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December 4, 2017This is about...
Holiday COOKIE BARK---YUM!
’TIS THE SEASON ALREADY! Immediately after Thanksgiving is over,
I always feel like I’m behind. Too much to do and too little time.
OWNING A SHOP IN WOODSTOCK MEANS THAT YOU HAVE TO DECORATE WAAAAY IN ADVANCE.
And I’m usually one of the last-- which means the weekend right after turkey day.
I ALWAYS LIKE TO HAVE A FEW HOLIDAY OPTIONS at Peace, Love and Cupcakes. Every year there’s
“The Peppermint Twist”—a chocolate cupcake with a peppermint patty baked inside and topped with a swirl of vanilla/peppermint buttercream. Then there’s
“The Ginger Baker,” a spicy gingerbread cupcake that’s topped with cream cheese frosting. But
I ALWAYS LIKE TO HAVE ANOTHER FUN OPTION. One year it was big gingerbread men cookies. Another it was homemade caramel popcorn. And
this year, it’s HOLIDAY COOKIE BARK!
I USE THE "HIPPIE CHIPPERS" FROM THE SHOP, but any chocolate chip cookie will do--as a matter of fact ANY COOKIE YOU LIKE WILL WORK. I break them into big pieces, coat them in melted dark chocolate, drizzle with white chocolate, and finally sprinkle them with crushed candy canes. What could be bad?
Not only will these be welcome as
A yummy dessert or snack, but THEY’LL ALSO MAKE A DELICIOUS, PRETTY PRESENT wrapped up in cellophane and ribbons.
HAPPY HOLIDAYS!
LESSONS Learned:
1. Use any cookies you like. They don’t have to be chocolate chips. Vanilla shortbread would be yummy too.
2. If you warm the bowl alittle before adding the melted chocolate, it won’t harden on the sides of the bowl before you can scrape it into the pan.
3. Once the bark is spread on the pan, you can chill it in the fridge to speed up the hardening process.
4. I use a serrated knife to cut into smallish squares. Or, you could just break it up into pieces by hand.
HOLIDAY COOKIE BARK
(inspired by Tate’s Bake Shop)
Ingredients:
½ lb. chocolate chip or other flavor cookies
14 oz. dark chocolate cut into small pieces or chips
6 oz. white chocolate cut into small pieces or chips
½ cup crushed candy canes
Make the bark:
Cover a 13” x 18” sheet pan with parchment.
In a medium-size heavy bottomed saucepan, over very low heat, gently melt the dark chocolate, stirring continuously until smooth. Set aside.
Run a large mixing bowl under hot water and dry thoroughly. Break the cookies into large pieces into the warmed bowl.
Pour the melted chocolate over the cookies, and mix well to completely coat. Spread the coated cookies onto the sheet pan in a single layer.
In another small heavy bottomed sauce pan, melt the white chocolate. Using a spoon, drizzle over the cookies. Evenly sprinkle with the crushed candy canes. Cool at room temperature until hardened. You can also speed up the process by chilling it in the fridge.
Cut or break into pieces. Store at room temperature in a sealed tin. If you like, pack in clear cellophane bags and tie with ribbons to make as gifts.
Makes about 3½ dozen 1½ “ squares.
YUM!