With dried cranberries and toasted hazelnuts, Christmas White Chocolate Bark is a holly jolly candy for snacking and gifting.
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Christmas drinks, Christmas cakes, Christmas cookies... and Christmas candies! It's the most wonderful time of the year for sweets lovers.
And speaking of favorite sweet things, here's a delectable holiday candy to make this season—easy Christmas White Chocolate Bark. It's a gloriously simple, white chocolate candy bark, full of festive color and irresistible flavors.
Chewy, dried cranberries bring some sweet-tartness to the candy. (They're the same dried fruit I use in my Cranberry Nutella Sandwich Cookies.) Toasted hazelnuts add crunch and nuttiness, and lime zest brings bright color with a refreshing, citrus zing.
This holiday bark vanished quickly in our house. My husband noticed that the lime zest blended with white chocolate is remarkably similar to the flavor of Fruity Pebbles cereal. An unintentional result, but one that I love!
In a nutshell... 🐿️
- What this is: This is a gloriously simple, "holly jolly" candy, featuring white chocolate studded with toasted hazelnuts, lime zest, and chewy dried cranberries. (Probably harvested from Massachusetts bogs!)
- You'll love this part: It's a festive treat that's surprisingly easy to throw together for a holiday party or a homemade food gift. It has a sweet and fruity flavor that may just remind you of a favorite breakfast cereal!
- How it's made: Toast hazelnuts, then melt white chocolate until smooth. Spread it in a layer and sprinkle with nuts, zest, and cranberries. Cool and break into pieces.
Jump to:
Why you'll love this recipe
One of the best things about making white chocolate cranberry bark for Christmas is that it's such an uncomplicated recipe. There are only four ingredients! And all you have to do is melt chocolate and add toppings.
The recipe makes a pound of cranberry white chocolate bark. Set some out for snacking when friends come over or bring it to holiday parties and work festivities. And if you like making sweets to give as gifts, this is a fantastic one to choose.
The Christmas bark candy even looks festive, a colorful mix of red, green, and white.
Cranberry pride!
Wade into a Massachusetts Cranberry Bog
Join me on a tour of a working cranberry farm in Massachusetts, and see what a flooded bog looks like!
🔪 How to make Christmas White Chocolate Bark
Ingredients:
- White chocolate: Either white chocolate chips or chunks will work here. Choose a quality brand for the best flavor, like Callebaut or Ghirardelli.
- Dried cranberries: Balancing the sweetness of the chocolate are tart, chewy bites of cranberry. They add festive red color, too.
- Hazelnuts: Chopped hazelnuts are toasted first to bring out the nutty flavor.
- Lime zest: Not only do flecks of lime zest add more festive color, the bright citrus flavor is amazing with the white chocolate and cranberry.
Toast the nuts
Heat the chopped hazelnuts in a small skillet on the stove to lightly toast them.
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Melt the white chocolate
Microwave the white chocolate in short bursts until it's melted and smooth.
Assemble the bark
Spread the melted chocolate in a line pan, then layer in the lime zest, nuts, and dried cranberries. Let it rest until firm.
Break and eat!
Sliced or snap the bark into small pieces, and dig in!
Another holiday treat!
White Chocolate Chex Mix
With toasted cereal, almonds, and sprinkles. Sprinkles!
Christmas White Chocolate Bark FAQs
Christmas white chocolate bark will be good to eat for a week or longer, as long as it's stored properly. Don't refrigerate it—instead, store the bark in an airtight container or a resealable bag with the air pressed out. Store the candy at room temperature, but away from heat sources and sunlight.
Yes! Swap in milk chocolate or dark chocolate instead. (I think dark chocolate with dried fruit and nuts is especially delicious!) Other types of chocolate may need a longer cooler and setting period, so plan for the extra time.
Tip!
- Work fast when adding the cranberries, nuts, and zest to the white chocolate, because it starts to harden quickly.
- When melting white chocolate, be careful not to overheat it—doing so can cause the chocolate to seize and turn grainy. Microwave the chocolate in short burst, just enough that it can be stirred into a smooth consistency.
The White Chocolate Christmas Bark recipe is below. Here are more Christmas recipes to tempt you. Ho ho ho!
💬 Did you make and devour this recipe? Leave a comment below.
📖 Recipe
Christmas White Chocolate Bark
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Ingredients
- 1 cup chopped hazelnuts
- 3 cups white chocolate chips (about 18 ounces)
- 2 teaspoons lime zest (about 1 lime's worth)
- 1½ cups dried cranberries
Instructions
Toast the nuts:
- Pour the chopped hazelnuts into a small skillet. Set the skillet on a burner set to medium heat.
- Use a spoon or rubber spatula to move the nuts around frequently. Toast the nuts for 3 to 5 minutes—they'll be lightly browned in spots and smell fragrant. Watch them carefully so they don't burn.
- Transfer the nuts to a small bowl or plate to cool.
Melt the white chocolate:
- Line a 10x15-inch jelly roll pan or baking sheet with parchment paper. Have the toasted nuts, lime zest, and cranberries ready nearby.
- Pour the white chocolate chips into a Pyrex glass measurer or a heatproof, microwavable dish. Microwave the chocolate for 1 minute, then stir. Microwave for another minute and stir again. Then, microwave the chips in 30 second intervals, stirring after each one, until the chocolate is melted and smooth.
- (If you prefer, the white chocolate can also be melted on the stovetop. Pour the chips into the top of a double boiler, or bowl set on a small saucepan, with an inch or two of water simmering in the bottom. Stir the chocolate until it's melted.)
Assemble the bark:
- Pour the melted chocolate into the prepared pan. Use a rubber spatula to smooth the chocolate into an even layer.
- Add the toppings—do this quickly before the chocolate hardens.
- Sprinkle the lime zest over the white chocolate. Next, sprinkle the hazelnuts over the surface of the chocolate. Finally, sprinkle the dried cranberries over everything.
- Use your fingertips to lightly press the toppings into the chocolate; another option is to pull a knife through the toppings to swirl them into the chocolate—don't overdo it though, you want to be able to see the red and green colors.
- Let the bark cool completely until the chocolate has hardened and is set—about 1 to 2 hours.
Break and serve:
- When the bark is firm, break it into pieces, or use a knife to cut it into pieces. The bark is very sweet so the pieces can be small. Transfer the bark to an airtight container.
- Store at room temperature away from heat for up to one week.
- The recipe makes a little more than 1 pound of Christmas white chocolate bark.
Notes
- Be careful not to overheat the white chocolate as this can make it seize and turn hard. Heat the chips just until they can be stirred into a smooth, melted mixture.
- Work fast when adding the cranberries, nuts, and zest to the white chocolate, because it starts to harden quickly.
Nutrition
Anonymous says
Holiday cheer in every bite!
Nancy Mock says
🙂 Thanks for the feedback!
Christian says
Decadent and delicious!
Nancy Mock says
I appreciate the feedback, Christian!