Recipe #13: Chocolate Bark

There is no simpler dessert than this one. I actually am planning on making it for our Christmas party because it makes a lot with very minimal effort. Someone brought something similar to this to work last year, and with one bite, I fell in love. When you make this recipe, please keep in mind that it's got to be reasonably quick so the chocolate melts the right way. Please note -- wherever you see a (*) next to an ingredient or tool, there is a comment about it below the recipe. Enjoy!

Chocolate Bark

Ingredients
1 10-ounce bag of semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 8-ounce Hershey bar
1 cup dark brown sugar
1 cup salted butter (room temperature)
Saltines crackers*
1 cup crushed walnuts or almonds

Tools
jelly roll pan or a cookie sheet with sides
aluminum foil or parchment paper
small sauce pan

Line jelly roll with foil or parchment, and cover with straight rows of saltines crackers. Crackers must lay flat in plan.



In small saucepan over high heat, combine butter and sugar. Stir frequently. When mixture reaches a dark brown color and is bubbling, it's finished.



Take mixture and pour it evenly over the crackers. Use a rubber spatula to spread mixture so it covers the crackers completely.



Quickly, pour the chocolate chips over the crackers and caramel. Break apart the Hershey bar and spread pieces all over the pan.



After 5 minutes, use the rubber spatula to spread the chocolate over the mix evenly, sprinkle with nuts.





Refrigerate for two hours. Break apart into smaller pieces, serve.



*Comments:
-Saltines: The amount you use will depend on the dimensions of your pan. My pan was 18x12, and I used 48 crackers.

Enjoy!