Better-Than-Fruitcake Bark ~ nobody loves fruitcake, but every everybody flips for this chocolate bark loaded with dried fruits and nuts! Make this easy homemade candy your signature gift this holiday season!
This is one fruitcake that won’t get re-gifted!
This holiday bark is over the top, just like its namesake, but there are no Brazil nuts, no creepy green maraschinos, no prunes or lemon peel. Just the good stuff.
A whole host of gorgeous dried fruits and nuts is sunken in to a layer of pure white chocolate that sits on top of another layer of dark chocolate. This would be a sumptuous food gift, and it takes no effort to make. The biggest trouble will be choosing your fruit and nuts. I like to go with an many colors and textures as I can find.
How to melt chocolate in the microwave
- I like to use a glass measuring cup to do this because the glass holds the heat and helps melt the chocolate, and the spout makes it easy to pour the chocolate out.
- Chocolate chips work fine for melting. They actually work well because they are already in small pieces, so they don’t require a lot of time to melt, and the less exposure to heat, the less problems you’ll have. Of course you can use fine bar chocolate, too, but chips are less expensive, convenient and often on hand. So for 1 batch of bark, you just need to pick up a couple of bags of chips and you’re good to go.
- Microwave your chocolate for 1 minute, then stir.
- Microwave in further 15 second increments, stirring in between, until the chocolate is smooth and glossy. Toward the end, let the heat of the chocolate itself melt the remaining bits.
- Don’t risk over heating your chocolate or it can seize up.
This is where the fun begins. Assemble a mix of your favorite dried fruit and nuts. No duds, just the good stuff as you define it.
Fruit I use in my fruitcake bark
I used apricots, golden raisins, cherries, pineapple, cranberries, pistachios, macadamias, pecans, almonds, red walnuts, hazelnuts, and cashews. Load it up, after all that’s in the spirit of fruitcake.
Roasted nuts have much better flavor and crunch
If your nuts are raw, roast them on a dry pan in a 350 degree oven for about 10 to 15 minutes, watching them carefully and shaking the pan every now and then. You can even use salted nuts it you like the sweet and salty combination.
Whatever your combination of fruit and nuts, you’ll want approximately a cup, or a little more, to sprinkle over the top layer of your bark. You can go as heavy or a light as you want with these. The more colorful and varied in texture, the better. I left the pecans, pistachios, cherries and cranberries whole for variety.
After the top layer of white chocolate has hardened, either at room temperature or in the refrigerator, you can leave the bark whole and package it that way, or cut or break it into pieces. If you like making, eating or giving chocolate barks, check out these other recipes for Cherry and Hazelnut, Peppermint, and my all time favorite, White Chocolate Toasted Almond.
Whether you make this for dessert, as a gift, or just to have around the house for the holidays, you’re getting a lot of bang for the buck. Chocolate is often on sale these days, so grab a few bags next time you see a good deal. You probably already have a bunch of the fruit and nuts on hand. If not, Trader Joe’s has a great selection, and great prices.
Way, way better than fruitcake, don’t you think?
Better-Than-Fruitcake Bark
Ingredients
- 1 12- oz bag dark or semi-sweet chocolate chips
- 1 12- oz bag white chocolate chips
- about 1 to 1 1/2 cups assorted colorful dried fruit and roasted nuts, rough chopped or left whole
Instructions
- Put the dark chocolate chips in a glass bowl or measuring cup and microwave for 1 minute. Take out, stir, and if the chips aren't completely melted put it back in the microwave in 15 second bursts, stirring in between, until the chocolate is glossy and lump free.
- Spread out the chocolate into approximately a 9x12 rectangle on a baking sheet that's been lined with parchment paper or a silpat liner. The lining is important because you will need the bark to come off easily once it has hardened. Spread out the chocolate as evenly as you can; an offset spatula works well for this.
- Let the layer of chocolate harden. You can set it aside, or put the tray in the refrigerator for about 30 minutes.
- Melt the white chocolate in the same way, and spread it out evenly over the dark chocolate. Note: If you have had trouble melting white chocolate in the past, you can play it safe and use a double boiler. Bring a pan of water to a boil, and set a bowl over it, being sure no water gets into the bowl. Lower the heat and melt the chocolate over the simmering water, stirring constantly.
- While the white chocolate is still warm, scatter the fruit and nuts evenly over the entire surface. Press down gently to insure that they stick as the chocolate hardens.
- Set aside to harden at room temperature, or place in the refrigerator.
- Cut into pieces, or leave whole.
Notes
ย
- Try using just cranberries and pistachios for a Christmas themed bark.
- For a super easy 2-ingredient bark, try my Cocoa Crunch Bark or my Easy Butter Brickle Bark
Are you trying to out-do yourself this year? This bark is GORGEOUS! I’m not even a big white chocolate fan and I’m drooling over this recipe. Wow. What an awesome way to add so many fruits and nuts to a gift. I LOVE how beautiful it is!
WOW! What fabulous holiday treats to make and receive as gifts, Sue! They look absolutely fabulous!
Thanks, Pat!
oh by the way, did you see linked back to you in my recent post about christmas tree cookies… they were bloody nice too!
No, I’ll go check, I’ve been preoccupied this week with a bum computer!
as usual these are just stunning… seen this a few times before but never thought to make them, they’re gorgeous!
Chocolate barks are one of the best food gift secrets out there…no effort and lots of fun!
Now this is the kind of fruitcake I can do, stomach rather! LOL
Who in the world likes fruitcake, anyway?
I do! I make fruitcake every year, and keep it moist through the year with a bit of brandy. Your bark is, indeed very beautiful, and I will make some of that too! Still very enamored with your Detox Chocolates; they are actually requested by friends!
Haha, you got me there ~ I should know better than to dismiss any food! I may try my hand at an actual fruitcake one of these days!
For real????? This looks so darned good!!!!!
๐
So pretty and what a fabulous idea. I was going to have a try at Peppermint Bark this year, but now I’m not so sure.
Oh do it, the peppermint bark is my favorite, the flavor combo is so surprisingly delicious. I have no use for candy canes, but all crushed up in the bark they’re killer!
Yeah, candy making is one of those things you need to do at least once a year. It’s a good thing it just happens in December, though, or I’d be a thousand pounds. I just have to wrap it and give it away as fast as possible!
Wow, I love that! It’s so pretty with all the beautiful fruits and nuts and I have no doubt that it is delicious. I haven’t made any candy this year and I don’t think I can resist this treat.
This is EXACTLY the type of recipe I need! And this looks wayyyy better than traditional fruitcake. I loved dried fruit and white chocolate and would go around picking out all the apricots and cranberries first ๐
I’m snacking on the leftover fruit and nuts now…so good.