The Colorful Candy Bark That's Perfect For Your Holi Celebrations

The Hindu holiday Holi is a time to celebrate the rebirth that comes with Spring. Also known as the Festival of Colors, Holi is a time for fun and celebration — which of course means time for delicious food. While there are religious parts of the holiday, one of the most familiar aspects of the celebration is throwing colored powder in the air that brightens the surrounding community. So why not make a festive snack to match?

A colorful yogurt bark is the perfect bright addition to your Holi celebration, and it is super easy to whip together. Start with a fat-free yogurt of your choosing and spread it evenly across a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.

To add color to the snack that emulates the powders from Holi, drop food coloring around the sheet and swirl it together with the yogurt to make a sort of tie-dye pattern before popping the whole thing in the freezer. The bark should harden without spoiling the yogurt and form a cookie-like treat that's packed with protein.

To top it all off, grab some of your favorite small fruits like blueberries or pomegranate seeds, find some spring-themed sprinkles or candied fennel seeds, or even use edible dried flowers to give your yogurt bark extra flavor and flare. What you've created is practically a snack-sized ice cream bar that is perfect when you're sipping your Holi thandai, all in the name of celebrating the Festival of Colors.

A great thing about this recipe is that there are infinite ways to make it your own, whether to accommodate allergies or to use ingredients you simply like better. The main customization can be the yogurt itself, whether you're using a high-fat version, a flavored variety like coconut, or Greek (or French — Icelandic! Have fun with it) yogurt. As long as you are sure to keep the base white so you can add food coloring, the recipe remains largely the same.

The other option is to ditch yogurt entirely and substitute it for something like white chocolate or a colorful mix of candy melts. The main change in this case would be melting the ingredients, so you can spread them out into a flat bark, but they're a great option for those with a sweeter sweet tooth.

Finally, the obvious way to customize is by spicing up your toppings. Instead of fruits and sprinkles, cover your bark with chocolate bits or mini M&M's to keep things colorful yet still complementary to the flavor of the yogurt. You could also use dyed shaved coconut, which is easily colored using food coloring.

Or, really tap into other Indian favorites and use bright mango chunks as an homage to the classic mango lassi drink for a fresh taste. The opportunities are endless and flavorful — just make sure to use bright colors to make the most of this colorful holiday.