Easy Double Chocolate Fireworks Bark Recipe (2024)

FAQs

How to make chocolate bark that doesn't melt? ›

To keep your chocolate bark from melting, a proper tempering process is necessary. Tempering is a process where the chocolate is brought to certain temperatures, which essentially optimizes the form of the cocoa butter fat crystals and keeps it stable.

Melted chocolate must be properly tempered in order to develop its characteristic snap, shine, and smooth mouthfeel once it hardens. Once you have the tempering down (see our easy microwave method below), you're ready to make all sorts of chocolate treats. We are partial to chocolate barks.

this is a great do-ahead treat!

It just gets better, too – because you can make this marbled chocolate bark in advance and keep it in an airtight container for up to a week at room temperature or in the fridge or freezer for easily a month, till you're ready to gift or serve.

That's because your chocolate wasn't tempered. Tempered chocolate sets at room temperature and has a snap just like a chocolate bar you buy from the store.

Tempering chocolate is perfect for making chocolate candies, truffles, dipped confections, or chocolate cake decorations. If you just use melted chocolate to dip, you won't get a coating that stays snappy. It'll be dull and soft and will need to be refrigerated just to avoid melting.

If you melt the chocolate and work with it without tempering, it will take a long time to set up, will not be shiny, and won't snap; rather, it may be flexible, dull and brittle.

For bark-making, use the best chocolate within your budget, either in bars or discs meant for melting and baking. Valrhona, Callebaut, Scharffen Berger, Guittard, and Ghirardelli are all good options.

Sugar bloom happens when moisture comes in contact with the chocolate - it dissolves the sugar crystals on the chocolate's surface, leaving a white, powdery look. Fat bloom occurs due to improper storing conditions, dramatic changes in temperature, or a poor tempering process.

As with any other food item, “if in doubt, throw it out,” Detwiler says. “Any bad or odd odor, taste or appearance should be an indication not to eat any food, including chocolate,” he says.

To cut set chocolate without cracking, I would recommend heating your knife with hot water, drying excess water off of the knife, and then *carefully* cutting into the chocolate.

Where do you store chocolate bark? ›

Homemade chocolate bark will last in an airtight container for 2-3 weeks. I recommend storing it in the fridge to ensure that the chocolate doesn't melt! Storing for longer? Wrap the chocolate bark tightly in a couple layers of plastic wrap and keep it in the freezer for up to 6 months.

Melt butter: For this recipe, I suggest 1 tablespoon of butter, gently melted in a microwave. To that, add your water-based food coloring.

To prevent this from happening, let your chocolate bark set in a cool but room-temperature spot in the house — don't stick it in the fridge or the freezer to try and speed things up. Similarly, you should store the chocolate bark in a cool room-temperature place like the pantry. Another reason to eat it up quickly!

This is usually achieved by adding a small amount of fat – typically flavourless – to the melted chocolate. Common types of fat used for thinning chocolate include cocoa butter, vegetable oil, or shortening.

If you want to keep your chocolate bar from melting, using a cool bag or container is one of the simplest and most effective hacks. Just like refrigeration, these insulated storage solutions maintain a consistent temperature that can prevent chocolate from melting even on hot days.

Choose insulating and cooling packing materials.

Metalized bubble packaging insulates your chocolates and deflects the heat. Nestling your chocolate box in ice packs keeps them below their softening point.