Red White and Blue Bark

Red white and blue bark is a super easy no bake dessert recipe that is perfect for patriotic holidays like Memorial Day and Fourth of July. You can make this festive candy bark in just a few minutes, and it's perfect for summer cookouts and potlucks or sharing with friends and neighbors!

The kids and I have been making this patriotic candy bark for years. We always make peppermint bark at Christmas, Bunny Bark at Easter and Halloween Bark in the fall. So of course, we have to have patriotic colors for the summer holidays.

One of the best things about this no bake dessert recipe is that it only takes a few minutes to prepare. And, no hot oven to heat up the house! Plus, you only need a few ingredients to make it!

4 Ingredient Dessert

You only need 4 ingredients to make patriotic bark, plus extra decorations if you want:

• Semi sweet chocolate morsels
• Blue candy melts
• White chocolate or white candy melts
• M and M's
• Sprinkles or jimmies (white or red)

Since candy melts alone would be a tad too sweet, even for me, I decided to use semi-sweet chocolate as a base for the bark. This worked really well, and I love the way all of the colors look together!

How to Make Red White and Blue Bark

First, pour the chocolate morsels, white chocolate and blue candy melts into separate microwaveable bowls. Then, line a baking sheet with wax paper. Start by melting the the semi sweet chocolate in the microwave.

Follow the directions on the bag for melting chocolate in the microwave. Or, just heat the chocolate up for 1 minute, followed by 15 second intervals until it's mostly melted, stirring gently in between intervals.

Pour the melted chocolate on the lined baking sheet. Then, gently smooth it into a rectangle. Make sure it's not too thick -- around ⅛th inches is good. Pop the tray into the fridge for a few minutes to set faster.

Next, melt the white chocolate. Pour about half of the chocolate on the semi sweet chocolate, and smooth it into a thin layer.

Finally, melt the blue candy melts. Pour over the white chocolate layer and spread it gently into a thin layer. Pour the rest of the white chocolate over the blue, and use a toothpick or knife to create a swirl effect.

I found that it's easier to get the swirl effect by letting the colors firm up just slightly before adding the layers. Just don't wait too long! You want the layers to stick together, but you still want them soft enough to blend.

Add red, white and blue M and M's over the top layer. Tip -- If you can't find red, white and blue candies, you can just pick out red and blue from a regular bag.

If you want, you can also add some festive seasonal sprinkles or jimmies. When you're done decorating the bark, pop the tray into the fridge until the candy firms up.

If you're in a hurry, you can even freeze the bark for a few minutes! Just don't keep it in there too long. When the bark is firm, cut or break the bark into smaller pieces.

And, I have to say that a pizza cutter does an awesome job of making neat slices, which is a good thing when you're trying to show off that amazing blue and white swirl.

How to Store

Store the patriotic bark in a covered container in a cool place. You can keep it in the fridge if your house is warm. It lasts about a week, if it lasts that long!

Actually, I keep it in the garage refrigerator to discourage the kids and me from foraging -- those little pieces are so tempting.

Having a cookout? Serve the bark with Patriotic Popcorn and Red White and Blue Poke Cake!

Red White and Blue Bark

Published by Dee

Red white and blue bark is a super easy no bake dessert recipe that is perfect for patriotic holidays like Memorial Day and Fourth of July.

5 from 7 votes

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Cook ModePrevent your screen from going dark

Prep Time 5 mins

Cook Time 5 mins

refrigeration 15 mins

Total Time 20 mins

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Servings 15

Calories 250 kcal

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

• 1 12-oz bag of semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 1 12-oz bag of white candy melts or white chocolate chips
• 1 12-oz bag of dark blue candy melts
• red white and blue m and m candies or any candy for garnish

Instructions

 

• Melt the chocolate chips slowly in a microwaveable bowl, starting at 1 minute, then 15 second increments, stirring between melting, or follow directions on bag
• Spread a thin layer of chocolate onto a wax paper-lined baking sheet, and place in the refrigerator until just firm
• Melt the white candy pieces, and layer half on top of the chocolate.
• Melt the blue candy, and spread on top of the white layer, and add the rest of the melted white candy.
• Then, use a toothpick, spoon or knife to swirl the colors together.
• Finish by adding some red, white and blue candies on top. Cut into large pieces when firm

Notes

It's easiest to add the layers when they are starting to firm up, but not completely set. 

Store covered in a cool place or in the refrigerator.

Nutrition information is estimated. Please do your own calculation to fit special diets.

Nutrition

Calories: 250kcalCarbohydrates: 26gProtein: 1gFat: 15gSaturated Fat: 10gCholesterol: 1mgSodium: 24mgPotassium: 139mgFiber: 1gSugar: 22gVitamin A: 10IUCalcium: 15mgIron: 1.5mg

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Recipe first published in 2015 and updated in 2021