Name: Almond Bark
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 25 min
Total time: 65 min
Ingredients: 12 oz Chocolate ((white, milk or dark)); 1 ½ cup Almonds ((raw with skins on))

Jump to Recipe Print Recipe

Almond bark is the kind of treat that looks and tastes impressive but is actually fairly straightforward to make. Melt chocolate, add almonds, and let it set up into chocolate-covered perfection. Whether you’re craving the sweetness of white chocolate, the creamy richness of milk chocolate, or the bold intensity of dark chocolate, this recipe adapts to your mood and pantry.

Overhead shot of a cutting board with white parchment paper. On it are pieces of white almond bark, dark chocolate almond bark, and milk chocolate almond bark. Each type is laid out in a line to form three lines of almond bark types. In the upper corner of the picture is a small white bowl of almonds with some almonds spilled out.

This recipe is fairly straightforward and uses only two ingredients, so I suggest using the best ingredients you can muster. My preference is good quality couverture chocolate, but you can also melt down your favorite solid chocolate bars like Lindt, Cadbury Dairymilk, Hershey’s etc. If you enjoy eating that brand of chocolate then you will enjoy using it in the almond bark recipe. Yes, you could use candy melts that are chocolate flavor – they will melt well and make a nice looking bark, but it won’t be as pleasant to eat.

Why You Will Love This Chocolate and Almond Bark Recipe

Customizable Chocolate Options – use white, milk, or dark chocolate to match any craving (or swirl to mix).
Minimal Ingredients – Just chocolate and almonds. No candy thermometer or complicated steps.
Fast to Make – Melts, mixes, and sets quickly – perfect for last-minute treats or gifting.
Perfect for Gifting – Break into pretty shards, package in bags or tins, and you have an almost effortless holiday gift.
Crunchy & Chocolatey – The mix of silky chocolate and toasted almonds gives every bite a satisfying snap and crunch.
Naturally Gluten-Free – A crowd-pleasing treat that works for many dietary needs.
Endless Variations – Add sea salt, dried fruit, peppermint, sprinkles – whatever fits the mood/season.

Equipment Needed

Disclosure: as an Amazon affiliate, I receive a small amount of compensation from qualifying purchases at no expense to you. This helps support my work and allows me to bring more yummy recipes your way.

This recipe uses the following baking tools, and a few standard kitchen items not listed.

Ingredients

Chocolate – the base – pick your favorite.

Almonds – adds crunch and almond flavor

How To Make Almond Bark

Toast the Almonds

Preheat oven to 350 F

Place almonds on a baking sheet in a single layer and place in oven for 20-25 minutes. After 10 minutes give the almonds a flip/stir and bake for another 5 minutes. Stir/flip the almonds again, and give them another 5 minutes. You should be able to smell the toasted almonds when the pan is out of the oven. If they aren’t too brown you can decide to give them another 5 minutes, just keep a close eye on them – they can go from toasty to burnt quickly.

Two side by side overhead shots. The picture on the left is of the raw almonds with skins on layed out on a parchment lined baking sheet. The almonds are a bright brown. The picture on the right is of the same almonds on the pan after they have been toasted for about 25 minutes. They are a deeper brown color.

Set almonds aside to cool.

Melting the Chocolate – Whether using Couverture or Non-Couverture Chocolate.

If using solid chocolate, chop it up into very small bits. If using chips no need to chop them up. Place chocolate in a microwave safe plastic bowl. See Pro Tips on why plastic is better than glass for melting chocolate.

Place bowl of chocolate in the microwave and microwave for 45 seconds. Give the chocolate a thorough stir to help distribute the heat, even if it looks like nothing melted. Place back in the microwave for 30 seconds then stir again. Now use 20 second bursts in the microwave with a lot of stirring between bursts until you get to the point that most of the chocolate has melted but some small chunks remain. Continue to stir and stir until those chunks finally melt. If they are being stubborn, give them a 5-10 second burst in the microwave.

Four overhead photos of melting dark chocolate in a white plastic bowl for making almond bark. Top left corner is the starting point where there is only small unmelted chunks of chocolate in the bowl. The top right corner is of the chocolate only slightly melted, it looks soft but still chunky. The bottom left corner shows most of the chocolate melted and shiny but still chunks of chocolate visible. The bottom right corner is fully melted shiny dark chocolate.

Assembling the Almond Bark

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.

Add the toasted almonds into the bowl of melted chocolate, reserving about a 1/4-1/2 cup of almonds that you will sprinkle on top (optional). It is ok if they are warm, but you don’t want them to be hot as that can overheat the chocolate.

Stir to completely coat the almonds in the chocolate.

Pour the chocolate almond mixture onto the prepared baking sheet and use an offset spatula to even out the layer.

Two side by side overhead shots. The picture on the left is of a parchment lined baking sheet where melted white chocolate and almonds has been poured into a pile in the middle of the tray. The picture on the right is of the same white chocolate with almonds after it has been smoothed out with an offset spatula. It's about 1/2" thick and has been sprinkled with toasted whole almonds.

Sprinkle the top of the melted chocolate with the leftover almonds (optional). Give them a little press down so they will be held tightly by the chocolate when it solidifies.

Allow to cool until solid. At least 20 minutes.

Close up overhead shot of dark chocolate almond bark after it has been broken into pieces about 2" by 2". Some almonds are just lumps under chocolate while other almonds are fully visible on top. Almond bark milk chocolate can also be made by using milk chocolate.

Pro Tips Tricks and Substitutions

Melting chocolate in the microwave is one of the simplest ways to melt chocolate and keep it in temper, but it requires careful attention. Chocolate is extremely sensitive to heat – just a small amount of overheating can cause issues such as bloom (white streaks or blotches) or a dull, soft finish without that satisfying snap. Using a plastic bowl instead of glass helps prevent this, since plastic doesn’t hold residual heat the way glass does. Once the bowl is removed from the microwave, the temperature of the chocolate won’t continue to rise as quickly, giving you more control.
I don’t like to put chocolate in the fridge to set up, as chocolate can be temperamental to temperature shocks. So just be patient and let it cool and harden at room temperature. However, if you live somewhere hot, you may need to use the fridge.

Overhead shot of a black ceramic plate filled with white chocolate almond bark. The almond bark has been broken into large pieces, is a creamy off white color and studded with lots of almonds. In the top left corner is a small bowl of almonds peeking in to the scene and there are almonds scattered around.

FAQs

What is almond bark? I have always understood almond bark to be a slab of chocolate with almonds inside and on top and it is broken into shards. But some stores sell a candy confection called almond bark, which doesn’t actually have almonds in it, but you melt it down and almonds are added to it. I think this is basically equivalent to candy melts but in bar form. I’ll take real chocolate over that any day.

Can I use chocolate chips? Yes, you can use chocolate chips to make this recipe.

Why are there white blotches, or streaks in my chocolate? This means the chocolate went out of temper. This can happen if you heat the chocolate up too high. It is not unsafe to eat, it just doesn’t look as nice. If you want to learn more about tempering chocolate I go in to more detail in my Dubai Chocolate post.

What do I do if my chocolate starts to solidify before I can spread it out? This happened to me. I poured my milk chocolate almond mixture onto the baking sheet and as I was trying to spread it out, it became apparent that it had lost its “flow” and was starting to solidify. I tried putting the baking sheet into a warm oven of 200F which allowed me to spread it again, but it also took the chocolate out of temper a bit – it got too hot, especially on the edges. I should have tried to put it all back in the plastic bowl and into the microwave for a few short bursts, even with the almonds, and poured it out again onto fresh parchment.

side shot of a cellophane gift bag filled with milk chocolate bark with almonds. The bag is tied with a Christmas gift tag of a penguin. In the background another gift bag is peeking in on the left, and on the right is a tall glass of milk with a red and white straw.

Almond Bark

Leanne Neill

Almond bark is the kind of treat that looks and tastes impressive but is actually fairly straightforward to make. Melt chocolate, add almonds, and let it set up into chocolate-covered perfection. Whether you're craving the sweetness of white chocolate, the creamy richness of milk chocolate, or the bold intensity of dark chocolate, this recipe adapts to your mood and pantry.

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 25

Cooling Time 30

Total Time 1 5

Course Candy, Dessert, holiday baking

Cuisine American

Servings 19.5 oz

Equipment

1 Measuring Cups
1 Microwave Safe Plastic Bowl
1 Rubber Spatula
1 Parchment Paper
1 Baking Sheet
1 Offset Spatula

Ingredients

12 oz Chocolate (white, milk or dark)
1 ½ cup Almonds (raw with skins on)