4th of July Bark Recipe

This 4th of July Bark Recipe is the perfect patriotic treat! This dessert is so tasty and with only four ingredients and no baking required, what’s not to love?! 

Check out our Holiday recipe collection for other festive recipes.

4th of July Bark Recipe

This is the perfect treat for the 4th of July! Not only is it dressed for the occasion with red, white, and blue, but it’s also easy and doesn’t require any baking! And, in the dead of summer, you probably don’t want to be turning on your oven to make a treat!

This bark only requires four ingredients, and if you don’t want to add sprinkles, you’ll only need three! Below I’ll share more about each ingredient in this recipe.

Ingredients

• Milk Chocolate Chips: We’re huge fans of milk chocolate in desserts, and this 4th of July Bark Recipe is no exception. If you prefer less sweetness, use semi-sweet or dark chocolate chips instead. We’ve also made this bark with equal parts of two types of chocolate (dark and milk usually) which is a fun variation!
• White Chocolate Chips: Using high-quality white chocolate chips will always result in a better melt and a richer taste. My favorites are Ghirardelli® and Guittard®.
• Red, White, & Blue M&M’s®: During the summer, a lot of stores sell this blend in the holiday or seasonal area of the store. You can also find it online. In a pinch, take regular M&M’s and just pull out the blues and reds. (Visually, the white chocolate coating will add in that missing white color.)
• Sprinkles: This is totally optional but sprinkles add extra visual appeal and they’re so much fun! I love using star sprinkles or red, white, and blue jimmies.

4th of July Bark Tips

• Line the pan with parchment paper, wax paper, or even foil in a pinch. This makes for easy and clean removal of the bark.
• I recommend using a 9×13-inch sheet pan or baking pan for this bark. You can make this bark thicker by not spreading it as much or thinner by spreading it out more — totally a preference thing here!
• Resist the urge to refrigerate the milk chocolate layer. If the milk chocolate layer (and pan) are cold, the white chocolate will harden nearly on contact. It will be difficult to spread the white chocolate on top and the sprinkles & M&M’s won’t stick on the bark very nicely.

Tips, Continued

• For best results, use good-quality chocolate chips. The bark isn’t super tasty (or pretty) with cheaper chocolate.
• Microwave the chocolate chips in sturdy, heat–safe bowls instead of using plastic or melamine. 
• To avoid burned chocolate chips, microwave the chips for 30 seconds at a time, and stir them for at least 20-25 seconds between each microwave burst. Remember, the chocolate is still melting even after it has been removed from the microwave. 
• White chocolate hardens very quickly so work fast when adding on the M&M’s and sprinkles. The minute you’ve got the white chocolate smoothed on top, add the toppings and press them gently in to be sure they stay in place.
• Store in the fridge. Especially on a hot summer day (likely when you’d make this bark!), it will melt quickly. I like keeping it in the fridge until the last minute before serving. It melts quickly in a warm environment, so I don’t recommend bringing this to an outdoor potluck or party.

Serving this 4th of July Bark 

Once the chocolate has hardened, it’s time to break it up or cut pieces of the bark. Here’s a great video tutorial for cutting uniform triangles if you prefer a fancier appearance. 

I like going “rustic” and breaking the bark by hand or using a sharp knife to cut it into random shapes and sizes. If using a knife, transfer the bark to a cutting board and use a very sharp chef’s knife to make decisive cuts. I like placing a kitchen towel on top of the knife to get leverage as I push down to make a cut.

More quick and easy, no-baking-required treats:

• Puppy Chow peanut butter, chocolate snack mix
• Oreo Balls dipped in melted chocolate
• White Chocolate Chex Mix with M&M’s
• No-Bake Energy Bites
• Fruit Dip only four ingredients!

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5 from 5 votes

4th of July Bark Recipe

By Chelsea Lords

This 4th of July Bark Recipe is the perfect patriotic treat! This dessert is so tasty and with only four ingredients and no baking required, what's not to love?! 

Prep Time: 15 minutes minutes

Time for chocolate to set: 3 hours hours

Total Time: 3 hours hours 15 minutes minutes

Servings: 12

Ingredients 

USMetric

 

1x2x3x

• ▢ 2 cups high-quality milk chocolate chips Note 1
• ▢ 2 cups high-quality white chocolate chips
• ▢ 3/4 cup red, white, and blue M&M's
• ▢ 3 tablespoons red, white, and blue sprinkles, optional

Instructions 

• PREP: Line a 9-x-13-inch baking pan (or similar sized baking sheet) with parchment paper and set aside.
• MILK CHOCOLATE: Melt milk chocolate chips in 30-second intervals, stirring between each burst for 15-20 seconds, until the chocolate is smooth and melted. Melt in small bursts and stir very frequently to avoid burned chocolate -- it's still melting even outside of the microwave. Use a spatula to transfer chocolate from the bowl to the prepared baking sheet.
  
• SPREAD CHOCOLATE: With a spatula, spread the chocolate into an even and smooth layer. Set aside at room temperature and let it set. Do not put it in the fridge because a cold chocolate layer will make the white chocolate harden too quickly.
  
• WHITE CHOCOLATE: Melt the white chocolate chips in 30-second intervals, stirring between each microwave burst for 15-20 seconds, until the chocolate is smooth. Pour the white chocolate as evenly as possible on top of the set chocolate layer and, working quickly, gently spread the melted white chocolate on top of the chocolate layer. I like to do this with a spatula or by using the back of a spoon. If the two chocolates begin swirling together, swap out for a new spoon to keep the colors separate. Immediately top the smoothed white chocolate with the M&M's and sprinkles. Gently press these additions onto the chocolate so they stick.
  
• CHILL: Chill for 30 minutes or until firmly set. Use the parchment paper to lift the bark off the tray or out of the pan and onto a cutting board. Coarsely chop with a very sharp knife using quick, decisive cuts (place a kitchen towel on top of the knife to get more leverage without hurting your palm). If the bark is getting melty or soft, return to the fridge to firm up a bit. (We love it best straight from the fridge!)

Video

Recipe Notes

Note 1: Chocolate: You can use two kinds of chocolates here for a more interesting taste. I generally combine milk and dark chocolate, but use whatever two chocolates (or just one chocolate is great too) that you enjoy best! If you prefer less sweetness, use semi-sweet or dark chocolate chips instead of milk. My favorite chocolate chips to use are Ghirardelli® or Guittard®.

Nutrition

Serving: 1serving | Calories: 297kcal | Carbohydrates: 36g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 16g | Saturated Fat: 10g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 10mg | Sodium: 46mg | Potassium: 113mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 35g | Vitamin A: 45IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 96mg | Iron: 1mg

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

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