Thank you to Baker’s for sponsoring today’s patriotic recipe, Fresh Berry & White Chocolate Shortcake Bark. Celebrating the red, white, and blue has never been more delicious.
The weather is warmer and that means a lot of my favorite produce is in season! You know this means flavor!! No more summer fruits in winter that taste bland, it’s time for bright colors and full, juicy flavor. With summer holidays right around the corner I decided it was time to start creating some new fresh ideas for backyard BBQ’s and holiday celebrations such as Memorial Day and Fourth of July.
We walked into Bakers the other day and were reminded of the awesomeness that is fresh produce this time of year. Right up front they had watermelon samples! The girls love to enjoy watermelon cut into triangle slices, so they weren’t disappointed. Me, I wasn’t disappointed because the color was beautiful and the flavor matched. Yes, it’s time for summer. Watermelon, in the cart. Perfect snack for the kids to munch on while waiting for the grill to heat up their brats. That’s right, my kids want no part of hotdogs, just bring on the brats!
While I love watermelon, my sights were set on berries. Strawberries and blueberries to be exact. Being a military family we love Memorial Day and Fourth of July because they have a lot of meaning for us beyond BBQ’s, family and friends. Memorial Day is all about remembering those who gave the ultimate sacrifice for our country, and of course the Fourth of July is the birthday of our country when we gained independence. While there is a lot of introspection going on, I celebrate in a way I know I can do the holidays justice. Just let me loose in the grocery store with some spectacular follow up in the kitchen.
Red, white and blue treats here I come.
This time around I wanted something like a berry tart without actually making a tart. I opted for a Berry Shortcake Bark, using white chocolate, because I like it better than almond bark. I was happy to see Baker’s inspired me with Nilla wafer mini’s! They worked so much better in this recipe than the full sized Nilla wafers, though you can still use the full sized wafers if you want to. I suggest breaking them up before putting them in the recipe.
Berry Shortcake Bark
This recipe is easy to make. Here’s the quick run down. First grab your ingredients, blueberries, strawberries, vanilla wafers and white chocolate chips.
First prep your berries. Wash your blueberries and strawberries, then cut the strawberries up into blueberry sized pieces. I didn’t measure these, but I probably used at least 2 cups of berries total, maybe more. If you prep too many, just eat the leftovers, and if you don’t have enough, prep more! What’s nice about this recipe is you can add more or less berries to your preference.
The vanilla wafers were easy to prep. Just put them in a bowl and try not to snack on them. These wafers are making up the shortcake part of the recipe. They worked perfectly and really balanced out the white chocolate flavor because I always find it to be a bit too sweet on it’s own.
Next melt the white chocolate chips in a double boiler. You can melt them in the microwave too, but I prefer the stovetop. What I love about the double boiler is that if something takes you away from your creation, you just pop it back on the stove and give it a little more heat to smooth it out again. I used two 12 oz packages of white chocolate chips.
Time to build the Berry Shortcake Bark!
I made this bark by spraying a shallow casserole dish with cooking spray. This sort of worked, but the bark stuck in the bottom fairly well. I suggest using parchment paper lined in a 9X13 baking dish. Maybe even spray the parchment paper. Not sure if you need to but why not be prepared!
With your dish prepped, pour about half of the melted white chocolate chips in the bottom, spread it out evenly, and press in the vanilla wafers. As I mentioned, if you want to break up the vanilla wafers for a different texture, go for it! Make it yours!
Now pour on the rest of the melted white chocolate and carefully smooth it over the top. Now add on your berries. Add as many as you want. Make sure they are all in the white chocolate. I didn’t have to press them in; only rearranged them to make sure they all had a home in the white chocolate.
Time for the hard part. Cover this with some plastic wrap and refrigerate for an hour or so until the white chocolate is set again.
Once the white chocolate is set, remove it from the casserole dish (this isn’t as easy if you didn’t use parchment paper), and use a bigger chef knife to cut the bark. I tried a smaller knife at first and it didn’t have the force needed to break it up easily. Trust me, the chef knife is your best bet. Also, don’t worry if the bark breaks up into irregular shapes and sizes. That’s the fun of bark.
This recipe is a fun red, white and blue treat for patriotic holidays, or just for some summer fun, though I don’t recommend leaving it outside on a table during the backyard parties. If you want to put it out for people to snack on out in the heat, put them in a bowl, then place that bowl in a bowl of ice to help keep them cool. Don’t forget to check on them frequently to make sure they aren’t melting and don’t leave them out too long. You can always keep them in the refrigerator until you’re ready to serve them.
What’s your favorite red, white and blue recipe for the summer holidays? I shared one of my favorites, I’d love to hear about one of yours!
Fresh Berry and White Chocolate Shortcake Bark
Ingredients
- 1 cup blueberries
- 1 cup strawberries cut into small pieces
- 2 12 oz packages white chocolate chips
- 1 cup of vanilla wafers or more if desired
Instructions
- Prepare a 9X13 baking dish with parchment paper that extends over the edges. This will allow you to remove the Shortcake bark easily from the dish.
- Melt white chocolate chips in a double boiler until smooth.
- Pour half of the melted chocolate in the prepared baking dish and smooth along the bottom. Layer the vanilla wafers on top of the chocolate, pressing them down gently.
- Pour the remaining chocolate over the top of the vanilla wafers, then sprinkle the fresh berries over the top.
- Cover the dish with plastic wrap and refrigerate for an hour or until chocolate is set.
- Once set, remove the shortcake bark from the dish and cut into small squares using a chef knife. Don't worry if the pieces break into irregular shapes.
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