White Chocolate Christmas Bark Recipe (2024)

FAQs

Is white chocolate bark the same as white chocolate? ›

In conclusion, white chocolate and almond bark are popular treats with different flavors and textures. White chocolate is made from cocoa butter, sugar, milk solids, and vanilla. In contrast, almond bark is made from sugar or corn syrup, vegetable oil or shortening, almonds or other nuts, and flavorings.

Store leftover white chocolate bark in an airtight container at room temperature for up to a week. You can store it in the refrigerator for up to two weeks or freeze it for up to three months. (But if your family is anything like mine, it won't last that long.)

*You must use candy color or gel food coloring and not liquid food coloring. Liquid will cause the chocolate to seize and you will not be able to bring it back. Candy and gel colors can be found in your local craft store or online.

White melting wafers contain oil to help them melt smoothly. While chips are great for cookies, they're more difficult to melt than other types of white chocolate. It can be more challenging to melt chips smoothly, and they re-harden quickly when melted.

I used Oreo Thins, but any version of Oreo cookies can be used. Almond bark can be substituted for the white chocolate. They are not the same thing, but they do the same job.

Dark chocolate, with its higher cacao content, can be good to eat for as long as three years past the best before. Due to their high milk contents, milk and white chocolates might not last as long as dark, but their longevity is still nothing to sniff at — you can expect to get another 8 months or so out of it.

If white chocolate starts to melt, you can perform a temporary freezing to prevent further deterioration. Place the chocolate in a sealed bag and put it in the freezer for a few minutes. However, avoid doing this frequently, as constant temperature changes can negatively impact its flavor and texture.

There are several indicators that chocolate may have gone bad. These include a dull appearance, a whitish film on the surface (known as chocolate bloom), a rancid smell, or a sour taste.

To thin melted chocolate, add a small amount of neutral oil, like vegetable oil or cocoa butter, stirring gently until it reaches the desired consistency. Melt slowly to avoid overheating, and keep water out to prevent the chocolate from seizing.

It's not a good idea to use water-based food coloring gels because of chocolate's sensitivity to moisture. It won't combine well. Food coloring powders are one of the best options for coloring chocolate. From cake decorating shops, you can usually find powders specially created for dyeing chocolate.

How to color white chocolate without it seizing? ›

Add powdered dye as soon as the chocolate starts to melt. You can add oil-based dye after the chocolate melts, as long as you warmed the dye as described above. Liquid dye is less likely to cause seizing if added right away, before the chocolate melts. (This is why there is no need to warm the dye in advance.)

Old white chocolate will not melt well; white chocolate tends to seize and turn grainy when it's past its best-by date.

Chocolate seizes when it comes into contact with even a small amount of liquid or moisture during the melting process. This is because the water causes the sugar in the chocolate to dissolve and then form a syrup, which binds the cocoa particles together, creating a grainy, thick, and clumpy texture.

Food science expert Harold McGee explains that “the small amount of water acts as a kind of glue, wetting the many millions of sugar and cocoa particles just enough to make patches of syrup that stick the particles together.” Chocolate can also seize if it gets too hot and scorches.

True white chocolate, almost always sold in bar form, contains cocoa butter. White baking chips contain no cocoa butter and thus can't be labeled “chocolate,” but they do contain partially hydrogenated oil (usually palm kernel oil).

White chocolate could alternatively be referred to as “white confectionery” or “white baking coating”. This is because it is made with cocoa butter, sugar, milk solids, and other flavorings, but does not contain cocoa solids.

Are Candy Melts the Same as White Chocolate? Although they look similar to white chocolate, candy melts are in fact not considered real chocolate. The main difference between candy melts and white chocolate lies in one ingredient: cocoa butter.

Instead, the FDA referred to what people were calling “white chocolate” as “confectionery coating” or “white confectionery coating.” Chocolate peddlers often referred to it as white chocolate to better explain the product to the consumer, as it had a presentation and mouthfeel similar to milk and dark chocolate.