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No-bake melted reindeer bark is an adorable and festive treat that can be made with a handful of ingredients in just 25 minutes, including chill time! Bite-size melt-in-your-mouth chocolate rounds with candy for the face and crunchy pretzels for the antlers are an edible craft that anyone can make!
Christmas Bark
This crafty dessert is a fun and festive way to get into the spirit of the holidays without turning on the oven. I know we all loved homemade baked goods, but during the busiest time of the year, need quick and easy no-bake treats too!
Making chocolate reindeer bark is a delicious activity that the kids can help out with and once they reach a certain age they can pretty much take full control.
Just like these no bake snowman Oreo balls, they are so easy to pull off!
They’re a super cute dessert that is a bit like Christmas crack in that they start as melted chocolate that solidifies and has a crunchy, salty, sweet element to them.
Ok so they’re not exactly the same but you get the idea.
Instead of crackers at the bottom, we’re using just melted chocolate chips and candy for the face and the salty crunch comes from the pretzels we use for the antlers!
Keep some extra reindeer bark to gift to a loved one. Who doesn’t love receiving homemade candy?! One as adorable as this is sure to be a hit!
Why you’ll love making No-Bake Melted Reindeer Bark
Make great gifts! – These treats are solid at room temperature and can be refrigerated if necessary. All you need to do is wrap them in a decorative little package with a note!
Just a handful of ingredients – All you need are a couple of different kinds of chocolate chips, sprinkles, candy, and pretzels. Nothing is complicated in this recipe and whatever you can’t find, there’s an easy replacement.
So yummy – The kids love to have something to snack on while they sip hot chocolate! Yes, in the morning 😉
Equipment you’ll need
- Microwave Safe Bowls – To melt the chocolate.
- Lipped Baking Sheet – So the sprinkles stay contained.
- Silicone Spatulas – I use these for everything, they make smoothly the chocolate easy.
Ingredients
Below is a list of the ingredients you’ll need to gather to make this recipe. Scroll all the way down for the full recipe card.
- Chocolate Chips – We’re using both milk chocolate chips and semi-sweet chocolate chips. I like the balance of the two, but by all means, use whatever kind you like best. You could even keep the chips separate and make two different kinds of reindeer bark.
- Sprinkles – Green and red sprinkles for decoration. There are no rules here. Use jimmies, balls, or a combination.
- Pretzels – Try to get your hands on twist or knot pretzels. When broken, they make the perfect little antlers.
- Candy – Pick up some red M&Ms for the reindeer nose and some candy eyes. These can typically be found at places like Michaels, or a bulk candy store. Sometimes even Walmart or your local grocery store. If nothing else, there’s always Amazon!
How to make No-Bake Melted Reindeer Bark
- STEP ONE: Microwave the chocolate chips in a microwave-safe bowl for 20-second intervals, stirring in between until they’re melted and smooth.
- STEP TWO: Spoon 1 Tablespoon of the melted chocolate onto a parchment-lined baking sheet. Use the back of the spoon, in small circular motions to create a circle. Make 11 of them, leaving space in between each chocolate circle.
- STEP THREE: Lightly sprinkle the red and green sprinkles over each circle, before it sets. You want the sprinkles to adhere to the chocolate while it is still melted.
- STEP FOUR: Take two pretzel pieces per circle and press each one into the top of the circle to form the antlers. Follow this with a pair of eyes below the antlers and one red M&M candy below the eyes.
- STEP FIVE: Transfer them to the refrigerator to chill and set for 10 minutes. Enjoy!
What to serve with No-Bake Melted Reindeer Bark
If we’re going with a reindeer theme, you’ve got to serve it with some reindeer sugar cookies, no-bake reindeer poop cookies, and a Drunken Rudolph milkshake for the adults!
For more no-bake Christmas treats, add some chocolate cherry mice, Grinch Oreo truffles, or rum balls.
For drinks, try slow cooker hot chocolate or slow cooker apple cider when I don’t have the extra time to make cosmic brownie hot chocolate bombs.
Dipping the Christmas bark into a hot drink and licking that melted chocolate is the stuff dreams are made of!
Tips & Substitutions 🦌
- Make sure to use parchment paper, as it makes removing the no-bake melted reindeer bark very easy.
- Candy piece alternatives that can be interchangeable; M&M’s, Skittles, or Red Hots. You can even use red candy for some of the noses and green for others. So cute!
- Sprinkle the chocolate with a few granules of coarse sea salt to finish.
- Work quickly! You want to make sure not to leave your chocolate unattended for too long. Add the decorations then pop them in the fridge to set.
How to store No-Bake Melted Reindeer Bark
How to store leftovers
Keep closed in an airtight container. You want to keep it in a cool dry area so that it doesn’t start to melt. If your place is a bit warm, transfer it to the fridge.
How long with Melted Reindeer Bark last in the fridge?
They’ll stay fresh for up to 5 days when stored properly.
Can I freeze Chocolate Bark?
Absolutely! It’ll keep frozen for months! When you’re ready to eat, just allow the pieces to thaw a bit before digging in so you don’t crack your teeth!
FAQs
Can I use a different kind of chocolate?
You can! Try using white chocolate chips instead. Or use the white to swirl into the dark chocolate for a fun effect. You can also use chocolate melting wafers, which may not taste exactly the same, but they will have a much longer shelf life, and travel well if you’re shipping your gifts anywhere!
How can I make this like traditional broken bark?
Easily! Pour all the melted chocolate chips onto the parchment paper and spread it with a knife. Place all the ingredients on top as faces, spread out from one another. Place in the refrigerator to cool for 10 minutes, then carefully use a knife to cut around each reindeer.
If you’re a pro, you can even try breaking apart the pieces with your hands.
Need more no-bake chocolate dessert recipes? Try these:
No Bake Chocolate Peanut Butter Haystack Cookies
Chocolate Covered Rice Krispie Peanut Butter Balls
Click here for my entire collection of both bake and no-bake candy recipes.
Melted Reindeer Bark
Equipment
Ingredients
- 5.5 ounces milk chocolate chips
- 5.5 ounces semi-sweet chocolate chips
- 1 tablespoon green sprinkles
- 1 tablespoon red sprinkles
- Twist pretzels broken into 22 small pieces
- 22 candy eyes
- 11 red M&M’s
Instructions
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set it aside.
- Place the chocolate chips in a medium microwave-safe bowl. Heat in 20 second increments, stirring between each, until melted and smooth.
- Remove from the microwave and spoon 1 tablespoon of melted chocolate chips into a circle on the parchment paper until you have created 11 circles. Use the back of the spoon to evenly spread the melted chocolate chips into the circles. Make sure the circles don’t touch.
- Sprinkle the green and red candy sprinkle mix over each circle. Try to stay near the outer edge.
- Press the pretzel pieces at the top to create the antlers.
- Press 2 candy eyes directly below the antlers.
- Press 1 M & M directly below the eyes.
- Place in the refrigerator for 10 minutes to set and serve.
- Peel from the parchment paper and serve.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional information is an estimate and provided to you as a courtesy. You should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe using your preferred nutrition calculator.
In your instructions on top of page, you said to microwave chocolate 20 Minutes, I know you meant 20 seconds, then in instructions at bottom it said to microwave 30 seconds an stir often, so hope people read the last instructions so they don’t burn chocolate. You should probably change the top one. This is cute idea for Christmas gifts for neighbors, I might do this instead oof my fudge this year. Thanks!
Thank you for proofreading me! I fixed it. I hope it’s a hit for you 🙂
All looks yummy!!
Thanks, Sharon 🙂
Hi. I have a question. Are you use for the mini pretzel knots or the regular sized?
Hi, they’re regular sized but broken into pieces.
so cute, I’m making these for all my grandchildren
Thanks, I hope they’re a hit 🙂