Healthy Halloween Dark Chocolate Bark with Roasted Pepitas, Cranberries and Coconut
Healthy Halloween bark made with dark chocolate, maple-cinnamon pepitas, tart cranberries, toasted coconut and popcorn. Vegan, no candy needed, ready in an hour.
- Prep
- 15 min
- Cook
- 15 min
- Rest
- 40 min
- Serves
- 12
Healthy Halloween Dark Chocolate Bark with Roasted Pepitas, Cranberries and Coconut is a vegan dessert recipe made with raw pumpkin seeds (pepitas), maple syrup, ground cinnamon. It takes 30 minutes of hands-on time, plus 40 minutes resting, serves 12, and each serving has 203 calories, 4 g of protein and 4 g of fiber.
This Halloween bark gets its crunch from whole foods instead of candy: pumpkin seeds roasted with a little maple and cinnamon, fresh popcorn, and toasted coconut, with dried cranberries for tartness. Melting most of the chocolate and then stirring in the rest off the heat (the seeding method) helps the bark set glossy and snap cleanly, so you don't need a thermometer. A pinch of flaky salt on top keeps the dark chocolate from tasting flat.
Ingredients
Maple-Cinnamon Pepitas
- ½ cup65 graw pumpkin seeds (pepitas)
- 2 tsp13 gmaple syrup
- ½ tsp1.3 gground cinnamon
- 1 pinch0.4 gfine salt
- ⅓ cup20 gunsweetened coconut flakes
Popcorn
- 1 tbsp12 gpopcorn kernels
- 1 tsp4.5 gcoconut oil
Bark
- 10 oz283 gdairy-free dark chocolate (65–72%), finely chopped, Check the label for milk solids or butterfat
- ⅓ cup40 gdried cranberries, roughly chopped
- ½ tsp3 gflaky sea salt
Kit: rimmed baking sheet, parchment paper, small saucepan with lid, microwave-safe or heatproof bowl, offset spatula
Tips
- Make sure the pepitas and coconut are completely cool before topping the bark. If they're warm, they melt the chocolate and leave streaks.
- Chop the chocolate finely and evenly so the reserved third melts smoothly when you stir it in.
- Keep water and steam well away from the chocolate. Even a few drops can make it seize and turn grainy.
- Pop the popcorn the same day you make the bark; day-old popcorn goes chewy fast once it touches chocolate.
Swap ideas
- Dried tart cherries or chopped dried apricots instead of cranberries
- Cherries are deeper and less sharp; apricots make the bark sweeter and more orange for Halloween.
- Sunflower seeds instead of pepitas
- Makes it nut- and pumpkin-seed-free with a similar crunch; roast them the same way.
- A pinch of cayenne or ground ginger added to the pepita coating
- Gives the seeds a warm, spicy kick that works well with dark chocolate.
- Swirl 2 tbsp melted orange-tinted white vegan chocolate over the dark chocolate before topping
- Gives you a black-and-orange Halloween look, and the bark ends up slightly sweeter.
The numbers
Nutrition per serving
203kcal per serving
Everything else · 12 servings per recipe
- Saturated fat
- 7.5 g 38%
- Sugars
- 8.9 g
- Sodium
- 116 mg 5%
- Potassium
- 229 mg 5%
- Calcium
- 23 mg 2%
- Iron
- 3.4 mg 19%
- Vitamin C
- 0 mg 0%
- Vitamin B12
- 0.07 µg 3%
% Daily Value on a 2,000 calorie diet. Calculated from USDA FoodData Central values for each ingredient; optional ingredients are excluded. Estimates vary with brands and portions.
Sources: Seeds, pumpkin and squash seed kernels, dried, Syrups, maple, Spices, cinnamon, ground, Salt, table, Nuts, coconut meat, dried (desiccated), not sweetened, POPCORN KERNELS (J. Higgs, branded; ingredients: popcorn; label serving 36 g / 3 Tbsp: 130 kcal, 4 g protein, 25 g carbs, 5 g fiber, 1.5 g fat, 0 g sat fat, 0 mg sodium, 110 mg potassium, 1.08 mg iron). Converted to per 100 g. Sugar 0 assumed, sat fat 0.4 and calcium 7 mg are estimates from USDA popcorn data because the label lists them as 0 or omits them., Oil, coconut, Chocolate, dark, 70-85% cacao solids, Cranberries, dried, sweetened (Includes foods for USDA's Food Distribution Program), Salt, table
Method
Heat the oven to 325°F and line a small rimmed baking sheet with parchment. Toss the pepitas with the maple syrup, cinnamon and fine salt until evenly coated, then spread them in a single layer on one side of the sheet.
Roast the pepitas for 6 minutes, stir, then scatter the coconut flakes on the empty side of the sheet. Roast 3–4 minutes more, until the pepitas are puffed and fragrant and the coconut is golden at the edges. Let cool completely on the sheet; the pepitas crisp as they cool.
While the seeds roast, warm the coconut oil and popcorn kernels in a small covered saucepan over medium-high heat. Shake the pan once the popping starts and take it off the heat when the pops slow to 2–3 seconds apart, 2–3 minutes. Tip the popcorn into a bowl, discard any unpopped kernels, and measure out about 1 cup.
Line a 9x13-inch baking sheet or tray with parchment. Set aside about one-third of the chopped chocolate. Melt the remaining two-thirds in a heatproof bowl in the microwave in 30-second bursts, stirring between each, or over a pan of barely simmering water, until just smooth and warm, not hot.
Add the reserved chopped chocolate and stir steadily until it has fully melted and the mixture is smooth and slightly thickened, 2–3 minutes. If a few pieces won't melt, give it one 5–10 second burst of heat.
Pour the chocolate onto the parchment and spread it into a rough rectangle about 1/4 inch thick (roughly 9x11 inches).
Working quickly before the chocolate sets, scatter the popcorn, cooled pepitas, coconut and cranberries over the top, pressing them in gently so they stick. Finish with the flaky sea salt.
Let the bark set at cool room temperature for about 1 hour, or refrigerate for 30–40 minutes, until fully firm. Lift it off the parchment and break or cut it into about 24 jagged pieces.
Storage: Store in an airtight container at cool room temperature for up to 5 days, or in the fridge for up to 2 weeks, with parchment between layers. The popcorn softens after a few days. Use the fridge in warm kitchens.
Questions
- How much protein is in healthy halloween dark chocolate bark with roasted pepitas, cranberries and coconut?
- Each of the 12 servings has 4 g of protein, 4 g of fiber and 203 calories, calculated from USDA FoodData Central values for every ingredient.
- Is healthy halloween dark chocolate bark with roasted pepitas, cranberries and coconut vegan?
- Yes. It contains no dairy, eggs, honey or other animal products.
- How long does healthy halloween dark chocolate bark with roasted pepitas, cranberries and coconut take to make?
- 15 minutes of prep and 15 minutes of cooking, so 30 minutes of hands-on time, plus 40 minutes of unattended resting.
- Can you make healthy halloween dark chocolate bark with roasted pepitas, cranberries and coconut ahead?
- Store in an airtight container at cool room temperature for up to 5 days, or in the fridge for up to 2 weeks, with parchment between layers. The popcorn softens after a few days. Use the fridge in warm kitchens.
- What can I substitute in healthy halloween dark chocolate bark with roasted pepitas, cranberries and coconut?
- Dried tart cherries or chopped dried apricots instead of cranberries — cherries are deeper and less sharp; apricots make the bark sweeter and more orange for halloween.. Sunflower seeds instead of pepitas — makes it nut- and pumpkin-seed-free with a similar crunch; roast them the same way.. A pinch of cayenne or ground ginger added to the pepita coating — gives the seeds a warm, spicy kick that works well with dark chocolate.. Swirl 2 tbsp melted orange-tinted white vegan chocolate over the dark chocolate before topping — gives you a black-and-orange halloween look, and the bark ends up slightly sweeter..
- Does healthy halloween dark chocolate bark with roasted pepitas, cranberries and coconut contain gluten or nuts?
- None of the ingredients are a source of gluten, tree nuts or peanuts. That is a statement about the ingredient list, not a guarantee about the brands you buy — always read the labels if you're cooking for an allergy.
Nutrition is calculated from USDA data for every ingredient — how we work it out.
Published October 8, 2026 ·American