Saturday, December 29, 2012

Making Chocolate "Bark"

Hi!! I hope everyone had a great holiday season!

Today, I'm going to switch it up and show you how to make bark, which is this delicious chocolate goody. Just in time to make for New Years before we all start our diets. This is great because you can put whatever you want in it.

What you'll need:


  • Cookie sheet with lips
  • Parchment paper or waxed paper
  • Spatula 
  • 2 bags of chocolate chips (approx. 11.5 oz each or the equivalent of 4 cups)
  • Stuff to put in the bark. I used:
    • Pretzel sticks
    • Peanuts
    • Peanut M&Ms
    • Regular M&Ms
  • Empty shelf in the fridge
  • Double boiler - deep pot and shallow pot that are the same circumference.
 Step 1:
Start by making a  "double boiler." This is wicked easy. All you need is a big, deep pot and a shallower pot that fits on top.

Fill the large pot halfway with water. Bring to a boil with the shallower pot on the top to heat up.

Step 2:

While the water is heating up, prepare your stuff. In a bowl, I mixed all the goodies together; the M&Ms and peanuts, and pretzels. I also lined the cookie sheet with parchment paper. This step will be important later.

 Step 3:

Once the water is boiling, empty both bags of chips into the shallow pan on top, stirring the chips so that they melt evenly.
Step 4:

Once the chips have completely melted, pour the chocolate into the pan, spreading and evenly distributing it. Save a little chocolate in the pot for step 7.

Step 5:

Immediately after step 4, drop your mixture of goodies into the chocolate. The chocolate starts to harden fast, so you have to be quick.

Step 6: (optional)

If you did not put enough stuff in the bowl, you can just put more stuff into the chocolate. I used half a (big) bag of both M&Ms, 3/4 of a can of peanuts and a couple handfuls of pretzel sticks. I did break the pretzel sticks up into halves or thirds because they are so long.
Step 7: 

Once you have finalized you placement of goodies, use the left over chocolate from step 4 to drizzle over the top to hold everything in.
Step 8:

Put it in the fridge and let harden for an hour or so and then break into pieces. If you value your hands, do not try to use a knife to do this. Use clean hands to do this.

Enjoy!

xoxo g