Tasty Christmas Bites: Candy Bark

By Beth V

For the next few weeks, I’d like to feature some of my favorite Christmas recipes that are likely to be found on my own table and the tables of my sisters as we come together to celebrate Christ‘s birth. A few Christmases ago, just after my Dad passed away suddenly, I was understandably struck with a greater appreciation for the brevity of life. I created a memory book of family recipes with pictures from our childhood Christmases, photographs of recipes written out by mother’s hand over the years, recipes that my mom and her sisters brought to those family gatherings and new ones that I and my sisters and sister-in-law (and brother!) have added to the collection.  I gave one to each of my siblings and my mom as a Christmas gift that year. This recipe comes from this cookbook - The Family Cookbook, as we have come to call it - contributed by my sister, Bonnie. I love this bark recipe. It is amazingly simple, easy and inexpensive and  it only takes about 10 minutes to prepare. For such a small investment of time and money, the deliciousness factor of this recipe is out of this world.

Start by lining a cookie sheet with foil. Spray with cooking spray and line the sheet with saltine crackers. Try to fill it in so that the entire sheet is covered.  It is alright if a few overlap here or there or get a little chipped in the process. It will all be beautiful once it’s coated in toffee and chocolate.

Melt two sticks of butter in a saucepan. Add 1 cup of brown sugar and bring to a boil. Let this boil for three minutes. It will be very bubbly and will get a bit more brown.

Carefully pour this hot, bubbly liquid toffee over the saltines and spread to cover. Some of the crackers may move out of alignment slightly during this process, but that’s alright, it doesn’t have to be perfect.

Slide this into a preheated 400-degree oven and bake for 5 minutes. Take these few minutes to gather your toppings of choice. I have some chopped walnuts, sea salt and Christmas sprinkles. I would also suggest some crushed peppermint candies for peppermint bark…mmm.

When it comes out, it is very bubbly and the crackers are floating in the sea of liquid toffee. If any of the crackers get a little carried away,  just pop them back into place with your spatula.

Now, sprinkle an entire bag of chocolate chips evenly over the surface. Let them sit for a minute or two and then spread them with the spatula to cover the toffee mixture.

While the chocolate is still warm and soft, add your favorite toppings and pat them down gently. It also tastes amazing without any additional toppings.

Put this into the refrigerator of freezer until the chocolate hardens. I cut a line between each type of topping and then just lift the foil to bend and break the bark.

Break it into bite-size pieces - the more imperfect, the better!

This bark looks beautiful tucked into a little box with a ribbon around it for a gift or as part of a platter of Christmas treats. Store it in the refrigerator to keep the chocolate firm before serving.

Enjoy! More Christmas treats to come!

Christmas Bark Candy

2 sticks butter

1 cup brown sugar

1 sleeve saltine crackers (may need a few extra depending on the size of your pan)

1 bag chocolate chips

Chopped pecans, walnuts, crushed peppermint or sea salt (optional)

Non-stick spray

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line cookie sheet with aluminum foil. Spray foil with cooking spray.

Line foil with saltines, covering entire surface. Boil butter and brown sugar for 3 minutes. Pour over saltines and spread. Place in oven and bake for 5 minutes. Pull out of oven and spread chocolate chips over entire surface. When soft, spread to cover toffee layer. If desired, sprinkle with toppings and gently press into place. Place in refrigerator or freezer until firm. Break into pieces. Keep in refrigerator or freezer until ready to serve.

Beth is a stay-at-home mom of three wonderfully active children ages 6, 3 and almost 1. She is married to Jason (who also writes for us here at MAD21) and spends her days teaching, changing diapers, sweeping up Cheerios, keeping peace among the kids, and whipping out gourmet meals on the side.

Comments

[Beth]

I forgot to add that if using the sea salt, be very sparing with it. I made mine too salty. A little bit is great.