This easy Salted Caramel Dark Chocolate Bark is the perfect combination of salty and sweet. It is made with dark chocolate, caramel, potato chips, pretzels, walnuts and sprinkled with coarse sea salt.
How to make dark chocolate candy bark
Making this salted caramel bark is simple. All you need is a microwave and some parchment paper! Homemade caramel is tricky to make so a simple way to add caramel to this bark is to use store-bought caramel candy. You will need to melt it in the microwave and then drizzle it over top!
For a salty bite, I chose to add the following to this bark recipe:
- Pretzels
- Potato Chips
- Sea Salt
- Walnuts
Dark chocolate bark with sea salt is delicious on its own. But adding other crunchy, salty ingredients takes it to another level.
I thought of this idea because I love salty foods covered in chocolate especially chocolate covered pretzels and chocolate covered potato chips!
Chocolate covered pretzels are all too common but I think we all can say you never turn down a chocolate covered pretzel.
If you have never had a chocolate covered potato chips, you haven't lived. They are absolutely delicious!
Chocolate covered nuts are also a favorite of mine especially around the holidays. You can add ANY nuts to this bark and it would work. Almonds are popular in almond bark recipes. But you can add peanuts, cashews, pecans, WHATEVER nuts you have available! That's why I love bark. Because of how versatile it is!
I chose walnuts because they are my favorite of the nut family. They also have a lot of health benefits as does dark chocolate!
How to store your bark
You can store your bark at room temperature in a sealed container for up to a week. I like to keep my bark in the fridge. It gives the chocolate an extra snap because of the low temperature plus it will last more than twice as long!
How to keep it from melting
The bark will not melt at room temperature. However if it's a hotter day and you're traveling or bringing to an outside party, I suggest storing in a cooler to make sure it does not melt.
What kind of caramel should you use?
I like to use any soft caramel square candy I have on hand or can find in the store. For this recipe, I used Werther's soft chewy caramels. They melt very well and are delicious!
Tips:
- Work quickly! Chocolate can set quickly so make sure you are ready with all of your add-ins once your chocolate is melted.
- Ridged potato chips work best!
- Dark chocolate or even semi-sweet chocolate work best. Try to avoid milk chocolate.
- Bark makes great holiday candy gifts! Use parchment paper when gifting!
More chocolate recipes:
EASY Double Chocolate Cake Mix Cookies
Healthy Chocolate Strawberry Yogurt Truffles
Quick Chocolate Raspberry Mousse Tartlets
EASY Raw Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Bites
Easy Homemade Buttery Caramel Corn (without Corn Syrup)
Salted Dark Chocolate Snack Bark
Ingredients
- 16 oz. Good Dark Chocolate
- ½ Cup Crushed Pretzels (I used thin pretzel sticks)
- ½ Cup Crushed Rigged Potato Chips
- ¼ Cup Chopped Walnuts (or any nut)
- 1 Tbsp. Coarse or Flaked Sea Salt
- 3 oz. Chewy Caramel Candies
Instructions
- Have your chips, pretzels, nuts and salt ready! Also have a nonstick surface ready on top of a sheet pan! (this will save you trouble when transferring to the fridge) For your nonstick surface, use parchment paper or a silicone pad.
- Melt your chocolate using your microwave for 30 seconds in a small bowl. Take out and stir the chocolate as much as you can. Repeat in 10 second intervals until chocolate is fully melted. Do not exceed 10 seconds or it will scorch! (It should not take more than 2-3 times)
- Once it is fully melted, quickly pour melted chocolate onto your nonstick surface and spread using your spatula until you get a thickness of about ¼-1/2".
- Immediately sprinkle your chips, pretzels and walnuts evenly all over the chocolate while its still warm.
- Open your caramels and heat them up in a small bowl in the microwave in 15 second intervals. Once fully melted, take a spoon and drizzle caramel over your bark. Use as much as you like! Immediately sprinkle the caramel with the sea salt to finish. The salt should stick to the caramel if you do it quickly.
- Take your sheet pan and chill your bark in the fridge for at least an hour or in the freezer for 30 minutes. This will allow the bark to solidify so you can easily break it down.
- Once fully chilled, take out and immediately break the bark into pieces using a large knife. Store in a sealed container for up to 2 weeks in the fridge or 4+ weeks in the freezer.
Have made 2 batches - one with the dark chocolate and one with milk chocolate. Easy and delicious.
Thanks so much Grandma!! 🙂