Halloween Bark

With Halloween only a few days away, one’s thoughts naturally turn to ghosts, goblins, and sweet treats. One of my favorite sweet treats is chocolate bark. It’s impossible to resist and can be customized to fit any holiday or season depending on the toppings that are used.

For Halloween, the possibilities are endless. Acorn candy, gummy worms, chopped up candy bars, M & M’s, orange and black sprinkles, the list goes on and on. Have fun with it.

The process is straightforward. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper. Using a pencil, draw a rectangle approximately 9 x 10 inches on the paper and turn it face down. Have your toppings and an offset spatula ready and waiting. Melt the chocolate and pour it onto the paper. Using the spatula and the rectangle as a guide, spread it evenly.  Sprinkle the toppings of your choice over the chocolate. Set aside for a few hours to harden. Break into irregular pieces and serve. It seems simple enough, but the key to success lies in the method you use to melt the chocolate.

If you want your chocolate to harden properly, be smooth and shiny, and have that “snap” when broken, you have to melt it using the tempering process. Tempered chocolate is the secret behind professional molded chocolates and the method that I recommend.
Here’s how it’s done -

Wishing everyone a spooky, safe, and sweet Halloween!