I'm a huge fan of marshmallows, so I take every opportunity to create a simple dessert that includes them. I used my Easter Marshmallow Bark as inspiration. That and I saw these darling red, white and blue Star Marshmallows at Walmart and knew I needed to make something with them! Like most chocolate barks, this recipe is super easy and super fast.
Patriotic Marshmallow Bark
- 1 bag white chocolate chips {12 oz}
- 1 bag mini marshmallows or these Jet-Puffed Star Marshmallows {found at Walmart!}
- about 1 TBSP shortening {optional, but it really makes the melting process easier!}
- 1/4 cup mini M&M's {I used just red and blue...kid's are great at separating the colors!}
- Patriotic sprinkles or other fun sprinkles for decor on top!
- Star cookie cutters and sticks if you want to go that route. {Honestly, cutting them up into squares is just so much easier, but my kids adored the stars. I'll let you make the call!}
Put white chocolate and shortening in a medium sized glass bowl. Melt chocolate in the microwave for 1 minute. Give it a small stir, then return to the microwave in 30 second increments, until chocolate melts completely when you stir it.
My bowl of chocolate took just over 1 minute in the microwave. White chocolate looks like it's not all melted when in fact it really is. Stir it several times and make sure it really needs more microwave time before jumping the gun and just giving it more time. I usually have to stir mine for a good 30 seconds until it's really fully melted.
TIPS ON MELTING WHITE CHOCOLATE: Melting white chocolate can be a little frustrating if you've never done it before. The reason is because white chocolate seizes easily. When chocolate seizes it actually looks like it's not melted yet, which prompts people to return it to the microwave, which makes the whole thing worse. Stir several times after each 30-second increment in the microwave. Many times you'll find that a good 20-30 seconds of stirring it around in the warm bowl will melt it the rest of the way! If you've had back luck with melting chocolate in the past, try adding shortening!
After chocolate is melted, add marshmallows and stir to coat. You'll want to do this kind of quickly- be sure the chocolate coats the marshmallows well, but if you take too long the marshmallows start to melt, which you don't want. After the marshmallows are well coated, add the M&M's and stir once more.
Transfer chocolatey marshmallow mixture to your prepared pan. Using a rubber scraper, make sure marshmallows extend to the edge of the pan. Press down slightly to make it all somewhat even. Shake on any sprinkles you'd like to decorate the bark with.
Put in the freezer for about 20 minutes, until chocolate is set. You want to use the freezer so that it cools the mixture as quickly as possible- you don't want those marshmallows to melt!
Remove from the freezer and let sit on the counter to return to room temperature. Cut into pieces. If you use a cookie cutter, I suggest using a metal one and spraying the edges with cooking spray prior to cutting.
If you want to make marshmallow pops, just insert the stick into the middle after you cut the bark with a cookie cutter. Cute!
