Hope everyone had a great weekend! I think I had a little too much fun at the Halloween party I attended on Saturday night. I don’t think I did anything to embarrass myself (aside from my dancing). I’m also pretty sure that this is the only photo of me taken that night, which is kind of a bummer since you can’t see much of my costume. What I’ve learned is this… a wild party is no place for a little, pink fairy. I went as the “Sweet Tooth Fairy”. By the end of the night my little fairy wings were mangled, my shoes trashed, and my pink cupcake wand had magically turned black. I guess that’s the sign of a great party. It was such a fun group of people and I had a great time being part of it! (We’ll see if I’m invited back next year.) The scary Scream person in between my friend, Erica, and me is my bodyguard. He also happens to be my next door neighbor. His costume is ridiculously scary, and I’ve told him not to answer the door to trick-or-treaters dressed like this, or he will have to live with the guilt of knowing he has scarred someone for life.
This dessert comes highly recommended by the Sweet Tooth Fairy. I made it to take to a girl’s night on Friday night (which by the way, I did not dance or embarass myself at). The master bakers behind Bon Appetit created this in their test kitchen. It is a fabulous concept ~ all of your favorite candy bars in a bed of chocolate. You don’t need to be a baker to throw this together. It’s one of those simple, but impressive treats. It’s also a perfect way to use up left-over Halloween candy. You can easily adapt it based on what you have on hand and your taste preferences.
Here’s a quick how to…
Melt chocolate chips on stovetop and gather goodies for the topping. The pretzels were a great addition. See recipe below for specifics.
Spread melted chocolate onto a cookie sheet covered in aluminum foil, and sprinkle with candy bar toppings. I used a small piece of wax paper to gently press the loose candies into the chocolate.
Melt white chocolate and/or peanut butter chips in the microwave and drizzle on top. Refrigerate for 30 minutes and then break into pieces.
Peanut Butter Chocolate Halloween Bark (Adapted from the Bon Appetit Test Kitchen)
Makes about 2 pounds or 30 two-inch pieces
1 pound bittersweet chocolate chips (I used Nestle milk chocolate)
3 2.1-ounce Butterfinger candy bars, cut into irregular 1-inch pieces (omitted)
3 1.4-ounce Skor or Heath toffee candy bars, cut into irregular 3/4-inch pieces (used toffee bits from the baking aisle)
8 0.55-ounce peanut butter cups, each cut into 8 wedges
1/4 cup honey-roasted peanuts (used pretzel sticks instead)
Reese’s Pieces and/or yellow and orange peanut M&M’s (used both)
3 ounces high-quality white chocolate (such as Lindt or Perugina), chopped
3 ounces of peanut butter chocolate chips (added)
Line baking sheet with foil. Stir chocolate chips in heavy medium saucepan over low heat until melted and warm (not hot) to touch. Pour chocolate onto foil; spread to 1/4-inch thickness (about 12×10-inch rectangle). Sprinkle with Butterfinger candy, toffee, peanut butter cups, and nuts, making sure all pieces touch melted chocolate to adhere.
Put white chocolate in heavy small saucepan. Stir constantly over very low heat until chocolate is melted and warm (not hot) to touch. Remove from heat. Dip spoon into chocolate; wave from side to side over bark, creating zigzag lines. Scatter Reese’s Pieces and M&M’s over, making sure candy touches melted chocolate.
Chill bark until firm, 30 minutes. Slide foil with candy onto work surface; peel off foil. Cut bark into irregular pieces.
Store in an airtight container and let it stand at room temperature for 15 minutes before serving.
Hope your week is extra sweet!
Once you’ve made a square-ish shape (no need for perfection), cut 1 ½” strips of the Rice Krispie mixture. Depending on how large you decide to make them, you may want to then cut the strip in half.
