Desserts

Homemade Halloween Chocolate Candy Bark

This easy, 15 minute DIY Halloween Chocolate Bark is the perfect way to use up all that leftover Halloween Candy!
Filed Under > Desserts

Homemade Halloween Chocolate Candy Bark

When I was thinking about what I wanted to make to celebrate the haunting season I thought why not make a homemade Halloween Chocolate Candy Bark with all of the Halloween candy I have sitting around tempting me on a daily basis.  I love Homemade Chocolate Barks for a multitude of reasons.  The main one being that chocolate barks look way more difficult to make than they actually are.  I also love that the possibilities of bark combinations are endless.  Plus candy barks make the cutest homemade food gifts! So for all those reasons and more, I’m thrilled to share my Homemade Halloween Chocolate Candy Bark with ya’ll today! 

As stated above, candy barks are incredibly easy to make. All you need to create this homemade Halloween Chocolate Candy Bark for yourself is baking chocolate, candies of your choosing (I used Mini Kit-Kats, Peanut Butter Cups, M&Ms, Rolos, Sprinkles, and Candy Eyeballs), parchment paper and a sheet pan. 

Homemade Halloween Chocolate Candy Bark

When it comes to the actual creating, the trick to creating a perfect homemade Halloween Chocolate Candy Bark every time relays on 3 different things.

First, have your candy prepared and ready to place because you’ll need to work fast so the candies don’t melt into the bark.  The easiest way to do this is plan out in advance what candies you want to use, color themes you want to stick with, and most importantly have everything unwrapped and ready to go.  

Second, when spreading the chocolate out to create the bark base make sure to go thin. You’ll want the chocolate to completely cover the parchment paper, but just barely. This was my mistake the first time in trying this recipe. I made the bark way too thick which makes the chocolate bark taste too sweet, difficult to cut into pieces and incredibly hard to eat. 

Lastly, you need to let the chocolate cool for just a few minutes. If you begin placing the candies the second you have your bark spread out they’ll begin to melt. Wait 2-3 minutes and start with the non-chocolate candies that won’t melt like the candy eyeballs in this case. Candy Corn is also one of those great non-melting candies to try.

Homemade Halloween Chocolate Candy Bark

After letting the bark cool in the fridge for at least 10 hours (I prefer overnight), you’re ready to cut it into pieces.  There’s no particular rhyme or reason to this, but I found the easiest way is to lay the bark out on a completely flat surface and with a very sharp knife start with the edges.  Your edges won’t have a finished look to them, and sometimes that works out to look great, but sometimes you’ll need to trim them. Next, cut the bark in half. It doesn’t necessarily have to be directly cut in half across, but by dividing the bark into two larger pieces it will make it easier to slice. Then try to either cut around the larger pieces or make it so you cut the larger pieces in half. 

And as best you can avoid touching the chocolate too much with your fingers.  Because the chocolate bark is thin your body heat will naturally begin to melt and smudge it if you touch it too much.

Once you’ve cut all the pieces, put the Halloween Bark back in the fridge for an hour to completely let the chocolate set and re-harden from any softening that may have happened while cutting.

Homemade Halloween Chocolate Candy Bark

And voila, the cutest, most festive homemade Halloween Chocolate Candy Bark you’ve ever seen! I love whipping up a couple batches of this to gift to my neighbors and take into work. And how cute would this bark be served on this itsy bitsy spider plate!

See the recipe below, and if you’re reading this via Bloglovin’ you’ll need to click into the post to get the complete recipe. Happy Halloween friends! Truly, MKR

P.S. If baking isn’t your thing at all Williams Sonoma has some Mummy Halloween Bark that is almost as cute!

 

Halloween Chocolate Candy Bark
Yields 1
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Prep Time
5 min
Cook Time
15 min
Total Time
10 min
Prep Time
5 min
Cook Time
15 min
Total Time
10 min
Ingredients
  1. Baking Chocolate of your choosing, you'll need about about 25-30 oz for one bark
  2. Candy of your choosing
  3. 1 tablespoon canola oil
  4. parchment paper
  5. sheet pan
Instructions
  1. Prepare all of the candies, removing all the wrappings, and set them aside where you plan to create your bark.
  2. Cut out parchment paper to the size of your sheet pan, and place inside your sheet pan. Set aside.
  3. In a large pot over medium to low heat melt your chocolate and stir with a spatula or whisk. You'll want to stir the entire time the chocolate is melting, otherwise you'll run the risk of burning your chocolate.
  4. When the chocolate has completely melted, turn of the heat and add canola oil. The oil helps the chocolate shine.
  5. Pour the chocolate out onto your parchment paper and spread with a spatula to create a thin layer. Once spread out, lift the pan just slightly and carefully hit down onto your surface. This will remove any air bubbles and help even it out.
  6. Let chocolate cool for 2-3 minutes then begin placing your candies. Once your candies are placed put the sheet pan into the fridge and let cool a minimum of 8 hours. I prefer to let it cool overnight.
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Boozy Salted Caramel Affogato with Jackson Morgan Southern Cream

The perfect ending to any meal
Filed Under > Desserts

Boozy Salted Caramel Affogato, Waiting On MarthaBoozy Salted Caramel Affogato, Waiting On MarthaBoozy Salted Caramel Affogato, Waiting On Martha

What do you get when you combine two of my absolute favorite foods, coffee and ice cream? Cafe Affogato.  What’s the only way to make Affogato more perfect than it already is?  Add booze.  

If that sounds about right to you, then let me introduce you to my take on this classic dessert;  Boozy Salted Caramel Affogato.  Or rather an ice cream sundae all grown up.

Traditionally, affogato is a coffee-based dessert, with a scoop of vanilla gelato or ice cream “drowned” in hot espresso.  Drowned because Affogato quite literally means “drowned” in Italian, and it sums up the wonderful molten mix of vanilla, coffee and the “puddle” that it makes together.  

For me it’s the perfect way to end any evening.  Of course it wouldn’t be my favorite without just a touch of booze and Jackson Morgan Salted Caramel Southern Cream seemed like Affogato’s perfect compliment. It’s almost as if the Salted Caramel Cream was created solely for this dessert. 

I always have every Jackson Morgan Southern Cream flavors on hand because I’m constantly reaching for them when it comes to baking not just cocktailing.  Remember my Boozy Chocolate Peppermint Bread Pudding from last year.   But it wasn’t till recently that I thought of adding it to my Affogato.

The Salted Caramel melts seamlessly into the vanilla ice cream and Nespresso resulting in the most delicious Affogato puddle possible.  And just to take it over the edge I added pumpkin seeds and fresh cinnamon to provide that seasonal crunch.

So to review: 1/2 cup Jackson Morgan Salted Caramel Souther Cream, 1 scoop of gelato or vanilla ice cream, 1 shot of piping hot of espresso poured over the ice cream, top with pumpkin seeds and a sprinkling of cinnamon.  Serve immediately and enjoy your caramel Affogato puddle.  Truly, MKR

 


 

Photography, Rustic White for Waiting on Martha | This post is in collaboration with Jackson Morgan, a brand we love and adore.  All opinions are 100% our own. 

Citrus Olive Oil Bundt Cake with A Fresh Citrus Glaze

A light, moist cake with a balance of refreshing flavors
Filed Under > Desserts


Olive oil bundt cake with citrus glaze
Olive Oil Bundt Cake recipe on Waiting on Martha

Olive oil bundt cake on Waiting on Martha


Out of all the ingredients I use when cooking I would say olive oil is my number one go-to.  I literally put it on, and in everything.  Vegetables, pasta, salads, marinades, and of course combined with a little balsamic for dipping fresh bread!  But for some reason, I hadn’t ventured into baking with olive oil until recently and now the only question I have is why did I wait so long?!  

Not only is olive oil good for you, high quality olive oil also has different flavor notes that can work perfectly with certain recipes.  Take my latest creation for example: Olive Oil Bundt Cake with a Fresh Citrus Glaze.

For this specific recipe I used Carapelli® Organic Extra Virgin Olive Oil.  With olives from the 2016/2017 harvest, Carapelli® Extra Virgin Olive Oil is fresh, earthy, and a little sweet with a fruity yet balanced taste.  It not only added that extra flavor note to my bundt cake, but it made it incredibly moist.  Plus I was thrilled to find Carapelli® Extra Virgin Olive Oil at my local Publix (in the cooking/spice aisle in case you’re wondering).  It’s always a win win when I can get everything I need in one place.

But back to the cake.  To add citrus to the cake itself I used a few drops of lemon, lime, and orange essential oil.  I’ve tried using actual citrus or citrus zest to the sponge, but I’ve found you can’t control the acid which can often make the cake collapse.  And we can’t have a collapsed cake can we?!

The frosting is your classic vanilla glaze kicked up a notch with loads of fresh lemon, lime and orange zest.  I prefer not to cover the entire bundt cake in glaze as I don’t want to overwhelm the fresh citrus with too much sugary sweet.  

All in all, I could not be happier with how everything turned out.  The Carapelli® Extra Virgin Olive Oil brought out the citrus to create the most perfect balance, and quite possibly my favorite cake ever.

Looking to pick up some Carapelli® at your local Publix? Use this Ibotta coupon offer and save on your purchase through November 3rd!  Learn more about Carapelli® on their Facebook or Instagram pages.  Truly, MKR

Olive Oil Bundt Cake with Fresh Citrus Glaze
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Prep Time
15 min
Cook Time
1 hr
Total Time
1 hr 30 min
Prep Time
15 min
Cook Time
1 hr
Total Time
1 hr 30 min
Ingredients
  1. 5 large eggs, room temperature
  2. 2 cups sifted all purpose flour
  3. 1 1/4 cup organic sugar
  4. 1 cup high quality olive oil, I used Carapelli Unfiltered Extra Virgin Olive Oil
  5. 1 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
  6. 1 pinch of baking soda
  7. 1 teaspoon salt
  8. 2 drops lemon essential oil
  9. 2 drops lime essential oil
  10. For the glaze
  11. 4 teaspoons whole milk
  12. 1 1/2 cup confectioners sugar, sifted to remove lumps
  13. 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  14. 1/2 cup citrus zest (can be any kind of citrus)
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees and heavily grease your bundt pan and set aside.
  2. In a bowl whisk the sifted flour with the baking powder, baking salt, and salt. Set aside.
  3. In a bowl using an electric mixer beat the eggs with the sugar and citrus essential oils on medium/high speed until smooth. This will take a few minutes.
  4. Slowly beat in the olive oil until creamy, about 3 minutes.
  5. Add the dry ingredients the wet mixture in batches of 3 beating on medium speed until well mixed.
  6. Pour the batter into your bundt can and bake in the center of the oven for about 45-60 minutes or until a toothpick is inserted into the cake and it comes off clean.
  7. While the bundt cake is in the oven make your glaze. Place the sugar in a medium/large mixing bowl and slowly stir in the milk and vanilla a little at a time until through thouroughly mixing the glaze is smooth and not lumpy. Add 1/2 of your zest and reserve the rest for garnishing your cake.
  8. Remove from oven and let cool in the pan on a cooling rack. Cool for 15-20 minutes **this is KEY** then slightly tap the sides before flipping over to reveal your cake.
  9. Let the cake cool completely then ice with citrus glaze and garnish with fresh citrus zest.
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Photography, Rustic White for Waiting on Martha | This post is in collaboration with Carapelli, a brand we love and adore.  All opinions are 100% our own. 

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