Christmas Tree Bark
Can you believe that Christmas is 9, yes 9 days away?! Crazy, right? I feel like the holiday season has just flown by! I don’t know if it is the warmer weather or what, but I am trying my hardest to soak in every last moment of holiday cheer before it sneaks right on past me!
The one thing that always helps me feel in the holiday spirit is getting in the kitchen and cooking (with Christmas carols playing at this time of year of course). I created the idea for Christmas Tree Bark for my students at Sprouts. I wanted something more fun and creative than traditional peppermint bark. I love crafting with food and my students (and I think all kids) love decorating their own individual food. Also, anything with shapes that is cute is a win with kids!
You can use any of your favorite toppings to decorate your Christmas Tree Bark. My kids loved holiday Oreos, sprinkles, Hershey-ets, and candy canes. One note about Hershey-ets…they are totally nut free! Can I get a giant HOORAY for that! I have a lot of students at Sprouts who are nut-allergic and my son is nut-allergic as well. So amazing to have a treat like this to decorate with for the Holidays. Of course, I’ve bought 5,000 candy-cane shaped packages since discovering this amazing safe food! LOL!
Since these truly are so adorable one possible idea for these is to put them in the little cellophane bags that they have at Michaels or Hobby Lobby and tying them off with Christmas ribbon and giving them away as gifts to friends, neighbors, family or teachers!
Hope you have as much fun making them as we did! Enjoy!
Recipe:
Ingredients
- 24 mini candy canes
- 12 lollipop sticks
- 1 package white chocolate or vanilla candy coating
- 12 Rolos
- 12 Yellow gum drops or Dots
- Assorted crushed toppings (holiday Oreos, candy canes, holiday sprinkles, dried cranberries, holiday
- M&Ms (or Hershey’s Hershey-ets, for nut allergy children), etc.)
Directions
Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper. Place two candy canes like an upside-down heart onto each side of a lollipop stick to form the “tree”, leaving approximately 1 centimeter of lollipop stick at the top of the “tree” with the majority of the stick at the bottom. Melt the chocolate candy coating according to the package instructions, and then pour melted chocolate inside of the two candy canes filling the “tree”. Top with the toppings of your choosing and let the chocolate cool. Once cooled down, place a Rolo through the bottom of the stick to form the “tree trunk” and place the yellow gum drop on the top of the “tree” for the “star”. Enjoy!