Super simple, minimal ingredients, but results that are addicting… that’s what this dairy-free chocolate bark recipe is all about! Chocolate bark was another one of those recipes where I was thinking, this is so simple, do I really need to share the recipe. It seems so straightforward to make. But alas, every delicious dessert needs a good recipe no matter how simple it may seem to whip up in the homestead kitchen. Nonetheless, I do have some helpful tips to share when it comes to making allergy-friendly chocolate bark. No matter the results, I think you will love how simple and easy this dairy-free chocolate bark is to make!

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Modern Pioneer Recipe

Dairy-free chocolate bark is a modern pioneer recipe, although chocolate was a special treat in the early pioneer days! Being a modern pioneer recipe, this chocolate bark uses simple ingredients and is very easy to make. No baking or cooking required!

Often times recipes with minimal ingredients are some of the easiest recipes to keep allergy-friendly, and this chocolate bark recipe is no exception! This chocolate bark can easily be made….

• gluten-free
• dairy-free
• nut free
• corn free
• grain-free
• refined sugar free
• egg free
• soy free

This chocolate bark really only requires 2 ingredients: chocolate and any topping of your choice. But we don’t have to keep it that simple! There are countless options for adding variety to this chocolate bark recipe, and we will go over a few allergy-friendly ideas later. Not only are the ingredients minimal for this recipe, but they are also very flexible. Use the chocolate of your choice and the toppings of your choice, and this chocolate bark will still come out tasting delicious!

As a modern pioneer, I like to think back to what ingredients the early pioneers might have used if they made chocolate bark. Here are some ingredients you can use to make a more ‘pioneer’ version of chocolate bark:

• dark chocolate– not milk chocolate or white chocolate
• nuts & seeds– peanuts, cashews, almonds, roasted sunflower seeds, roasted pumpkin seeds, etc…
• dried fruit– cranberries, raisins, cherries, blueberries, etc…

Need more allergy-friendly modern pioneer snack ideas? Check out these 12 Healthy New Year’s Eve Snacks that are delicious all-year round too!

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Healthy Chocolate Guide

Let’s spend a little time discussing the main ingredient in this recipe: chocolate! Chocolate nowadays can come in all different shapes, sizes, colors, and flavors. What is the definition of chocolate now anyways? When making allergy-friendly chocolate bark, you need to choose allergy-friendly chocolate options.

Thankfully, there are many ‘healthier’ chocolates to choose from! First let’s discuss chocolate chips versus baking bars. Chocolate chips are often sweetened and have added stabilizers to help them keep their shape. The same applies to chocolate bars sold for eating. Chocolate bars sold as baking bars are often not sweetened (or not sweetened as much as chocolate chips) and contain fewer ingredients.

Chocolate chips often take longer to melt and have a thicker end result. Melted baking bars often melt faster and have a thinner end result. When it comes to making chocolate bark, I have found that either one works just fine!

Chocolate, Cocoa, & Cacao….

Now let’s discuss chocolate ingredients. Chocolate is made from cacao beans. Cacao and cocoa come from the same cacao bean, cocoa is just the processed and refined version of cacao. Chocolate labeled as cacao or cocoa will have different tastes.

Cacao is chocolate in its raw form and will have a more bitter taste. Cocoa has been processed at high temperatures, which breaks down the cacao molecular structure and produces a more mild flavor. White chocolate is made from cocoa butter. Cocoa butter is made from the outer lining of the cacao bean and is naturally white and creamy.

When it comes to choosing the healthiest form of chocolate, the least refined chocolates will retain the most health benefits (and yes, chocolate, or cacao, does provide health benefits!). Chocolates with higher cacao percentages will be healthier for you but have a more bitter taste.

Most chocolate chips will have low cacao percentages and added sugar. If you are opting for healthier chocolate options to use in your chocolate bark, look for dark chocolate bars or chocolate that is over 70% cacao. Regardless of how dark you like your chocolate, here are a few chocolate resources that I like to use for making chocolate bark.

Healthy Chocolate Bark Resources:

• Enjoy Life chocolate chips (dairy-free, wheat free, grain-free, soy free, nut free, corn free)
• Enjoy Life white chocolate chips (dairy-free, wheat free, soy free, nut free, corn free)
• Lily’s Sweets chocolate chips (dairy-free, wheat free, grain-free, soy free, nut free, corn free, cane sugar free)
• Lily’s Sweet chocolate bars (dairy-free, wheat free, grain-free, soy free, nut free, corn free, cane sugar free)
• Good & Gather organic chocolate chips (dairy-free, wheat free, grain-free, soy free, nut free, corn free)

Lily’s Sweets chocolate bars can be found ranging from 40% cocoa to 70% cocoa. Endangered Species chocolate bars and Pasche chocolate bars are other brands to look for when wanting to find dark chocolate bars for this chocolate bark recipe.

I love using Lily’s Sweets chocolate chips in my all-time favorite cookies (gluten-free flourless peanut butter oatmeal cookies) or for melting and topping these no-bake peanut butter protein bars!

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Tips for Melting Chocolate

There are many ways that you can melt chocolate, including microwave methods, slow cooker methods, or the double boiler method. While I know that all of those methods work, I prefer to use a simple stove-top method. The stove-top method of heating the chocolate in small saucepan over low heat is one of the trickiest methods to master though. Since the chocolate is exposed to small amounts of direct heat, it can be easy to overheat or burn the chocolate.

Here are some quick tips to keep in mind when melting chocolate:

• Liquid– Chocolate can sometimes dry out when you start to melt it over low heat. Adding liquid, like dairy-free milk can help. Always add at least 1 T. of liquid per 2 ounces of chocolate to prevent the chocolate from clumping. And always use warm liquid and not cold liquid.
• Chopped Chocolate– If using chocolate bars, always chop the bars into uniform pieces before melting them.
• Avoid Water– Never add water when melting chocolate. Even a few drops of water will cause the chocolate to seize and become dry and clumpy. Make sure the pot or bowl you are using to melt chocolate in is completely dry too.
• Low Heat– Whether you are using the stove-top or a microwave, always use the lowest heat settings you can when melting chocolate.
• Stir– Allow the chocolate to start to melt, then stir it frequently to aid it in the melting process and prevent the chocolate at the bottom from burning.

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Chocolate Bark Flavors

Now comes the fun part! Deciding what flavors to make your chocolate bark! You change the flavor of your chocolate bark two ways: by using different flavors of chocolate or by adding different chocolate bark toppings.

Here are some of my favorite chocolate flavors to melt for chocolate bark:

• Enjoy Life mini white chocolate chips
• Enjoy Life mini semi-sweet chocolate chips
• Lily’s Sweets caramel chocolate chips
• Lily’s Sweets mint chocolate chips
• Good & Gather semi-sweet organic chocolate chips

Along with different flavors of chocolate, the options for adding toppings to your chocolate bark are nearly endless! Throw on whatever treats you like to pair with chocolate for some unique and delicious chocolate bark! Here are some of my favorite chocolate bark toppings and chocolate pairings:

Chocolate Bark Ideas

• white chocolate and dark chocolate topped with crushed candy cane
• peanut butter swirl chocolate bark topped with chopped peanut butter cups
• peanut butter cup and pretzel chocolate bark
• trail mix chocolate bark (peanuts, cashews, dried fruit)
• mint chocolate bark topped with Little Secrets mint gems, mini candy canes, and Christmas sprinkles
• white chocolate cookie bark
• nut and seed bark (roasted pumpkin seeds, roasted sunflower seeds, peanuts, cashews, etc…)
• rocky road chocolate bark (mini marshmallows and almonds)
• toasted coconut chocolate bark

Making a variety of different flavors of chocolate bark from one batch of chocolate is super easy too. Just mentally divide your melted chocolate into squares or rectangles and add the different toppings to each section of chocolate.

Additionally, you can also control how thick or thin you want your chocolate bark. For thin bark, spread the chocolate layer into a thin layer on the baking sheet. You may need to press any toppings into the chocolate to ensure they harden into the thin layer of chocolate. For thicker chocolate bark, I find that melting chocolate chips works the best since they melt into a thicker chocolate that is easy not to spread too thin.

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This dairy-free chocolate bark recipe is super easy to make and requires only a few simple ingredients! Choose your chocolate base, melt your chocolate, and add whatever toppings you want. Delicious and simple… so head to the homestead kitchen now!

Where to Find the Ingredients

• Enjoy Life semi-sweet chocolate chips
• Enjoy Life mini white chocolate chips
• Lily’s Sweets chocolate chips
• Yum Earth organic candy canes
• Organic Christmas sprinkles
• UnReal organic peanut butter cups
• Lily’s Sweets peanut butter cups
• Fit Joy grain-free pretzels
• Frontier mint extract
• Feridies salted peanuts
• Supplies: unbleached parchment paper, stainless steel cookie sheet, double boiler pot, stainless steel saucepan

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This dairy-free chocolate bark couldn’t be any easier to make or customize! Whether you stick to holiday flavors, like peppermint, orange or cranberry, or maybe you prefer classic chocolate pairings like peanut butter, pretzels, or nuts…. this chocolate bark will still taste fantastic and be hard to keep out of! Make a batch of this chocolate bark and I guarantee it won’t last long on your homestead. This recipe is super easy for modern pioneers of all ages to make and enjoy! Head to the homestead kitchen and whip up a batch of chocolate bark today!

But a quick note before you head to the kitchen… if you want more simple and wholesome modern pioneer recipes, make sure you join our modern pioneer newsletter community so you don’t miss any recipes straight from the chuckwagon!

by Alexa

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