark. Why? Because chocolate chips are made to hold their shape. They have stabilizers to keep the chip intact during baking. If that’s all you have, use it. You can stir in a tiny bit of coconut oil or neutral oil to help loosen it up, but I’d recommend using bars or a block of chocolate for the best results.
It’s also fairly allergy-friendly, if that is a concern. It doesn’t contain nuts, and it is gluten-free. Just make sure that any of the toppings you add are also nut and gluten-free.
Ingredients
This is exactly what I used to make this chocolate bark for Valentine’s Day. It is one of the easiest treats to pull together and doesn’t require turning on the oven.
- Dark chocolate – I used 70% dark chocolate bars as the base.
- White chocolate – If you don’t like white chocolate, just use all dark chocolate.
- Sprinkles – You probably have some leftover sprinkles or nonpareils from holiday baking, this is a great way to use them up.
- Freeze-dried Fruit -I used freeze-dried strawberries and raspberries.
- Substitution: Dried cranberries or cherries will work too instead of freeze-dried fruit.
- Candy – A handful of Valentine’s colored M&M’s on top give a bit of color.
- Flaky salt – Maldon is my preferred flaky salt. This is optional, especially if kids will be eating this, but it balances the sweetness.
How to make
Here’s a quick summary of how to make Valentines chocolate bark. Please see the recipe card at the bottom of this post for the full recipe.
- Melt the dark chocolate. Pour into pan and let it set up.
- Pour white chocolate over dark chocolate. You can use all dark chocolate, if you prefer.
- Top with freeze-dried fruit, sprinkles and flaky salt, or make a few variations in sections.
- Set – Let the chocolate bark set up on the counter for a couple of hours, then break into small pieces.
You can swirl the chocolate together, or layer it. It depends on which look you prefer. You’ll get a bit more variation with swirling, but either way will be lovely.
Valentines chocolate bark FAQ’s
Store chocolate bark in an airtight container at room temperature for a week.
No. Leave the Valentines chocolate bark out at cool room temperature. Chocolate absorbs the flavors around it, like leftovers, cheese, fish – you get the picture.
White chocolate doesn’t melt exactly like dark chocolate. It tends to be thicker and less “pourable”. If your melted white chocolate is too thick, add half a teaspoon of coconut oil or neutral oil to it, then stir until it loosens up and the oil is fully incorporated.
Would you like to save this recipe?
We'll email this post to you, so you can come back to it later!
Variations and substitutions
- Sweet and salty – Use mini pretzels to make a Valentines chocolate bark with pretzels and dried fruit.
- Color – Use a drop of gel food coloring (NOT liquid) to dye the white chocolate pink, if you like. Too much liquid can cause the chocolate to seize, so please do not use liquid food coloring, only gel, and only a drop or two.
Valentine’s Day dinner ideas
For everyone who also spends this holiday at home, here are a few of our favorite valentines food ideas:
For breakfast, try these strawberry scones or a Dutch baby pancake.
Dinner and drinks at home call for something a little special, like lobster bisque, braised short ribs, coq au vin, or langostino risotto. For drinks, try my Chambord champagne cocktail or Hibiscus champagne cocktail.
A few of our favorite sweets for this holiday are Valentine cookies with marbled icing, strawberry cream cheese cupcakes, or chocolate coconut truffles.
Helpful tools and equipment
- I used these nonstick quarter size sheet pans for this chocolate bark recipe.
- Parchment paper sheets are MUCH easier to use than tearing pieces off of a roll.
- Silicone mats are a fantastic option, and are washable and reusable.
Please share
If you love this recipe, please give it 5 stars!
I hope you love this Valentines chocolate bark recipe as much as we do! Please consider rating and/or commenting.
Your shares help this site to grow and I appreciate it so much. Do you know someone who would like this? I’d love it if you would share it on Facebook or pin it to your favorite recipe board.
Valentines chocolate bark
Ingredients
- 12 ounces dark chocolate
- 4 ounces white chocolate *see note
- ⅔ cup freeze-dried strawberry slices freeze-dried raspberries are also delicious
- ¼ cup M&M candies
- 1 – 2 tablespoons sprinkles
- ½ teaspoon flaky sea salt such as Maldon
Instructions
- Line a small (quarter size) sheet pan with parchment paper or a silicone mat, then set aside.
- Melt dark chocolate – You can do this in 30 second increments in the microwave, stirring after each round, or you can set a heatproof bowl over a pot of simmering water – do not let the water touch the bottom of the bowl.
- Remove chocolate from heat when it is 90% melted. The residual heat will continue to melt the remaining pieces. Stir until it is completely melted and smooth, then pour the melted dark chocolate over the parchment/silicone mat. Try not to stir too vigorously, otherwise you'll get bubbles in the chocolate.
- Let the chocolate set up (unless you are swirling it together) for about an hour. If you're in a hurry, you can place it in the refrigerator for 10 minutes.
- Melt white chocolate either in the microwave or on the stove. *If your white chocolate is really thick, add ¼ – ½ teaspoon of coconut oil, or a neutral oil to the melted white chocolate, and stir until combined, and slightly thinned.
- Pour the white chocolate over the dark chocolate, then spread in an even layer.
- Sprinkle freeze dried strawberries, M&M candies, and sprinkles over the melted chocolate. Lightly press bigger pieces down into the chocolate. *Work quickly so it doesn't set up. Once the chocolate starts to firm up, the toppings won't stick.Sprinkle flaky salt, if using, over the top of the chocolate bark.
- Cool at room temperature for at least 2 hours or until set. Break into approximately 24 small pieces.Store in an airtight container at cool room temperature for up to a week.
Notes
- For a thicker white chocolate layer, use 8 ounces, or 2 bars.
- If you place chocolate in the fridge, do not leave it in there for more than 20 minutes – you may get condensation on top.
- I broke up a few freeze-dried raspberries to dust the top of the white chocolate. They are slightly tart, which is a nice balance to the sweetness.
Nutrition
Buy me a coffee? If you ever wondered how you can lend a hand, show a little support or just say “thanks” for the recipes? You can “buy me a coffee” to help me keep the free recipes coming.
Thanks for stopping by! Have a delicious day 🙂
Questions? Send me an email, I’m happy to help. I’d love to send you weekly tips and recipes, so you can get updates about what’s happening in the kitchen!
Hello! All photos and content are copyright protected. Please do not use my photos or recipe (other than for personal use) without prior written permission. Thank you!