Need a quick and easy homemade treat for Valentine’s Day that screams on-trend? Grab your favourite chocolate bars and top them with seasonal sprinkles, chocolate chips and vegan marshmallows and you are good to go! This 4 ingredient allergy-friendly chocolate bark is easy to make with a fail-safe chocolate melting method. Perfect for gift-giving or snacking on with your favourite person, this recipe is easy to adapt to suit multiple allergies and kids will love helping make this festive treat.
Why I Made This Recipe
I’ve been following the chocolate bark trend on Instagram and wanted to try out the oven method for melting chocolate. As a professional baker with over a decade of experience developing allergy-friendly desserts, I’m always looking for safer, simpler methods that actually work in real home kitchens.
Seriously, I am SO impressed and love how easy this bark is to make. This may just be my new favourite treat to make as I love that it is no mess and ridiculously easy to customize as well.
Why You Will Love This Chocolate Bark
Homemade Valentine’s gifts are just the best, and this recipe is so quick and easy to make. And if you have kids, they will just love adding all of the toppings to the bark. This recipe proves that allergy-friendly recipes can still taste and look amazing with minimal effort. Trust me, you will not regret making this chocolate bark.
Here’s a quick summary why this chocolate bark is everything you want in a Valentine’s treat and needs to be on your to-make list:
- 4 ingredient Valentine’s Day dessert
- Dairy free and vegan
- Simple oven method (no double boiler or microwave)
- Perfect Valentine’s Day gift idea or kids’ treat
Easy Melting Chocolate Method
Melting chocolate sounds simple enough, but it is actually really easy to mess this up. If you are using the traditional double-boiler method on the hob or popping some in the microwave to melt the chocolate, you can easily overdo it, causing the chocolate to burn or even seize if it comes into contact with moisture. (think boiling water here!).
This is why the oven-melting method used in this recipe is so good – and I love that it’s quick, no mess, and even less risk for kids helping – just remember your oven gloves when you take the tray out of the oven. The lower, even heat of the oven guarantees a more even melt every time.
Ingredients and Substitutions
This recipe is dairy free and vegan. It can be gluten free depending on the chocolate and toppings used. Always check labels for soy and cross-contamination. Read on for more food allergy tips and suggestions.
Chocolate: I am using the Cadbury Salted Caramel Plant Bar as the base of the bark. See my full review of this chocolate bar here. Sub with your favourite chocolate bar or mix and match a few different ones.
White Chocolate: I love using at least two types of chocolate in my bark. The white chocolate chips add a great colour contrast and add creaminess to the bark. Not sure what white chocolate to use? Check out this review of my favourite brand.
Marshmallows: I adore playing around with different textures in my bark and marshmallows are a great addition. Dandies are my favourite go-to vegan brand of marshmallows and they are also gluten-free. You can also cut up larger marshmallows if you can’t find mini ones.
Sprinkles: for an instant pop of colour, add seasonal sprinkles to the bark once it has melted. There are many vegan sprinkles available. Check out my Amazon storefront for recommendations.
Candy Hearts: to add a fun crunch to the bark. I found these at a local bulk store. Always check the ingredients of candies to ensure they fit your allergy requirements.
How to Make Chocolate Bark
Did you know that you can melt chocolate in the oven? Yes, that’s right. I was so amazed when I saw this method trending on Instagram and just knew that I HAD to try it out with vegan chocolate. Set up all of the toppings that you want to add to your bark and line a cookie baking sheet with parchment paper. Place the 4 chocolate bars on the paper.
Chocolate Melting Tips
Don’t feel intimidated at the prospect of having to melt chocolate for this bark. No need to learn how to temper, no double boiler method needed, and no risk of overheating it in the microwave (and potentially seizing the chocolate!). My easy oven method is so simple, it’s ridiculous! Seriously once you learn how to melt chocolate in the oven, you’ll never look back.
Set your oven to the lowest temperature. Mine will only go as low as 175F but if yours will go lower, follow the same steps but allow more time for the chocolate to melt. Keep an eye on the chocolate while it starts to melt. You will notice that the pieces of chocolate start to relax and lose their definition.
Carefully shake the pan or use a cake tester or toothpick to check the chocolate – it will jiggle slightly when it’s ready. It took approx 12 minutes for this chocolate to reach the correct stage of meltiness (if that’s even a word!). I cover this fully in the recipe video.
Remove the pan from the oven and swirl the chocolate to ensure it is fully melted. I recommend using a spatula for this stage but a spoon will work just as well. Notice the bits in the chocolate? That’s the salted caramel and it’s going to add such a great texture back into the bark once it firms up again.
Let’s Add Toppings
Start placing your chosen toppings on the bar. I started out with the mini marshmallows and white chocolate chips. The key is to add them quickly to the bark so that they will melt slightly and soften up. Top Tip: If you wanted to create a marbled effect with the white chocolate chips, add them part way through the melting process then swirl them together once the pan is removed from the oven.
Then finally add sprinkles and candy hearts. This looks so good already and I can’t wait to try it! Carefully place the tray in the fridge until it has completely set. This tray took about an hour to firm up.
Once the chocolate has set, remove the tray from the fridge, peel back the parchment paper and break up the bark into pieces, as large or as small as needed. Honestly, this is just so easy and is a great no mess recipe as well. My kids had a blast helping with this recipe.
Vegan Valentine’s Chocolate Bark with Marshmallows
And there we go. This is probably the quickest and easiest Valentine’s treat you can make. I mean who doesn’t love chocolate topped with colourful sprinkles, candy hearts and marshmallows? This recipe gets a big thumbs up from our kids and we hope you’ll enjoy it as much as we do.
Packaging and Storage
I just love making up small packages of bark for gift-giving. For the best results, make sure the bark has set completely before breaking it up for packaging. Then place a couple of pieces in a food-safe bag and tie with a festive red ribbon.
Store the bark at room temperature for up to 2 weeks – either packaged in bags or in an airtight container. You can pop it in the fridge if your kitchen is warm, but make sure to let it sit at room temperature for about 5-10 minutes before eating so that the sprinkles can soften slightly.
Common Bark Questions
Once made, the chocolate bark can be stored at room temperature for up to 2 weeks, either in an airtight container or individual food-safe bags. If you live in a warmer climate, place in the fridge and allow to come to room temperature before serving.
Honestly, the possibilities are endless with homemade chocolate bark. If you are adding sprinkles, pick colours that match the season or holiday. You could also add gold leaf, crushed pieces of oreos, freeze dried fruit, pretzel pieces, nuts and much, much more.
Yes. Double-check the ingredients of the chocolate and toppings that you are using. The Cadbury Plant Bar is gluten-free. Many sprinkles and marshmallows contain gluten so skip them if you can’t find a gluten-free option. Dandies brand of vegan marshmallows is gluten-free but does contain soy.
The chocolate will start to “relax” and lose its definition as it warms up. I like to move the pan slightly to look for a “jiggle”. When you can see the chocolate moving slightly, it’s ready to remove from the oven.
Absolutely – this bark is good for up to 2 weeks once made and is great to make ahead in the run up to a busy occasion.
More Valentine’s Favourites
If you’re building a Valentine’s Day treat menu, this bark pairs perfectly with my No Bake Vegan Truffles and Funfetti Heart Cookies. Here are a few more sweet treats that we also love:
- Red Velvet Donuts (Dairy Free, Egg Free, Nut Free)
- Menorcan Sugar Cookies (Dairy Free, Nut Free)
- Heart Shaped Welsh Cakes (Dairy Free, Nut Free)
- The cutest Mini Brownie Hearts (Dairy Free, Egg Free, Gluten Free, Nut Free)
- White Chocolate Cranberry Drop Cookies (Dairy Free, Egg Free, Nut Free)
If you make this vegan Valentine’s chocolate bark, leave a comment or rating below — I’d love to know which toppings you chose.
Vegan Valentine’s Chocolate Bark with Marshmallows – 4 Ingredient Treat
Ingredients
- 4 Plant Based Chocolate Bars
- Vegan White Chocolate Chips
- Vegan Marshmallows
- Vegan Sprinkles
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to its lowest possible temperature (mine is 175°F). Line a cookie baking pan with parchment paper.
- Arrange the chocolate bars in a single layer on the pan and place in the oven. Watch closely as the chocolate softens — gently jiggle the pan to check progress. This usually takes about 12 minutes.
- Remove from the oven and use a spatula to spread and swirl the melted chocolate until smooth.
- Sprinkle over the white chocolate chips, marshmallows, sprinkles, and any Valentine-themed toppings you like.
- Transfer the pan to the fridge and chill until fully set, about 1 hour. Once firm, break into pieces and enjoy.
Video
Notes
- Oven Melting Method: Chocolate melting time will vary depending on your oven’s lowest temperature. At 175°F, my chocolate melts evenly in around 12 minutes. Keep a close eye to prevent overheating.
- Storage & Gifting: Store chocolate bark in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks. For Valentine’s Day gift ideas, package pieces in cellophane bags or treat boxes. Refrigeration isn’t necessary once set unless your kitchen is very warm.
- Gluten-Free Option: This bark can be made gluten free by checking all ingredient labels carefully. Some sprinkles and marshmallows contain gluten. Cadbury Plant Bar chocolate is gluten free. Dandies vegan marshmallows are gluten free but contain soy.
- Topping Ideas: Customise your Valentine’s chocolate bark with seasonal sprinkles, freeze-dried fruit, crushed cookies, pretzel pieces, nuts, or edible gold leaf. Choose colours and textures that suit the occasion.
We just tried this and it turned out amazing! I will never use the double boiler to melt chocolate for bark ever again!
Loved making the chocolate bark for Valentines- so easy and soooo delicious !!