How to Melt Walnut Bark (11 Steps)

Chocolate not only comforts, it forgives, too, at least when you're trying to melt it. Like most candies, you have to temper it, or heat it to varying temperatures to give it a glossy appearance and prevent the cocoa fat from rising to the surface. When melting chocolate for walnut bark, though, you can mix melted and solid chocolate to get the same results. And, since you cover the chocolate with walnuts, any flaws in its glossy sheen aren't noticeable. You can melt walnut bark on the stovetop or in the microwave with equally successful results.

Things You'll Need

  • Chocolate
  • Walnuts
  • Mixing bowl
  • Spatula
  • Rimmed baking sheet
  • Parchment paper or aluminum foil

Stovetop

  1. Toast the walnuts in a 350-degree-Fahrenheit oven for about 7 minutes, or until a toasted aroma wafts through the kitchen. You can also toast the walnuts in a dry saute pan on the stove over medium heat for 4 or 5 minutes. You need about 2 cups of walnuts per pound of chocolate.

  2. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper or aluminum foil. If using aluminum foil, spray it lightly with cooking spray.

  3. Chop the chocolate into 1/4- to 1/2-inch pieces and place 3/4 of it in a mixing bowl. An average-sized rimmed baking sheet, which measures 12 by 17 inches, holds about 1 pound of chocolate when spread in a 1/4-inch-thick layer. You can use semi-sweet chocolate, white chocolate, dark chocolate, bittersweet chocolate or a combination of chocolates.

  4. Bring a saucepan of water to a simmer and place the bowl of chocolate on it. Stir the chocolate as it melts using a spatula.

  5. Add the remaining unmelted chopped chocolate to the mixing bowl and take it off the heat. Stir until the chocolate that you added melts. Pour the chocolate in the center of the baking sheet and spread it 1/4-inch thickness using the spatula.

  6. Sprinkle the walnuts over the chocolate and set aside. Let the chocolate cool for 2 hours, then break it into "bark" by hand. Store in an airtight container.

Microwave

  1. Chop 1 pound of chocolate into 1/4- to 1/2-inch pieces for every 12-by-17-inch rimmed baking sheet of bark you want to make. Add 3/4 of the chopped chocolate to a microwave-safe bowl.

  2. Microwave the chopped chocolate at 50 percent of the microwave's power for 30 seconds. Stir the chocolate with a rubber spatula, then microwave at 50-percent power for another 30 seconds.

  3. Stir the chocolate and microwave once more at 50-percent power, or until the chocolate melts. Don't microwave the chocolate longer than 30 seconds at a time or at more than 50-percent power.

  4. Add the remaining unmelted chopped chocolate and stir until combined. Pour the chocolate onto a rimmed baking sheet lined with parchment paper or aluminum foil.

  5. Spread the chocolate in a 1/4-inch-thick layer and sprinkle walnuts over the top. Set aside to cool for 2 hours.

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