4th of July Bark Recipe

This 4th of July Bark Recipe is the perfect patriotic treat! This dessert is so tasty and with only four ingredients and no baking required, what’s not to love?! 

Check out this Holiday recipe collection for other festive recipes.

4th of July Bark Recipe

This is the perfect treat for the 4th of July! Not only is it dressed for the occasion with red, white, and blue, but it’s also easy and doesn’t require any baking! And, in the dead of summer, you probably don’t want to be turning on your oven to make a treat!

This bark only requires four ingredients, and if you don’t want to add sprinkles, you’ll only need three! Below I’ll share more about each ingredient in this recipe.

Ingredients

• Milk Chocolate Chips: We’re huge fans of milk chocolate in desserts, and this 4th of July Bark Recipe is no exception. If you prefer less sweetness, use semi-sweet or dark chocolate chips instead. We’ve also made this bark with equal parts of two types of chocolate (dark and milk usually) which is a fun variation!
• White Chocolate Chips: Using high-quality white chocolate chips will always result in a better melt and a richer taste. My favorites are Ghirardelli® and Guittard®.
• Red, White, & Blue M&M’s®: During the summer, a lot of stores sell this blend in the holiday or seasonal area of the store. You can also find it online. In a pinch, take regular M&M’s and just pull out the blues and reds. (Visually, the white chocolate coating will add in that missing white color.)
• Sprinkles: This is totally optional but sprinkles add extra visual appeal and they’re so much fun! I love using star sprinkles or red, white, and blue jimmies.

4th of July Bark Tips

• Line the pan with parchment paper, wax paper, or even foil in a pinch. This makes for easy and clean removal of the bark.
• I recommend using a 9×13-inch sheet pan or baking pan for this bark. You can make this bark thicker by not spreading it as much or thinner by spreading it out more — totally a preference thing here!
• Resist the urge to refrigerate the milk chocolate layer. If the milk chocolate layer (and pan) are cold, the white chocolate will harden nearly on contact. It will be difficult to spread the white chocolate on top and the sprinkles & M&M’s won’t stick on the bark very nicely.

Tips, Continued

• For best results, use good-quality chocolate chips. The bark isn’t super tasty (or pretty) with cheaper chocolate.
• Microwave the chocolate chips in sturdy, heat–safe bowls instead of using plastic or melamine. 
• To avoid burned chocolate chips, microwave the chips for 30 seconds at a time, and stir them for at least 20-25 seconds between each microwave burst. Remember, the chocolate is still melting even after it has been removed from the microwave. 
• White chocolate hardens very quickly so work fast when adding on the M&M’s and sprinkles. The minute you’ve got the white chocolate smoothed on top, add the toppings and press them gently in to be sure they stay in place.
• Store in the fridge. Especially on a hot summer day (likely when you’d make this bark!), it will melt quickly. I like keeping it in the fridge until the last minute before serving. It melts quickly in a warm environment, so I don’t recommend bringing this to an outdoor potluck or party.

Serving this 4th of July Bark 

Once the chocolate has hardened, it’s time to break it up or cut pieces of the bark. Here’s a great video tutorial for cutting uniform triangles if you prefer a fancier appearance. 

I like going “rustic” and breaking the bark by hand or using a sharp knife to cut it into random shapes and sizes. If using a knife, transfer the bark to a cutting board and use a very sharp chef’s knife to make decisive cuts. I like placing a kitchen towel on top of the knife to get leverage as I push down to make a cut.

More Quick And Easy Treats:

• Puppy Chow peanut butter, chocolate snack mix
• Oreo Balls dipped in melted chocolate
• White Chocolate Chex Mix with M&M’s
• No-Bake Energy Bites
• Fruit Dip only four ingredients!