This post was supposed to happen a year ago. I was shopping in a kitchen store with my friend Sheri when we came upon holiday cookie cutters. Sheri said she wanted to fill cookie cutters with fudge or chocolate bark to give to neighbors and friends for Christmas gifts. I loved the idea and ended up buying a boatload of cookie cutters.  After initially experimenting with fudge, I got a little frustrated and put the idea on hold. Never got back to it, and meanwhile Sheri and I were stuck with an oversupply of mitten, snowflake, and Christmas tree cookie cutters. So, Sheri, this post is for you, girlfriend!  (BTW, if you need yarn, check out Sheri's awesome online yarn store The Loopy Ewe.) 

I ended up making a variety of chocolate barks for filling my cookie cutters. It is so easy! Instead of stirring flavors into melted chocolate, I used flavored baking chips and layered other ingredients (nuts, dried fruit, peppermint, Oreos, etc.) between layers of chocolate. That way I could create different combinations as I went along. I'll share my favorite flavor combinations with you, but feel free to get creative with your own favorite ingredients.

Step-by-step photos for making
Cookie Cutter Chocolate Bark

First, select and melt your chocolate. I used chocolate chips and other flavored baking chips--easy, inexpensive, and widely available. You can see my choices in the jars below. I melted my jars of chips in a water bath in the slow cooker. I explain that easy process in detail in my previous post: 
How to Melt Chocolate in A Slow Cooker 

view on Amazon:   pint mason jars, my slow cooker

I will show you how to make 6 different kinds of chocolate bark in cookie cutters, starting with...

#1. Dark Chocolate, Cranberry, and Pistachio Nut Bark in mitten cookie cutters. 

• Ingredients: dark chocolate chips (melted), dried cranberries, roasted pistachios
• Arrange the cookie cutters on top of parchment paper.
• Sprinkle the bottom of each cookie cutter with dried cranberries and pistachios.

view on Amazon:  metal cookie cutters

• Pour melted chocolate in the center of the cookie cutters and spread it out toward the edges with the back of a spoon, adding enough chocolate to cover the cranberries and nuts in an even layer. (Note: You can put the melted chocolate in a piping bag or plastic bag with the corner snipped and pipe in the chocolate. I chose not to do that because I was making a lot of these, and it is a big mess and hassle to have to stop and refill the bags. It's really easy to pour the melted chocolate directly from the jar into the cookie cutter.)
• Add another layer of cranberries and pistachios on top of the chocolate layer.
• At this point you can stop for a thinner bark, or add another layer of melted chocolate topped with cranberries/nuts for a thicker bark.

• Let the chocolate harden at room temperature, 1-2 hours. After it has cooled (at least 1/2 hour), you can speed up the hardening in the fridge if you're in a hurry. But, don't put hot melted chocolate in the fridge. Extreme temperature changes can cause chocolate to bloom--that means it gets a white powdery surface. It still tastes good and isn't harmful, but it doesn't look very pretty. That's why I normally let mine harden at room temperature.
• To remove the hardened bark from the cookie cutter, use your thumbs to press the bark right next to the edge of the cookie cutter. (Don't press in the center of the bark, or it might break.) If it doesn't give and start pushing out, rotate the cookie cutter and keep applying pressure with your thumbs around the edges. As you rotate it, your hands warm the cookie cutter slightly, and the bark will eventually slide out. Sometime it comes out on the first push, and sometimes you have to rotate and push a few times. Some are more stubborn and harder to release; be patient & keep rotating and pressing firmly but gently. I've only had one break when I pressed on the center instead of the edge.
• UPDATE: I've heard from a few people who have had difficulty removing their bark from the cookie cutters. If you have the same problem, try this:  give the outside edge of the cookie cutter a brief blast with a portable hair dryer (set on low heat). Blow all the way around with the warm air; it will melt the chocolate just enough to easily release from the cookie cutter. If you'll be bagging these right away for gifts, put them in the fridge for a few minutes to re-harden the outside edge before bagging them.

The mitten shapes below have 2 layers of chocolate and 3 layers of cranberries and pistachios--on the bottom, in the middle, and on top. These are pretty thick though--a big chunk of chocolate. From an eating point of view, a single of layer of chocolate with fruit and nuts on the bottom and top are plenty. Your choice how thick you want them to be.

Use the same basic procedures for making the remaining chocolate bark varieties.

#2. Oreo Bark in tree cookie cutters. 

• Ingredients: vanilla baking chips (melted), crushed Oreo cookies
• Layer ingredients with crushed Oreos on the bottom, melted vanilla chips in the middle, and crushed Oreos on top.

#3. Almond Toffee Chocolate Bark (my favorite combo!) in snowflake cookie cutters

• Ingredients: milk chocolate chips (melted), whole toasted almonds, crushed toffee (I used Heath bits)
• Layer ingredients with almonds and toffee bits on the bottom, melted chocolate chips in the middle, and almonds and toffee bits on top.

#4. Rocky Road Bark in mitten cookie cutters

• Ingredients: semi-sweet chocolate chips (melted), whole roasted peanuts, miniature marshmallows
• Layer ingredients with marshmallows and peanuts on the bottom, melted chocolate chips in the middle, and marshmallows and peanuts on top.

#5. Peanut Butter Bark in tree cookie cutters

• Ingredients: milk chocolate chips (melted), peanut butter baking chips (melted), whole roasted peanuts
• Layer ingredients with peanuts on the bottom; pour melted chocolate chips over the nuts; spoon on some melted peanut butter chips and use a toothpick to swirl it with the chocolate. Sprinkle more peanuts on top.

#6. Peppermint Bark in snowflake cookie cutters (tastes like Williams Sonoma peppermint bark--yum!)  This bark has layers of both white and dark chocolate.

• Ingredients: vanilla baking chips (melted), dark chocolate chips (melted), crushed peppermint candy. (You can purchased crushed peppermint candy or crush your own by putting candy canes/peppermints in a plastic bag and pounding it with the bottom of a heavy skillet, pan, or flat meat mallet.)
• Layer ingredients with a solid layer of crushed peppermint on the bottom; pour on melted vanilla chips and spread in even layer; add more crushed peppermint, pour and spread a thin layer of melted dark chocolate and top it with more crushed peppermint.

view on Amazon: crushed peppermint candy

I also used Hanukkah cookie cutters to make gifts for my Jewish friends.

Endless flavor combinations for any occasion! You can create favorite flavor combinations of your own. I've shown you 6 combinations, but the possibilities are endless. This same idea will work for any season or theme; just change the cookie cutter shapes to fit the occasion.

Here are my six flavor varieties. The shapes are a fun alternative to traditional broken pieces of chocolate bark. 

These make fun gifts! If you have lots of cookie cutters to spare (like Sheri and me), it's fun to give the cookie cutter filled with chocolate bark. Or, remove the bark from the cookie cutter and bag it that way. A fun gift either way.

view on Amazon: cellophane gift bags

Downloadable gift tags for all of your sweet homemade gifts:
Here are some downloadable gift tags for you to choose from. You can print them on card stock, punch a hole in the corner and hang them with a string or ribbon. Or, print them on sticker paper and stick them to the gift. Click on the image to download and print a sheet of the tags:

Guess what my friends are getting for Christmas? (Shhh, don't tell.)

Make it a Yummy day!
Monica 

Related posts from the blogosphere you might enjoy:

• 9 Chocolate Bark Varieties from Martha Stewart
• Christmas Tree Peppermint Bark from Tidy Mom
• Cookie Cutter Fudge from Betty Crocker

Print recipe Pin recipe on Pinterest

Chocolate Bark in Cookie Cutter Shapes

By Monica

Ingredients

• FOR MELTING, TRY ANY OF THESE:
• Chocolate chips (milk, semi-sweet, dark)
• Flavored baking chips (vanilla, peanut butter, or other preferred flavor)
• Other melting chocolate available in bars, chunks & pellets, if preferred
• FOR LAYERS IN THE BARK:
• Nuts--almonds, peanuts, pistachios (or other preferred nuts)
• Mini marshmallows
• Crushed peppermint candy
• Toffee bits
• Dried cranberries (or other preferred dried fruit)

Directions

Melt chocolate or flavored chips in slow cooker .  For melting directions, go to: www.theyummylife.com/Slow_Cooker_Melted_Chocolate

GENERAL DIRECTIONS: Place cookie cutters on top of parchment paper. Sprinkle bottom of each one with nuts, dried fruit, crushed candy, or marshmallows. Pour melted chocolate on top and use a spoon to spread evenly. Sprinkle again with nuts, dried fruit, etc. Repeat with another chocolate layer with sprinkles on top, if desired. Leave at room temperature until chocolate has hardened. To remove from cookie cutter, press down on hardened bark  with both thumbs at the inside edge of the cookie cutter. If bark doesn't release easily, rotate cookie cutter, and continue pressing bark, continuing to rotate and press until bark releases from the cookie cutter. If you are still having difficulty removing the bark from the cookie cutters, try this:  give the outside edge of the cookie cutter a brief blast with a portable hair dryer (set on low heat). Blow all the way around with the warm air; it will melt the chocolate just enough to easily release from the cookie cutter. If you'll be bagging these right away for gifts, put them in the fridge for a few minutes to re-harden the outside edge before bagging them.

FLAVOR VARIETIES:
1. Dark Chocolate, Cranberry, and Pistachio Nut Bark.
Ingredients: dark chocolate chips (melted), dried cranberries, roasted pistachios
Sprinkle the bottom of each cookie cutter with dried cranberries and pistachios. Add layer of melted chocolate, then top with cranberries and pistachios. For thicker bark, repeat layers again.

2. Oreo Bark.
Ingredients: vanilla baking chips (melted), crushed Oreo cookies.
Layer ingredients with crushed Oreos on the bottom, melted vanilla chips in the middle, and crushed Oreos on top.

3. Almond Toffee Chocolate Bark
Ingredients: milk chocolate chips (melted), whole toasted almonds, crushed toffee.
Layer ingredients with almonds and toffee bits on the bottom, melted chocolate chips in the middle, and almonds and toffee bits on top.

4. Rocky Road Bark.
Ingredients: semi-sweet chocolate chips (melted), whole roasted peanuts, miniature marshmallows. Layer ingredients with marshmallows and peanuts on the bottom, melted chocolate chips in the middle, and marshmallows and peanuts on top.

5. Peanut Butter Bark
Ingredients: milk chocolate chips (melted), peanut butter baking chips (melted), whole roasted peanuts. Layer ingredients with peanuts on the bottom; pour melted chocolate chips over the nuts; spoon on some melted peanut butter chips and use a toothpick to swirl it with the melted chocolate. Sprinkle more peanuts on top.

6. Peppermint Bark. (This bark has layers of both white and dark chocolate.)
Ingredients: vanilla baking chips (melted), dark chocolate chips (melted), crushed peppermint candy. Layer ingredients with a solid layer of crushed peppermint on the bottom; pour on melted vanilla chips and spread in even layer; add more crushed peppermints, pour and spread a thin layer of melted dark chocolate and top it with more crushed peppermint.

Print recipe Pin recipe on Pinterest