To Each Their Own Bark

My mom was in town this weekend, and this was our small cooking project: Halloween bark.

Well, let me back up. I should probably claim this bark as my small cooking project. I’m not sure she wants to be associated with it.

I wanted something easy, something festive. I think I was in more of an chop and assemble mood vs anything more involved. This bark seemed to fit the bill. It’s hard, you know, to fit in larger kitchen projects when constantly moving from restaurant to restaurant to stuff your face.

When I started talking about this Halloween bark, my mom immediately had other ideas. She loves bark. (Side note: she HATES all bars, but she likes bark. Interesting.) So she immediately started talking about the bark she was going to make: white chocolate with pistachios, dried apricots, and cranberries. She was much more excited about her bark than she was about my bark.

She started describing her bark, and we all stared blankly. Dried fruits and nuts vs Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups, Heath Bars, Peanut M&Ms, Butterfingers, and Reese’s Pieces. Why would it be that we would actually choose the former vs the latter, we all silently wondered.

Wisely sensing an extreme lack of interest, she didn’t make her bark. I think she’s saving it for a group that will be more appreciative. Makes sense.

I put this bark in the fun to make but requires very little time camp. And you can use the leftover candy for trick or treaters (if you hide it well from yourself in your basement and don’t remember it’s there).

It’s actually really smart bark, if you ask me. In one bite you can have 5 different kinds of candy and 2 different kinds of chocolate. Um, yes please.

Halloween Peanut Butter & Toffee Candy Bark, Adapted slightly from October 2010 issue of Bon Appetit

1 lb semisweet chocolate chips

3 mini Butterfingers, chopped into 1-inch pieces

4 Heath bars, chopped into 1-inch pieces

8 Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups, cut into 8 wedges each

¼ c dry roasted peanuts

3 oz white chocolate chips

Reese’s Pieces and / or Peanut M&Ms (orange, yellow, and brown only)

Line baking sheet with foil.

In microwave, heat chocolate chips until melted, stirring every 30 seconds. Spread melted chocolate onto baking sheet, spreading it out to be ¼ inch thick.

Scatter all of the candies on top of the melted chocolate.

Melt white chocolate chips until melted, stirring every 30 seconds. Drizzle over the top of the bark.

Let set; then break apart into shards.