Get ready for a super easy, spook-tacular treat with this delicious and fun Halloween Bark. Simply melt almond bark and candy wafers in the microwave and spread on the sweetness. With pretzels, peanuts, candy corn, candy eyeballs, sprinkles, and more, this fun, festive, no bake confection is eye-catching and BOO-tiful--in more ways than one😉!
Whether you're heading to a Halloween party or you're simply craving a spooky treat, Halloween Bark is one of the easiest recipes you can make.
There's no fancy equipment or special tricks (or treats!) needed to whip together one of the tastiest, most memorable homemade Halloween confections ever!
All you need is a few minutes in the kitchen (plus setting time) and a little creativity to make this fun and eye-catching candy.
Both kids and adults love the salty and sweet crunch from each unique bite, causing this yummy confection to never stick around for long. Plus, when a candy can stare back at you, I'm pretty sure it's important to devour it quickly--don't you agree?!?
Have fun with this simple recipe, which is super customizable, full of a variety of textures, flavors, and colors, and fun to make with the kids!
Jump to:
👪Why you'll love it
| Awaits your personal touch- This special treat wouldn't be any fun without the sweet and salty add-ons. I suggest candy corn and sprinkles for the sweet, and pretzels and peanuts for the salty, but that's just for starters. Feel free to change this up and add or use your favorites. Kids can help- Kids absolutely love helping to decorate this fun Halloween bark; if you're persuasive enough, they might even donate some of their extra candy from trick or treating! No-bake- There's no oven needed for this easy recipe--just a microwave and a fridge. (Plus you'll have time to watch your favorite spooky movie while the confection sets!) |
🥘Ingredients
- pretzel sticks- any little pretzel will do, from twists to snaps and more
- salted peanuts- I use dry roasted salted peanuts
- almond bark- my preferred for this recipe, since it doesn't set as fast as white chocolate, plus it's not as rich, which is a plus with all the candy toppers
- orange, green, or purple candy melts- choose one or more to make swirls of different colors on top of the almond bark
- candy corn mix- I like the mix because it has pumpkins in it too for more variety
- candy eyeballs- these are so fun to add to almost any Halloween creation; Wilton makes an eyeball pack with a variety of sizes--find it in your local store
- Halloween sprinkles- for added color and texture; Great Value makes some really fun holiday mixes; shop for these early before they're out of stock!
See recipe card for quantities.
🔪Instructions
- Step 1: Arrange pretzels and peanuts in a single layer on parchment paper.
- Step 2: Melt almond bark in microwave; spread over pretzels and peanuts. Then melt colored wafers. Add melted globs of color onto the almond bark as shown.
- Step 3: Using a straw or toothpick, swirl the colored globs to create a textured spiral effect.
- Step 4: Immediately press on candy and sprinkles. Chill for 2 hours before breaking into pieces.
Hint: If you want more of a contrast, use less colored wafers. The swirls of color will be more defined that way. I would suggest starting with 6 oz.; then add more if you wish. The pictures in this post show 12 oz. orange.
📖Variations
- Chocolate Halloween Bark- melt chocolate wafers for a dark colored bark; add mini peanut butter cups and Peeps ghosts to the top (along with candy corn and sprinkles, of course!)
- Monster Bark- use green and purple melting wafers, a ton of candy eyeballs, and Haribo's vampire gummy candy for a spooky, creepy confection
For a Christmas version, see Christmas Bark!
🍽Equipment
- parchment paper
- large, rimmed baking sheet
- microwaveable bowls
- stirring spoons
- spreading spatula
- measuring cups
- straw or toothpick
🍶Storage
Store in an airtight container and keep on your counter--once set, there's no need to refrigerate. Enjoy within 1 week. You may also freeze the bark in freezer safe packaging for up to 3 months.
💭Top tip
Follow the package directions for the melting products you bought. Make sure your microwave is at half power, otherwise wafers can dry out. It's also best practice to stir out a few lumps that are remaining rather than placing the bowl back in the microwave towards the end of the melting process.
🗨️FAQ
It has vegetable oil in it instead of cocoa butter, along with sugar and flavorings. It's very easy to melt. Despite its name, it doesn't have almonds in it. It was originally made to coat almonds, hence the name.
When it's broken into pieces, it's said to resemble bark from a tree, due to the variety of textures and shapes. For me, that's a bit of a stretch, but I use the name in my recipes for name recognition😁.
Provided that it's stored in an airtight container and kept away from heat, it can easily last on the countertop for a week.
🥄Related
Looking for other recipes like this? Try these:
🍴Pairing
These are my favorite desserts to serve with Halloween Bark:
📋Recipe
Halloween Bark
Equipment
- parchment paper
- large rimmed baking sheet
- 2 microwaveable bowls
- 2 stirring spoons
- spreading spatula
- measuring cups
- straw or toothpick
Ingredients
- 2 cups small pretzels sticks, twists, snaps, etc.
- 1 cup salted peanuts
- 24 oz almond bark can use white chocolate or vanilla melting wafers instead
- 6-12 oz orange, green, or purple candy melts *see notes below
- 1-2 cups candy corn mix choose your desired amount
- ¼ cup candy eyeballs
- Halloween sprinkles
Instructions
- Line a large, rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Arrange pretzel pieces and peanuts in a single layer on the parchment paper.
- Place almond bark in a microwave-safe dish. Melt in the microwave at half power in 30 second intervals, stirring in between. This should take between 3-5 minutes total.
- Place colored melting wafers in a separate microwave-safe dish. Melt wafers in the microwave at half power in 30 second intervals, stirring in between. This should take between 2-3 minutes total.
- Drizzle melted almond bark over the pretzels and nuts. Use a spreading spatula as needed to evenly distribute the mixture.
- Using a spoon, place globs of the melted colored wafers on top of the bark. Use a straw or toothpick to spread the color(s) over the bark in a swirly motion to create a spiral effect.
- Immediately press in candy, then decorate more with sprinkles.
- Chill for 2 hours, or until set. Then break into pieces.
Barbara says
This is a perfect, inviting treat for the holiday. I can imagine it being decorated for other holiday celebrations too.
Kitchen Ready Betty says
You are so right...this easy bark recipe is so customizable and can be made for any occasion!