Get ready for this amazingly easy Christmas Bark Recipe made with Graham Crackers, crushed peppermint candy canes, and holiday M&Ms. This is the best no-bake holiday recipe perfect for getting into the season. Made in less this 10 minutes, this reindeer bark is without white chocolate and peppermint extract.
This is the perfect recipe for the Christmas season. It is a great pairing of peppermint and milk chocolate. The graham cracker base gives it a great taste. This is also a fun Christmas treat that little ones can help with!
Pair this Christmas Bark Recipe with our White Chocolate Candy Cane Cookies, Peppermint Brownies, Christmas Rice Krispies, or our Christmas Chex Mix for a show stopping Christmas.
Or, fill your home with the smells of the holidays with our Gingerbread Loaf with Buttermilk Glaze.
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What You'll Love About This Recipe
- Quick & Easy- a fun and fast Christmas dessert made in less than ten minutes.
- Kid Friendly - Kids will not only love making this treat, they also will love helping make it! Let them choose which Christmas candies they want to add to the bark.
- Festive - a fun holiday treat that's fun to gear towards the Christmas holiday. Check out our Halloween Bark for a seasonal variation.
- Easy to Make With Food Allergies -This recipe is easily changed to fit the dietary needs of those who need them. Look to our substitutions and variations to see how you can make this treat dairy free, gluten free, and vegan.
- Party Friendly - A fun snack that can be used at Christmas parties for friends, family, and co-workers. Wrap in a decorative bag and give as a gift.
Ingredients
- Graham Crackers- use honey graham crackers for this recipe. To make this a gluten free treat, use gluten free graham crackers.
- Milk Chocolate Melting Wafers- use your favorite brand of melting wafers or chips.
- Mini Christmas M&Ms- well love using mini M&Ms for this recipe because of the fun, small presence they bring to the dessert.
- Candy Cane- peppermint candy canes pair deliciously with the milk chocolate and graham cracker taste.
See recipe card for quantities.
Instructions
- Lay graham crackers on a parchment paper. Keep the graham crackers close together. They can touch.
2. In a microwave safe bowl, melt milk chocolate. Melt in 30 second intervals and stir in between each interval. Keep going until melted. Pour the melted chocolate onto the graham crackers.
3. With a rubber spatula, spread the chocolate to completely cover the graham crackers. It will spill over the edges of the crackers.
4. Sprinkle crushed candy canes, and mini Christmas themed M&Ms on top of the melted chocolate and graham crackers.
5. Set aside and let the chocolate harden. Then break into various sizes of pieces.
Hint: Leave the bark on the counter in order to cool or place in the refrigerator for a quick hardening of the Christmas Chocolate Bark recipe.
Substitutions
- Dark Chocolate- Looking for a healthier Christmas dessert? Use dark chocolate instead of milk chocolate melting wafers.
- Semi-Sweet- Use semi-sweet chocolate for a sweet and bitter combo taste.
- Pretzel Base- Instead of graham crackers, use pretzels as the bark base for a saltier taste.
- Gluten Free- for a gluten free Christmas treat, use gluten free graham crackers, or don't use graham crackers at all. Spread the melted chocolate evenly over the parchment paper. Make as normal and when it hardens, peel the chocolate from the parchment paper and break.
- Dairy Free- for a dairy free lactose free snack, use milk chocolate almond bark at a 1:1 ratio.
- Ritz Crackers- For a salty cracker taste, use ritz crackers as a base instead of graham crackers. This will give a tasty wafer like texture.
Variations
Making holiday chocolate bark can be so versatile. Make it your own by adding your favorite holiday candies!
- Extra Peppermint - want an extra crunch? Add crush up an addition peppermint or two for a more Christmas candy flavor.
- Nuts- some people love nuts around the holiday. Feel free to top your bark with your favorite crushed nut like pecans, almonds, or peanuts.
- Kid Friendly - add some fun Christmas sprinkles in various Christmas character shapes like Christmas Trees, Candy Canes, and Stars.
- Oreos- Crush mint Oreos or original Oreos and sprinkle on top of the bark.
- Mint M&Ms- for an extra peppermint taste, use mint M&Ms.
- Pistachios and Craisins- Skip the candy canes and M&Ms and sprinkle pistachios and craisins for a festive yet healthier take on Christmas Bark.
Equipment
The best part of making this Christmas Bark Recipe is how simple it is.
- Microwave safe bowl- for melting the chocolate
- Rubber Scrapper- for spreading the melted chocolate.
- Parchment Paper- for making the bark on a non stick surface.
- Sheet Pan- for putting the parchment paper on and transferring easily.
Storage
Store set recipe in an airtight container at room temperature for 3-4 days.
You can also freeze this recipe, but the texture of the graham crackers may be affected and will not be as crisp after freezing.
Top tip
This bark hardens quickly on the countertop. If you are in a pinch, stick the sheet pan in the refrigerator to harden quicker.
Recipe
Christmas Bark Recipe
Equipment
- sheet pan
- Parchment Paper
- Microwave Safe Bowl
Ingredients
- 2 cups milk chocolate melting wafers
- 6 graham crackers
- 3 candy canes crushed into pieces
- ¼ cup mini Christmas M&Ms
Instructions
- Crush the candy cane. Open each candy cane and place in a ziplock bag. Crush the candy cane with a rolling pin, or a glass jar. Make sure to leave small pieces to get a good crunch in your bark.
- Place 6 graham crackers on a parchment paper lined baking sheet. Align 4 graham crackers in a row with two on top making a large rectangle.
- Melt the chocolate in the microwave in a microwave safe bowl. Melt for 30 seconds at a time and stir in between each interval of 30 seconds. Depending on the power of your microwave, a total 2 minutes, in 30 seconds intervals, melts the chocolate.
- Pour the chocolate on top of the graham crackers. With a rubber scraper, spread the chocolate until the graham crackers are no longer visible.
- Evenly sprinkle the crushed candy cane on the wet milk chocolate.
- Sprinkle the mini Christmas M&Ms on the chocolate bark.
- Leave on the counter to set.
- Once set break into small pieces and enjoy!
Video
Notes
- Need the bark to set quickly? Place the sheet pan in the refrigerator for an accelerated set.
- This stores in an air tight container, at room temperature, for 3-4 days.
- You can freeze for later use, but note the graham cracker may loose it's crunchy texture.
Jenn
OMG! I have so many graham crackers to use up and this is the perfect recipe for them! Thanks!
Andrea
We absolutely love this Christmas Bark Recipe. It is so easy to make and my kids love helping. It's quick and easy and I love that it's a no-bake treat.