Recipe + Photos by April Viar 

There is no better combo than baking and watching bad holiday rom-coms. Two for the price of one, entertainment and checking that list off for who is naughty or nice and should receive homemade sweets! UNREAL makes some fantastic candy. I used their Certified Vegan Dark Chocolate Peanut Gems and their Certified Vegan Dark Chocolate Almond Butter Cups to top the veganized chocolate bark. This bark is so much fun to make. 

Servings: 12

INGREDIENTS 

• 1 pack of 5.0 oz Certified Vegan UNREAL Dark Chocolate Peanut Gems
• 1 pack of 3.2 oz Certified Vegan UNREAL Dark Chocolate Almond Butter Cups
• 2 cups vegan chocolate chips 
• 40 saltine crackers
• 1 cup of vegan butter 
• 1 cup packed brown sugar 
• Pinch of flaky sea salt

DIRECTIONS

• Preheat the oven to 350 F. Line a sheet pan with foil to cover all the edges. Place a piece of parchment paper on top of the foil to cover the inside of the sheet pan. 
• Place the crackers in a single layer on the sheet pan. This is also a good time to get all of your toppings ready to go. 
• Add the butter and brown sugar to a saucepan on medium heat, stirring occasionally to make sure sugar has melted. Bring to a boil for 2 to 3 minutes. 
• Pour the mixture over the crackers and spread evenly with a spatula to cover the surface of the crackers. 
• Bake for 5 minutes. Remove from the oven and sprinkle the chocolate chips all over the top. Place the pan back in the oven for 2 minutes to melt the chocolate chips. Turn the oven off and pull the pan out and the chocolate should look shiny as it is melting. At this point you are ready to spread the chocolate all over the top. Make sure every area is covered and smooth. 
• This is the fun part. Place the UNREAL dark chocolate peanut gems, dark chocolate almond butter cups and a pinch of flaky sea salt all over the chocolate. Everything is still really hot and the candies will bond with the chocolate as it cools. 
• Let the sheet pan rest for 10 minutes to cool and then place the sheet pan in the refrigerator for 2 hours to harden. When the UNREAL bark is ready, remove it from the parchment paper and break apart in many shapes and sizes.  

NOTES 

If you don’t have parchment paper, you can also use cooking spray or a non-stick baking mat. Store in an airtight container until you are ready to share or package for holiday gifts.