Easy Patriotic Bark

This easy patriotic bark is a great recipe to make with the kids or when you’re short on time before a big holiday barbecue!

I really wanted to make a fireworks inspired dessert for 4th of July this year, and I had grand plans regarding cakes with hand painted details, or sugar cookies, cupcakes… something that required me turning on my oven and time that never actually materialized. Instead, I found myself wandering the aisles of my local craft store when I spotted some blue and red edible glitter sprinkles, and the idea for a “fireworks” bark was born!

This is such an easy recipe, you don’t need to temper any chocolate, you can make as much or as little as you’d like, and the hardest part is waiting for it to set. Active work time is less than 5 minutes, and it’s simple enough for anyone to do. Once broken, it looks great set out in a bowl as an easy dessert, or packaged into gift bags for take-home favors. Do people do take home favors at barbecues? Maybe if you throw an America-themed party this would be a good favor. I don’t know if America parties are still a thing, but apparently they were all the rage a few years ago.

To make your own patriotic bark, you need the following:

candy melting wafers in white, blue, and red – you’ll need more of the white than the blue and red
a silicone baking mat, parchment, or wax paper
an offset spatula or knife to spread out your base color
piping bags for the red and white melts
sprinkles – I used red glitter, blue glitter, and silver sugar

Check out the video below to see how it’s made (there’s no speaking for those of you watching at work…)

The best part is, there’s really no wrong way to create your design! The color splashes look beautiful once the bark is broken into bits. If you want the bark to harden quickly, pop it into the refrigerator or freezer for a few minutes and you’ll have dessert ready in under 15 minutes, start to finish, cleanup included! 😉

Use a double boiler or the microwave to melt your candy – 50% power on the microwave – and don’t over swirl your fireworks. Have fun, enjoy this very easy recipe, and be sure to check out some other fun Fourth of July inspired posts from my blogger friends!