This Healthy Dark Chocolate Bark recipe is one of my favorite healthy chocolate snacks to make.  It features dark chocolate, creamy peanut butter, chopped pretzels and chopped roasted nuts.  This recipe for chocolate bark is quick, easy, and super fun to make.  It’s also seriously addictive!

Dark chocolate bark made in cookie cutters set out on a wire cooling rack.With this Dark Chocolate Bark recipe, you can either spread the ingredients out onto a cookie sheet and break it into pieces, or you can pour the melted chocolate into your favorite cookie cutter shapes for a really fun twist on things.

Pieces of chocolate bark set out on a wire cooling rack.

Chocolate Bark Recipe

You’ll love the layers of flavors that this chocolate bark recipe has going for it.  

  • Coconut oil spray
  • Dark chocolate chips, divided (I use Guittard)
  • Unsweetened creamy peanut butter
  • Pretzels, chopped
  • Kosher salt
  • Toasted mix nuts

How To Make Chocolate Bark

This dark chocolate bark recipe is super easy to make and it comes together in about 30 minutes.  It’s one of those holiday recipes that’s really fun to make. You can wrap each individual bark with cookie cutter in cellophane to give as super cute homemade holiday gifts.  

  1. Prepare pan.  Line a 9×12 inch rimmed cookie sheet with a Silpat or wax paper.  Lightly spray the insides of each cookie cutter with coconut oil spray and arrange on the cookie sheet.
  2. Melt chocolate.  Melt chocolate chips in a saucepan over a double broiler.
  3. Distribute chocolate.  Spoon the melted chocolate into the cookie cutters (divide evenly).
  4. Add pretzels pieces.  Sprinkle the tops with crushed pretzels and a sprinkle of kosher salt.
  5. Refrigerate.  Place cookie sheet in the refrigerator for 10 minutes or until the chocolate has set.
  6. Melt more chocolate.  Add the last cup of chocolate chips and peanut butter back to the pan and melt over a double broiler.  Stir to blend well.
  7. Add another layer.  Spoon the chocolate peanut-butter mix over the pretzels, divide evenly.
  8. Sprinkle with nuts.  Sprinkle the top layer of chocolate with chopped nuts.
  9. Refrigerate again.  Refrigerate for 15 minutes or until the chocolate has completely set.

Six cookie cutters filled with batter.

You’ll spoon in a layer of melted dark chocolate into the cookie cutters.  Then you’ll sprinkle in some crushed pretzels and a few flecks of kosher salt to the  top of the melted chocolate.  Next you’ll put them in the refrigerator for a few to set.

Chocolate bark in cookie cutters topped with nuts.

Then we come to  my favorite layer.  This  layer has a blend of melted dark chocolate chips (1 cup)  mixed with all natural creamy peanut butter. There’s a fair amount of taste-testing that goes on with this layer, but don’t use a spoon – use your leftover pretzels for this task!

chocolate bark in shaped with cookie cutters

Then for the last layer – you’ll sprinkle the top of the chocolate-peanut butter layer with 1 cup of your favorite mix of nuts, roasted and chopped. Then it all goes back in the refrigerator again for a few to set.  This recipe is likely to become one of your family’s favorite healthy chocolate snacks to make for the holidays!

Serving Suggestions

  • Remove the chocolate bark from the cookie cutters and serve on a dish,
  • Wrap the dark chocolate bark with or without the cookie cutters in clear plastic bags with bows and give as gifts, party favors,  or use as place settings, etc.  They’re super festive, and like I said – they are really fun to make (both because they’re so quick and easy to make and because they taste so good)!

More Healthy Chocolate Snacks

Originally published 12.2016 – updated 11.2020

Chocolate bark shaped in cookie cutters
Yield: 8 - 10 pieces

Healthy Dark Chocolate Bark

Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Additional Time 3 minutes
Total Time 33 minutes

This Healthy Dark Chocolate Bark is made with dark chocolate, peanut butter, chopped pretzels and chopped roasted nuts. This recipe is quick, easy, and super fun to make. It’s also highly addictive!

Ingredients

  • coconut oil spray
  • 3 cups dark chocolate chips, divided (I use Guittard)
  • 1/4 cup all-natural unsweetened creamy peanut butter
  • 1/4 cup pretzels, chopped
  • 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1 cup toasted almonds (or mixed nuts), chopped

Instructions

  1. Line a 9X12 inch rimmed cookie sheet with a Silpat or wax paper
  2. Lightly spray the insides of each cookie cutter with coconut oil spray and arrange on the cookie sheet.
  3. Melt the 2 cups of the chocolate chips in a saucepan over a double broiler.
  4. Spoon the melted chocolate into the cookie cutters (divide evenly).
  5. Sprinkle the tops with crushed pretzels and a sprinkle of kosher salt.
  6. Set in the refrigerator for 10 minutes or until the chocolate has set.
  7. Add the last cup of chocolate chips and peanut butter back to the pan and melt over a double broiler. Stir to blend well.
  8. Spoon the chocolate peanut-butter mix over the pretzels, divide evenly.
  9. Sprinkle the chocolate with chopped nuts.
  10. Refrigerate for 15 minutes or until the chocolate has completely set.

Notes

HOW TO SERVE

  • Remove the chocolate bark from the cookie cutters and serve on a dish,
  • Wrap the dark chocolate bark with or without the cookie cutters in clear plastic bags with bows and give as gifts, party favors,  or use as place settings, etc.  They're super festive, and like I said - they are really fun to make (both because they're so quick and easy to make and because they taste so good)!

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

8

Serving Size:

1

Amount Per Serving: Calories: 644Total Fat: 45gSaturated Fat: 17gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 24gCholesterol: 5mgSodium: 395mgCarbohydrates: 51gFiber: 8gSugar: 33gProtein: 13g

theharvestkitchen.com attempts to provide accurate information, however, this nutritional information is provided as a courtesy and is an estimate only. The nutritional information provided comes from online sources and calculations.