Halloween Bark is a treat I like to make for my grandchildren and the children of friends every year. It is fun and sweet and colorful. The children just love it. It is also very easy to make!
I think our children are in for a very different Halloween this year with the Covid Virus we are all now having to navigate our lives around. Something like this Halloween Bark can be a really fun treat for children who are not going to be able to do their usual trick or treating!
There is no reason why the season of Tricks and Treats cannot still be a very fun time for them. Spooky food is the way to go!
WHAT YOU NEED TO MAKE HALLOWEEN BARK
My list is by no meant set in stone. You can use whatever you have available to you and whatever you think your children will enjoy.
This fun Halloween food is so quick and easy to make. Why not let the children help you with it. There is nothing that children like more than helping to cook! Whilst they may not be able to actually melt and pour the chocolate, they can help out with sorting the candies into groups, breaking up larger pretzels and cookies into smaller pieces, etc.
HINTS AND TIPS TO MAKE HALLOWEEN BARK
- Read through the recipe several times to familiarise yourself with any equipment, tools, ingredients, methods you might need to use.
- Assemble all of your ingredients prior to the beginning. This can help to prevent you from leaving anything out and the whole procedure will move much smoother and quicker if you already have everything ready to go.
- I use good chocolate for this. I like milk chocolate myself, but you can also use dark chocolate or white chocolate. Chocolate candy melts also work very well.
- Have your toppings ready to go and add to the candy before you melt the chocolate. I like to use a mix of things. Candy corn. Candy pumpkins. Candy googly eyes. Broken or small cookies. M&M’s or other candy-coated chocolate buttons. Broken Pretzels. Miniature cookies, etc. I try to keep with Autumnal and Halloween colors and themes.
- Do not overcook the chocolate in the microwave. It will seize if it is overheated. Do it in small segments of time, stirring it well between each.
- You can also melt the chocolate in a heatproof bowl, placed over a saucepan of simmering water. Make sure the water does not touch the bottom of the bowl of chocolate. Also, make sure not to let any water or steam get into the chocolate or the chocolate will seize up and be unusable. You will also need to stir it frequently.
- Have your baking sheet with the parchment paper ready. I like to spray it with some non-stick cooking spray to make sure nothing sticks.
- Pour your melted chocolate onto the baking paper and spread it out thinly using a flexible spatula or the back of a metal spoon.
- Sprinkle your candy and other sprinkles randomly over the top, while the chocolate is still quite warm so that everything sticks well.
- One thing which I think really makes this special is the candy googly eyes. Wilton’s makes a nice variety. When you are placing the candies onto the melted chocolate, make sure you space the eyes in pairs in positions where when you break the candy apart, they will look spookily attractive!
- Chill it in the refrigerator for an hour or so until it is completely set before breaking it apart.
HOW TO MAKE HALLOWEEN BARK
This is such a doddle to make. Easy peasy!!
Have a baking sheet lined with parchment paper ready. Spray the paper lightly with non-stick cooking spray. Set aside.
Place the chocolate and vegetable shortening into a medium-sized microwaveable bowl. Blitz on the 80% setting (medium-high) of the microwave for about 1 minute. Stir. If the chocolate still doesn’t melt, blitz at 30-second intervals, stirring after each, until the chocolate is melted and smooth.
Pour onto the prepared baking sheet, spreading it out thinly. I use the back of a metal spoon.
Sprinkle with your chosen Halloween candies and goodies immediately, placing them haphazardly over the top of the melted chocolate. Place in the refrigerator to harden.
Break into bits once firm. I try to keep the googly eyes together in pieces of the bark if I can. Store in an airtight container.
One thing to bear in mind about this delicious treat is that delicious combination of sweet and salty flavors. Do not be afraid to mix the toppings up a bit! You can keep it really old school, or you can go wild.
Why not use broken salted ruffed potato chips or pretzels? Broken crisp wafer type chocolate bars such as Kit Kats work well. Cut up some peanut butter cups to throw on top, or even use miniature peanut butter cups. Why not use some peanut M&M’s.
Just be sure that if you are using ingredients with nuts that you are not serving or gifting it to anyone with a nut allergy.
Miniature marshmallows are also great!
Crisp cereal bits are nice. Captain Crunch is not something I would want to eat for breakfast, but it works very well here. As do Cheerios, Apple Jacks or Cinnamon Toast Crunch! So long as it is small in size and crunchy it is a great fit!
Above all make sure you have fun! This is meant to be a treat for both the cook and the recipient. I packaged mine in some fun small treat boxes which I had lined with spooky tissue paper for gifting. You can close the top with an orange and black curling ribbon!
This tasty treat is destined to become a yearly Halloween Tradition!
Halloween Bark Recipe
I made this up for the children of some friends as a treat for Halloween. They loved it! It's colourful and fun! You can sprinkle whatever you want on top. Just make sure it is a mix of colour, sweetness and texture.
Ingredients
- 2 cups of milk chocolate or candy melts (12 ounces)
- 2 tsp white vegetable shortening
- a variety of small candies, googly eyes, mini cookies, etc.
Instructions
1. Have a baking sheet lined with parchment paper ready. Spray the paper lightly with non-stick cooking spray. Set aside.
2. Place the chocolate and vegetable shortening into a medium sized microwaveable bowl. Blitz on the 80% setting (medium high) of the microwave for about 1 minute. Stir. If the chocolate still doesn't melt, blitz at 30 second intervals, stirring after each, until the chocolate is melted and smooth. Pour onto the prepared baking sheet, spreading it out thinly. I use the back of a metal spoon.
3. Sprinkle with your chosen Halloween candies and goodies immediately, placing them haphazardly over the top of the melted chocolate. Place in the refrigerator to harden.
4. Break into bits once firm. I try to keep the googly eyes together in pieces of the bark if I can. Store in an airtight container.
Marie Rayner is a retired Chef, freelance writer, recipe developer, food blogger, and Cookbook author. She makes her home in Chester, UK, where she lives with her husband, Todd, and their much beloved English Cocker, Mitzie. Her motto is “Life is far too short to eat bad food,” and her goal is to share delicious and easy recipes which anyone can enjoy and cook in the comfort of their own home.
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