Strawberry Chocolate Pretzel Bark features smooth semi-sweet and white chocolate, salty pretzel sticks, tart strawberries, and festive sprinkles for a fun and tasty homemade candy treat!
1cupfreeze-dried strawberriessuch as Just Strawberries
½cupsalted pretzel sticks
Sprinkles
Instructions
Line a baking sheet with wax paper or parchment paper. Set aside.
Pour semi-sweet chocolate chips in one microwave-safe bowl. Chop white chocolate baking bar into small pieces and place in another microwave-safe bowl. Microwave semi-sweet chocolate chips for 1 minute; stir chocolate well. Microwave for another 30 seconds; stir until chocolate is smooth. (If necessary, microwave in additional 15-second increments, stirring between each one, until chocolate is completely melted and smooth.)
Melt white chocolate by repeating the above process, but microwave for only 15 seconds after the initial 1 minute since white chocolate melts more quickly than regular chocolate.
Spread about ¾ of the melted semi-sweet chocolate in a thin layer onto prepared baking sheet, forming a rough rectangle that measures about 9- by 12-inches. Dollop the melted white chocolate on top. Spoon the remaining semi-sweet chocolate onto the centers of the white chocolate dollops. Use a toothpick to swirl the semi-sweet and white chocolates together.
Immediately arrange pretzel sticks onto the swirled chocolate. Fill in the spaces between the pretzels with the strawberries. Sprinkle the entire surface with sprinkles, pressing them lightly into the chocolate, if necessary.
Refrigerate until chocolate is set, about 45 minutes. Slide wax/parchment paper onto a cutting board and cut bark into pieces. Serve immediately or store in a tightly-sealed container in the refrigerator.
Notes
The semi-sweet and white chocolates need to be melted and ready to go at about the same time, so I like to alternate them in the microwave (heat semi-sweet bowl for 1 minute, stir; exchange bowls and heat white chocolate bowl for 1 minute, stir; exchange bowls again and heat semi-sweet for 30 seconds, stir; then white chocolate again, and repeat until both bowls of chocolate are melted and smooth).
Alternatively, you may melt the chocolates simultaneously in two double-boilers on the stove.
You may use white chocolate chips instead of baking bars. Just be careful to heat in short increments and stir frequently, stopping when white chocolate is just melted and smooth.
You may break this bark into chunks if you wish. However, if you prefer to cut it into neat pieces, I find that making it on a rimless cookie sheet allows me to easily slide the wax/parchment paper directly onto a cutting board for cutting. If you do use a rimless baking sheet, just be sure to hold on to the wax/parchment paper as you transfer the bark between the counter and the fridge, or the whole thing might slide to the floor!