Cranberry Bliss White Chocolate Bark
This festive white chocolate cranberry bark recipe needs just 4 ingredients and minutes to prep! Inspired by Starbucks’ Cranberry Bliss Bars, this Christmas bark recipe is sweet and tangy, studded with dried cranberries, and topped with orange zest and an extra white chocolate drizzle. It’s great for holiday treat platters and gifting!
Delicious Details
- Cuisine Inspiration: American
- Primary Cooking Method: No-bake
- Dietary Info: Gluten-free
- Skill Level: Easy
Who else can’t help but think that the frosted tops on Cranberry Bliss Bars look just like chocolate bark?! I decided to take that inspiration to make actual white chocolate bark for Christmas this year. And not just any white chocolate bark, but one that tastes like cream cheese frosting! The sweet-tangy bark is bejeweled with chewy dried cranberries and finished with a sprinkling of orange zest and a final drizzle of white chocolate.
With only four ingredients and a few minutes of prep time, this is such an easy Christmas candy idea. It makes a delicious and beautiful holiday dessert or edible gift. Well, unless you eat it all first!
Reasons You’ll Love This White Chocolate Cranberry Bark
- Festive cranberry orange flavors. This bark is studded with chewy dried cranberries and citrus zest. It’s the best contrast to the creamy white chocolate!
- Easy to prep. You only need 4 ingredients and about 20 minutes of hands-on prep. It’s even great to make ahead. Simply pop it into the fridge to set until it’s time to serve!
- No baking. Leave your oven free for all the sugar cookies that need baking! White chocolate bark is a festive no-bake holiday treat.
Ingredients You’ll Need
When trying to recreate the flavor of cream cheese frosting in this chocolate bark, the answer came from this recipe from The Kitchn. Lemon zest gives the white chocolate the tanginess of cream cheese! Here are notes on the ingredients you’ll need (you’ll find precise measurements in the recipe card below):
- White chocolate – Melting wafers or almond bark will melt more smoothly than chocolate chips. Whatever you use, be sure it is of good quality for the best flavor and consistency. And check labels to ensure it is gluten free, if needed. Merckens, at the time of writing, states that they manufacture their melting wafers in a facility without gluten ingredients, but the distributors that repackage it can have a cross-contamination risk. So you have to read labels. I found these white wafers on Amazon, but you can also check a local candy or cake store.
- Lemon and orange zest – You’ll need the zest of one large lemon and about the same amount from an orange.
- Dried cranberries – Some are left whole to mix into the bark, and some are chopped for sprinkling on top.
🍴 In the Cupcakes & Kale Chips Kitchen…
- Small Silicone Spatulas: I like these for stirring melted chocolate. These are the spatulas I use in my kitchen all the time.
- Silicone Baking Mats: While you can use wax paper, these silicone mats have become more affordable and are even better for peeling off the bark without sticking. Great for cookies too.
- Small Offset Spatula: This works really well for spreading the white chocolate on the pan. I also use it for frosting cakes and cupcakes.
- Microplane Zester: The best gadget for getting just the aromatic zest but not the bitter white pith. You can use it for grating ginger, chocolate, and Parmesan cheese, too.
How To Make White Chocolate Bark
This easy holiday candy comes together in minutes! Follow the steps below.
- Preparations. Line a baking sheet with parchment or a silicone baking sheet. Chop half of the cranberries, and zest the lemon.
- Melt the chocolate. Meanwhile, melt the white chocolate in a double boiler or a heat-proof bowl set over a saucepan of simmering water. You can also melt it in the microwave, but do this in increments, as white chocolate overheats and seizes easily. Afterward, stir in the lemon zest and whole dried cranberries.
- Spread the chocolate into the pan. Working quickly, pour the chocolate onto the lined baking sheet and spread it into an even, thin layer. Immediately sprinkle the chopped dried cranberries and orange zest over the top and gently press the toppings into the chocolate. It’s important to do this while the chocolate is still wet.
- Let it cool. Now, place the sheet pan in the fridge until the chocolate has firmed up, about 1 hour.
- Give it a drizzle. Melt the remaining white chocolate, transfer it into a small sandwich bag, cut off the tip, and pipe it over the bark. Then, return the pan to the refrigerator for a few minutes so that it firms up.
- Break up the bark. Last but not least, break the bark into pieces. It’s ready to serve right away on a dessert charcuterie board, or you can store it in an airtight container.
Proper Storage
- Store in a cool, dry place. If you keep it in an airtight container and away from any heat sources (including bright windows), chocolate bark will hold for up to 1 month at room temperature.
- Freeze. Chocolate bark freezes wonderfully for up to 2 months. To avoid condensation, I recommend placing the bark in plastic freezer bags and squeezing out as much air as possible. Then, place the bags inside a plastic storage container to protect the bark and keep it from breaking.
FAQs for Making Cranberry Bark
Yes, sweetened dried cranberries work fine in this cranberry bark, and you can use other dried fruit too.
Good quality white chocolate. Melting wafers or almond bark melt more smoothly than chocolate chips. I like Merckens and Guittard.
White chocolate overheats and seizes easily, especially in the microwave. Melt it over a double boiler with the heat low, or microwave it at 50% power in short increments, and stir until it’s completely melted.
The lemon zest gives the white chocolate a tang that tastes like cream cheese frosting. That’s what inspired this bark, since the frosting on Starbucks Cranberry Bliss Bars looks like chocolate bark. You can leave it out if you want the pure vanilla-y flavor of white chocolate.
Store it in an airtight container in a cool, dark place or in the refrigerator for up to one month. It also freezes for up to 2 months. Put it in freezer bags, squeeze out as much air as you can, and keep the bags in a container so the bark doesn’t break.
The recipe doesn’t use any gluten ingredients, but brands vary, and ingredients and manufacturing can change. So always check the labels on your white chocolate and dried cranberries, or ask the manufacturer.
Christmas Bark Gifting Ideas
Give this white chocolate bark as-is or combine it with more homemade treats like peppermint fudge and spiced candied nuts. It makes a great edible gift for teachers, friends, family, and neighbors during the holiday season. These are a few easy ways to package your chocolate bark for gifting.
- Buy gift boxes for packaging food items. They are available in white, which you can dress up with ribbons or bows, or in festive holiday designs.
- Slip some pieces into gift bags with twist ties. If you like, you can slip those bags into some decorative tins.
- Fill mason jars. Add a handmade gift tag for another festive option. These mason jars even come with blank gift tags and chalkboard stickers!
- On-theme packaging. Why not put this Bliss bar-inspired white chocolate bark in a Starbucks mug?!
White Chocolate Cranberry Bark
Ingredients
- 16 ounces white chocolate melting wafers or chocolate chips (2 cups) divided (set aside 2 oz.)
- zest of one large lemon
- 1/2 cup dried cranberries , left whole
- 1/2 cup dried cranberries , chopped
- zest of one orange
Instructions
- Line a baking sheet with parchment or a silicone baking sheet.
- Place a heat proof bowl over a pot of simmering water and add 14 ounces white chocolate melting wafers or chocolate chips.
- Stir until almost completely melted, remove from heat, and stir in the zest of one large lemon and the whole 1/2 cup dried cranberries.
- Working quickly, pour the chocolate onto the lined baking sheet, and using a spatula, spread it into an even layer about a 1/4-inch thick.
- Immediately after spreading out the chocolate, sprinkle the chopped 1/2 cup dried cranberries and zest of one orange over the top. Gently press the toppings into the chocolate.
- Place the sheet pan in the fridge until the chocolate has firmed up, about 1 hour.
- Melt the remaining 2 ounces white chocolate melting wafers or chocolate chips, transfer into a small sandwich bag, cut off the tip, and drizzle over the bark. Return to the refrigerator for a few minutes to firm up.
- Break the bark into pieces.
- Store the bark in an airtight container in a cool, dark place or in the refrigerator for up to one month.
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This bark looks SO YUMMY! Thanks for sharing your recipe with us this week on the Monday Funday Party!
This looks so yummy. I love making cookies with the kiddos.
My favorite holiday treat is gingerbread. Yum.
I like to make caramel popcorn. It’s perfect snacking during the endless Christmas movies.
My favorite sweet treat for the holidays is anything peppermint.
Peppermint bark!
I love making snickerdoodle cookies every christmas
This is my new favorite chocolate bark!!! YUM!!
I have a few favorites that I like to make around the holidays which are a variety of cookies and fudge!
I love making puppy chow over the holidays!