Halloween Treats

I love Halloween. It's always been one of my favorite holidays. You get to dress up and people give you candy. What's not to like? While my excitement over Halloween diminished when I became too old to trick-or-treat, I still love dressing up and celebrating. This year, two of my friends and I are dressing up as Power Puff girls, and I plan to enjoy all of the candy.

Today I'm sharing two easy Halloween treat recipes. One is more kid-friendly with white chocolate and candy, while the other is dark chocolate with nuts and dried fruit. These would be perfect to take to a party or serve as a Halloween movie snack or even hand out to trick-or-treaters. You can customize the bark with whatever toppings you'd like. My mom makes a version with white chocolate, pistachios, and dried cranberries that is to die for.

Melted chocolate is poured out onto parchment paper then topped with candy and sprinkles. I used peanuts and Reese's Pieces in my white chocolate bark. I know that peanuts are ok for the kids who will receive it but you could easily make a peanut-free version to hand out. I found candy eyes at my local grocery store and love how they look in the bark. This white chocolate version is extremely sweet, so a little goes a long way. When microwaving the chocolate, time it with your watch for accuracy. Ina says to do this and I was skeptical but, no surprise, she was right. 30 seconds in our microwave is longer than 30 seconds!

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White Chocolate Candy Bark

Adapted from an Ina Garten Back to Basics recipe.

Serves 4-6

16 ounces white chocolate, finely chopped

1/2 cup whole salted peanuts

1/4 cup Reese’s Pieces

1/4 cup candy corn

1/8 cup sprinkles

1/8 cup candy eyes

Using a pencil, draw an 8-by-10-inch rectangle on a piece of parchment paper. Turn the parchment paper over so the pencil mark doesn’t get onto the chocolate and place it on a sheet plan.

Place three quarters of the white chocolate in a heat-proof glass bowl and heat it in the microwave on high for 30 seconds. (Time it with your watch for accuracy.) Stir the chocolate with a rubber spatula, return to the microwave for another 30 seconds, then stir again. Continue to heat and stir in 30-second intervals until the chocolate is just melted. Immediately stir in the remaining chocolate and allow it to sit at room temperature, stirring often, until it’s completely smooth. (If you need to heat it a little more, place it in the microwave for another 15 seconds.) Pour the melted chocolate onto the parchment paper and spread it lightly to fill the drawn rectangle. Sprinkle the top evenly with peanuts, Reese’s Pieces, candy corn, sprinkles, and candy eyes. Set aside for at least 2 hours until firm. Cut or break the bark in 16 pieces and serve at room temperature.

Printable Version

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For the "adult" dark chocolate bark, I used Ina Garten's recipe for French Chocolate Bark. Dark chocolate is smothered in salted cashews, candied ginger, dried cherries, dried apricots, and golden raisins. Ina has a simplified method for tempering chocolate, but I don't think I stirred mine enough because the chocolate isn't as shiny as I would have liked. (But it tastes absolutely delicious, so I can overlook the dull chocolate.)

Get the Recipe: Barefoot Contessa French Chocolate Bark

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Get the Look:

I made this bark with plans to serve it at a pumpkin carving party. (Check out next week's blog post to see.) I bagged up the white chocolate bark in some glassine treat bags, complete with some brown and white striped ribbon and gift tags from JSH Home Essentials. (Jenny always has the best gift-wrapping supplies.) Dark chocolate bark pairs well with a cup of coffee and makes a satisfying afternoon treat.

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Thanks for reading!

- Sam