You're Barking up the Right Tree

I love making chocolate bark. It's so easy, yet the results are sooo impressive. I feel like a Belgian chocolatier. Or at the very least, a factory worker at Hershey's🍫🍫🍫. This JESScipe is crazy versatile. You can leave it plain, use a multitude of toppings, use milk or dark chocolate. I'm a proud chocolate addict, I eat some every day. This is a bit dangerous for me to have around, but my family and guests love it. It's a beautiful, satisfying, light dessert after any meal, or just a great treat whenever. I wouldn't serve this outdoors though on a warm day though, it will melt.
 

Ingredients

3 oz. chocolate bars

1/3 cup peanut butter

Toppings: Crushed nuts, oreos, pretzel pieces (go crazy!)

directions

Start by taking a standard baking sheet and spraying well with nonstick spray. Rip a large piece of parchment paper the size of the baking sheet. Press firmly down, it will stick due to the spray. Scotch tape the ends down if needed. Set aside.

You need a double boiler, which is just two slightly different sized pots stacked one stop the other, the smaller one on bottom with the larger creating a lid. Fill the bottom pot halfway with water and let come to a boil then a strong simmer. In the top pot, melt four 3 oz. chocolate bars, any flavor you like, stirring gently with a wooden spoon until smooth and melted. I'm also addicted to peanut butter, so I added a third of a cup of smooth peanut butter. Melt it all together. Take that, Reese's! Stir all until blended. Are you salivating already?? I am, just writing this out.

Remove pot from lower pot, and away from heat. Cool slightly, stirring to temper. Pour the edible cocaine mixture onto the prepared baking sheet. Smooth it out with a greased spatula or the back of a spoon. Lick the hell out of whichever cooking utensil was just your accomplice in this chocolate crime.

Top with whatever you like, it all works! Suggestions; crushed nuts, crushed Oreos, mini marshmallows, raisins, pretzel pieces, sprinkles, craisins. If you really want to impress, make a milk and dark version with different toppings. Serve a selection. You have time, since this is so fast. No messy baking, no floured floor. We love that, but not today. You should now have a beautiful, flat layer of yum.

Lay it flat in your freezer, test out the size of the baking sheet in your freezer prior to this whole process. You'll be so annoyed if you can't fit your creation into the freezer😫. Freeze until very hard. Might be overnight. Once super hard, just break the bark into large and medium size pieces. Store in layers with wax or parchment paper in between in the freezer in an airtight container. This is terrific since it is made in advance. Dessert is done before you even think about anything else!

The leftover chocolate that didn't make it onto the sheet, if there is any, makes fantastic fondue. My daughter and her BFF JC, the Lucy to her Ethel since pre k, actually walked in from taking a final exam, and went to town dipping fresh strawberries into the still smooth chocolate sauce. Btw, dip 🍓and refrigerate on parchment paper too, for another fantastic treat. So nice to take a break from the whole flour sugar thing, but still satisfy your sweet tooth. The coarse sizes of the bark breakup looks really cool. Def serve this on a clean, white platter, overlapping the pieces, with the largest on the bottom (a general tip in overlapping). This would go beautifully as a dessert course paired with my smoothie recipe in cute little cups. It's a cute variation on the fruit and sweet dessert situation, a nice change from a nerdy fruit platter and heavy cake thing🎂🍉🍇🍓. Not that I'm turning down cake, but still. Dudes, in this scenario, your bark better be as sweet as your bite.

Love ya lots, Lady Barka