Spider-Web Halloween Bark
Halloween bark is a simple two-ingredient treat that adds a homemade touch to your Halloween party or other celebration. Surprisingly easy to make, this Halloween candy bark recipe will teach you how to transform dark chocolate and white chocolate into fun spider-web chocolate bark. Make it on the stovetop or in the microwave – whichever is easier for you!
Homemade Halloween Candy Bark
Halloween is the holiday of imagination and candy. You get to dress up in your favorite costume, pretend goblins and ghosts are real, and reward yourself with sweet Halloween themed candy treats.
Unlike many of our holiday traditions, most of the candy we enjoy at Halloween are store bought. This year we are changing that up with this easy halloween bark recipe.
You can opt for a basic version using chocolate chips, get a little fancier by using your favorite chocolate bar, or get really fancy by adding in dried candy and nuts. Or get not at all fancy and use leftover Halloween candy! Once you’ve mastered the basics of making homemade chocolate bark, you’ll find it’s an easy treat for all seasons.
What You’ll Need
- Dark Chocolate – Milk chocolate, semi-sweet chocolate, bittersweet chocolate, or dark chocolate. You can us chips, chopped up bars, or melting discs.
- White Chocolate – This creates the webbing, again you can use chips, chopped up bars, or melting disks.
- Plastic Spiders – Fake decorative spiders make it scary fun!
Recommended Kitchen Tools
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- offset spatula
- parchment paper or aluminum foil
- toothpicks
- plastic spider rings
How to Make Homemade Halloween Chocolate Bark
When it comes to easy recipes for homemade sweet treats, chocolate bark is the EASIEST of them all. This halloween candy bark version is made in two parts with four steps.
- Melt the chocolate – If you’ve never done this before, check out the kitchen skills sections below.
- Make the dark chocolate base. Spread the dark melted chocolate it into a thick even layer on baking sheet lined with parchment paper or foil.
- Add the white chocolate circles. Load the white melted chocolate into a piping bag, cut off a small corner of the bag, then trace out multiple sets of concentric circles to form the outlines of the spider webs. (Start with a single dot in the middle, then trace larger circles around it as you work your way out.)
- Create the spider web design. While the chocolate is still warm, use a toothpick to feather the white chocolate across the dark chocolate to form the spider web pattern. Dip the tooth pick in the center dot and draw it straight out through the circles. Repeat around the circles as many or as few times as your creative heart desires.
- Cool completely. Allow the chocolate to cool completely at room temperature to set up before peeling it away from the parchment paper backing. Use a sharp knife to cut bark into irregular shapes and sizes.
Kitchen Skills: Melting Chocolate
Melting chocolate is a super easy kitchen skill, but it does take a little bit of knowledge to get it done right. There are two main methods, a double boiler on the stove top and a heat safe bowl in the microwave. Choose whichever one works for you.
I’ve covered the basic here, but if you want to learn more about making melted chocolate, check out my Beginners Guide to Homemade Chocolate Bombs.
Melting Chocolate on the Stovetop
My go to method for melting chocolate is the double boiler. Boiling water makes for a more gentle and more forgiving heat, which can prevent the chocolate from burning or breaking. You want it just hot enough to melt.
The chocolate should be stirred continuously while melting. White chocolate can be a little more finicky and I find it much quicker to burn, so be even more attentive to it. Do not put any chocolate on the stove top to melt and walk away from it.
Warning: This process is much quicker than you would expect.
What if I don’t have a double boiler?
If you don’t have an actual double boiler you are in great company! I don’t have one either. Instead of spending money on tools I don’t need, I find it’s much better to use the tools I do have to get the job done. If you have a small saucepan and a metal or glass mixing bowl, you have a double boiler.
Check to make sure that the top bowl is wide enough to nest on top of the saucepan without falling in and that you can safely and securely get a grip on that top bowl without burning yourself. Pot holders are helpful, silicone lined tongs are even better. The BEST solution in my kitchen is to use the metal mixing bowl that came with my mixer because it has a built in handle.
To turn these normal kitchen tools into a double boiler simply place a couple inches of water into the bottom of the saucepan and bring it to a boil. There should be enough water to create steam and transfer heat, but not so much water that it gets displaced and spilled by the top bowl.
Once it’s boiling, add the chocolate to the top bowl and nest it over the boiling water. Stir it continuously until it’s completely melted.
Melting Chocolate in the Microwave
No metal or glass mixing bowls? Then the microwave is probably your best bet. Grab a small microwave-safe bowl, add the chocolate chips and microwave on high in 15 – 30 second intervals. Pull it out between intervals and stir it thoroughly.
I’d start with the 30 second intervals and shorten them as the chocolate becomes visibly meltier. The chocolate will smooth out as it melts and often the stirring is just as important as the time in the microwave.
Again, the white chocolate can be more finickier so shorten the timing on the microwave bursts as the chocolate melts.
Tips for Making Spider Web Bark
Even with the easiest recipes, there are always tips to make it easier. Here are some of my most useful tips for making the Halloween bark.
- For the silkiest smoothest melted chocolate: Add a tablespoon of coconut oil or other solid fat to the melted chocolate. The extra fat will help smooth out the lumps and bumps.
- Dry your kitchen tools completely. The tiniest amount of water in melted chocolate can cause it to seize up into an unworkable mess. Dry all bowls, spoons, spatulas, etc, completely before adding the chocolate.
- To make even web circles start with the dot in the center and work your way out.
- Fill in the outer edges of the bark with partial webs, or you’ll end up with blank bark when you chop it into pieces.
- Cut the bark into uneven pieces using a sharp, straight blade knife. A chef’s knife works best. You can make large pieces or bite sized pieces, depending on how big you made the webs.
Halloween Bark Variations
The fun thing about this easy recipe for halloween bark is that it can be as basic or as fancy as you want it. A simple addition of orange and black spiders brings your spider webs to life, but this bark would be just as fun and delicious without them.
The place where variations get really fun are in the decorations. Gently press these additions into the top layer of the chocolate bark before it cools to make sure they stick. Here are some of my most favorite ideas to make your Halloween bark unique.
- Plastic or candy spiders
- Halloween inspired sprinkles
- Candy corn
- Candy eyeballs
- Bug shaped icing decorations caught in the webbing
- Edible candy leaves
- Dried fruit or chopped nuts
- Leftover Halloween candy (like Reese’s pieces or M&Ms)
How to Store Halloween Bark
This Halloween bark can be stored just like you would any other chocolate bark or chocolate candy. I keep mine in an air tight container in the pantry, tucked out of view of my husband and child. If you think it will last, you can display it on the counter under a glass cake dome or place your creepy confection on a pretty Halloween themed plate. Warning: keep it away from heat or it will melt.
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Halloween Bark
Ingredients
- 18 ounces dark or milk chocolate – 3 cups of chips
- 3 ounces white chocolate – 1/2 cup chips
Instructions
- Line a 7×11 baking pan with foil or parchment paper. Set aside.
- In a double boiler: melt the dark chocolate over medium-low heat stirring constantly. Remove from the heat once the chocolate is silky smooth. – OR – In the microwave: microwave on high for 15 – 30 second bursts, stirring between bursts, until silky smooth. Repeat with the white chocolate.
- Once the dark chocolate is melted, pour it into the prepared pan. Spread it out to cover the bottom, making the top as smooth as possible.
- Load the melted white chocolate into a piping bag. Cut off the very tip of the bag to create an opening just large enough to squeeze out the white chocolate.
- Starting with a white center dot, make concentric circles randomly over the dark chocolate. Circle 3 – 4 layers deep work well. Create both big and small circle sets and take them all the way to the edges.
- Use a toothpick to lightly feather the white chocolate through the dark chocolate. Start in the solid center and gently drag the toothpick out to the edge
- Go around the circles pulling them out to make web designs, there is no wrong way to do the webs, just have fun with it.
- Once you get it how you like it gently press the spider rings into the webs wherever you like.
- Allow to cool completely to set.
- To serve, cut with a sharp knife. Store at room temperature in an airtight container.
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Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated and is for general information purposes only. For the most accurate information, calculate using your select brands and exact measurements.
Yum!