7 Best Chocolate Barks for Gift Giving
Nutty chocolate bark pieces photo credit The Chocolate Season
Chocolate bark is like a chocolate bar’s free-spirited, artsy cousin. Unlike a molded chocolate bar, chocolate bark is made by pouring chocolate onto a flat surface and adding toppings like nuts, dried fruit, or candies before the chocolate hardens. Then, it’s typically broken into jagged, irregular pieces. Since the toppings aren’t laid out in a specific pattern and sizes of the pieces vary, the resulting bark has a more artisan, rustic appearance than a bar.
As the holidays roll around, chocolate bark is a welcome gift. It is easy to serve, share and pair with other holiday treats like cookies, cheese or other candy. From classic almond bark to offbeat options topped with bacon, here are some of our favorite chocolate barks.
André’s Confiserie Suisse Hazelnut Milk Chocolate Bark photo credit André’s Confiserie Suisse
Founded by Swiss immigrant André Bollier in 1955, André’s Confiserie Suisse in Kansas City, Missouri is a third-generation family business helmed by President and Executive Chef René Bollier. “[Making our chocolate] bark is something that Marcel Bollier—André’s son and my father—started in the 80s,” says Bollier. “As an avid hiker, he enjoyed being able to grab a nut filled bar before going out on an adventure.” Today, André’s Confiserie Suisse offers single-nut barks including hazelnut, cashew, almond, and pecan, plus a seasonal peppermint bark.
Bollier notes that nuts are roasted to a golden brown before being incorporated into the company’s proprietary blend of Swiss milk or dark chocolate. “Our milk chocolate is exceptionally smooth and flavorful, boasting notes of caramel, cream, pear and vanilla,” he says. “Our dark chocolate exhibits a rich flavor profile with notes of blueberry, dried plum, coffee, and black tea.”
Delysia Chocolatier Cranberry Pistachio Dark Chocolate Bark photo credit Delysia Chocolatier
Although Austin, Texas-based Delysia Chocolatier is best known for award-winning truffles, chocolate bark was the second product line that chocolatier and founder Nicole Patel launched in 2010. Today, there are over a dozen varieties available (many of them vegan and dairy-free), with top sellers including Pecan Cayenne, Ghost Pepper, and Pistachio Cranberry. The cacao is sustainably and ethically sourced, and many ingredients are sourced locally, like pecans and lavender.
“Each flavor is thoughtfully developed, often inspired by regional ingredients, culinary traditions, or personal connections,” says Patel. “[For example], our Pistachio Cranberry bark reimagines a familiar favorite—think trail mix—with elevated ingredients and a modern twist.”
The Chocolate Season Dark Chocolate Nutty Bark photo credit The Chocolate Season
Since 2007, The Chocolate Season in Lincoln, Nebraska has been crafting chocolate bark with sustainable, ethically-sourced ingredients and a meticulous attention to detail. “Ingredients that go into the bark are chosen with respect to the flavor profile of the chocolate we are using with that particular project,” says Erika Jensen, head chocolatier and owner. “Nuts are always roasted, then caramelized. [...] Dried fruit is picked purposefully, not just chosen for aesthetic reasons.”
Jensen explains that barks are intentionally on the thinner side to make them easier to eat and are packaged in gift-ready boxes. “We take great care in making sure garnishes are evenly spread across full batches so you don’t ever get a ‘naked’ piece of chocolate,” she adds.
Flavors include a classic dark chocolate nutty bark with cashews and sunflower seeds, with a touch of sea salt for the perfect sweet and salty balance. There are also unique flavors like berry bark with crystallized ginger, milk chocolate strawberry bark, and Porker Valley bark, which combines milk chocolate, candied smoked bacon, pecans, and cherry smoked salt.
Jacques Torres chocolate bark photo credit Joel Marasigan
When it opened in 2000, Jacques Torres Chocolate became the first artisan bean-to-bar chocolate producer in New York City. Helmed by James Beard award-winning pastry chef and chocolatier Jacques Torres, today the company produces creamy Belgian milk chocolate and 60% Belgian dark chocolate barks. Both options are loaded with whole roasted pistachios, almonds, and hazelnuts, making this a particularly appealing bark for nut aficionados.
Läderach FrischSchoggi Glarner Gewürzzucker Milch photo credit Läderach
Swiss chocolate manufacturer Läderach is known for their FrischSchoggi (fresh chocolate) bark, with over 20 varieties plus additional seasonal flavors. The company, which was founded in 1962, oversees the entire process from the cacao bean to the retail counter and manufactures their chocolate exclusively in Switzerland.
“Our best selling FrischSchoggi is our milk hazelnut,” says a Läderach spokesperson. Although flavors are available individually, adventurous chocolate fans should spring for the sampler boat with 13 different barks. Flavors include a nut trio bark with caramelized nuts encased in a mixture of dark and milk chocolate, a dark chocolate and blackberry bark, and a mixed fruit bark that combines white chocolate, pistachios, almonds, and candied orange.
Li-Lac Chocolates Almond Bark photo credit Li-Lac Chocolates
New York’s Li-Lac Chocolates has been making almond bark for 102 years, dating back to the company’s founding in 1923. “We like the beautiful simplicity of combining two quality ingredients—chocolate and almonds—to make something greater than each individual part,” says Connor Bahnsen, Director of Production. Bahnsen notes that the dark chocolate almond bark is the shop’s top-selling product and is made with the same specific, unique blend of dark chocolate Li-Lac Chocolates has used since the very beginning.
That old-fashioned quality is evident in Li-Lac’s generously-sized slabs of bark, which are studded with whole roasted almonds and break with a satisfying snap. In addition to dark chocolate, there are milk chocolate, white chocolate, sugar-free, and dairy-free almond barks.
Yes, Please! Treats barks photo Credit Yes Please Treats
Inspired by family peppermint bark recipes, Jennifer Morey and Cathryn Farrimond founded Austin, Texas-based Yes, Please! Treats in 2017. “We always joked that we wanted to eat bark year-round,” they say. In addition to classic peppermint, their lineup includes red hot (cinnamon), lemon, butterscotch, and dark chocolate salted caramel barks. “We went back to our favorite candies from childhood,” they add.
Most flavors feature a bottom layer of milk chocolate and a top layer of white chocolate, plus a topping of crushed hard candy. The dark chocolate salted caramel bark combines dark chocolate with swirls of caramel and a sea salt topping. “We only use the highest quality of ingredients,” Farrimond and Morey explain, noting that their bark is still made with the same techniques that they originally perfected in their home kitchens.