I did not bake Himself a Birthday Cake this year, he prefers candy anyway. He loves Buckeyes but I did not feel like rolling balls and dipping them in chocolate- too fussy. I am not saying Himself is not worth the fuss, I am saying it is not my talent to get perfectly shaped Buckeyes- plus I kind of like the rustic charm of this bark. This makes a big batch and the entire process took less than 30 minutes. Now a big bucket of this stuff lurks in our freezer and I am wondering how long it will last. My guess? Not very.
Buckeye Bark
2.5 pounds favorite chocolate candy coating*- white, dark, or milk
1 pound all natural creamy peanut butter
2 cups powdered sugar
1 stick butter melted
1 tsp vanilla
Melt 1.25 pounds chocolate according to package directions and spread over parchment paper or a silpat lined cookie sheet. Spread to a large rectangle but not too thin, maybe 1/8-1/4 inch thickness. Place in freezer. In a large bowl whip together the remaining ingredients until smooth and creamy. Spread over first chocolate layer. While it sits in the freezer, melt the remaining chocolate and spread over peanut butter layer. Freeze until set. Break up into small pieces using a butcher knife- hacking away! Serves a crowd. Store in the refrigerator or freezer until ready to serve.
*I used Ghirardelli Chocolate Candy Coating. I think I will try this again with real chocolate and I bet white chocolate would be great around Christmastime.
Stay Tuned In...
I am joining Sandy of Reluctant Entertainer for "31 Days of". Not only will I continue to share some nifty recipes and ideas, I will tell you about some things that happen behind the scenes over here in BRK, especially in the department of Life Planning and living out our dreams. If you don't want to miss a day, subscribe to my RSS feeds.
29 comments:
Yum yum! I'm a huge fan of chocolate bark treats, just love what each one can offer differently. I like your interpretation of a buckeye, I don't blame you on rolling tons of little PB balls. ;)
this is not what i needed to see at all this morning...now i'm going to be dreaming about buckeye bark all week!
you are wicked. and I am so making this LOLOL!
My husband prefers pies on his birthday - this year was pecan pie! There is one piece left and I'll be glad when its gone - I usually don't have a sweet tooth at all, but I kept finding myself with a fork and taking little bites - no wonder I didn't lose weight this week!
Good luck with the posting challenge. It's not always easy to find the time.
And I love this idea. My wife always wants that candy cane bark made for Christmas... i am sure I would like this peanut butter bark better!
love this idea. Once I can eat sugar again, I am going to try these out. They look soooo good.
Great way to make short work on Buck Eyes. I'm all for short cuts.
Mimi
Oh my! I am an Ohio "Buckeye," so this recipe is fitting. Love that it is a bar version!!! Buckeyes are my hubby's fave, so he will thank you when he tastes these! I adore every little thing that you post. You are so inspiring in and out of the kitchen. Wish I lived closer to take a cooking class from you!
This was such a good idea, I love it! Great idea for a birthday candy.
Yum, I will have to try this. Chocolate and Peanut butter anything, husband and I love!
I've never heard of Buckeye but it sounds delicious! And I love the idea of Bark instead.
Wow, those puppies look delish! So delish that I'm certain I alone could make quick work of eating them. I'm not ashamed to admit that (: Anyhow, can tin foil be used in place of parchment paper? I had a strange reaction to parchment (I'm gluten free) and am kind of scared of trying it out again! Thanks for such a wonderful blog too, it's always a pleasure reading along.
Anon- I guess you can use the foil but I would butter it first just in case the chocolate decides to stick.
This sounds like a great idea - love buckeyes! I am like you - not usually a big fan of doing the rolling and dipping of cake balls or traditional buckeyes - this is definitely my style:-)
i hate, abhor, and loathe dealing with melted chocolate, so your bark idea is all kinds of brilliant as far as i'm concerned!
I've been looking for ideas for homemade Christmas goodies (I'm planning ahead) and I don't have a lot of time, so this is perfect! Thank you!
Could you use almond bark instead for the chocolate?
Anon- Yes you can use almond bark, candy coating, or chocolate.
I LOVE Buckeyes and this is brilliant. Here is my concern/question though. We always give a variety of homemade goodies to friends, neighbors and teachers every Christmas. I'm worried that once the bark comes out of the freezer and gets packaged in the goodie bag, it will melt and get all gooey. Anyone have any experience giving this to someone where it wasn't able to stay frozen?
Anon- I gave some to a friend stacked in a Mason Jar. I took it out of the freezer, put it right in the jar. The PB layer will soften up, but is creamy and wonderful. Yes not as neat as the ball version, but still delicious. It may smear a bit on the goodie bags, so you can wrap in plastic wrap first and then into the bags. I have also set a plate of it out on the table and found that the PB layer will even set up a bit. Great for last minute company! Hope you give it a try!
Thank You! I make Buckeyes every Christmas and get sooo sick of rolling and dipping those little balls, but everyone loves them so much that I keep making them. I'm making bark for sure this year.
I made your buckeye bark yesterday, but added some broken pretzel pieces on top of the peanut butter layer.
I think my husband was eating it as fast as I could break it apart.
Thanks for sharing a great recipe to add to my treat trays this Christmas!
Amy- pretzels sound like a great additon! Thanks for coming back and letting me know you liked this recipe!
I was thinking about trying this with a different kind of nut butter -- like cashew or almond. Thanks for the recipe (found you via Pinterest)!
Buckeyes are a favorite in our house and these look so much easier to make! Can't wait to try them! I featured them on my pinterest finds post. http://www.lovebugliving.com/2011/12/pinterest-christmas-inspiration.html
What would be amazing is if they were flexible enough to roll and then let harden and slice them up! Is that possible????
Paige- I don't think this would roll up without cracking, but maybe this candy dipped in chocolate would be close.
http://www.bigredkitchen.com/2008/11/christmas-peanut-butter-candies.html
I'm thinking this sounds very good right now!
I def want to try these! I'm a little nervous about pouring the chocolate tho, don't want it to run all over. This would be my first attempt at bark. Any tips?
Ashley B- Here are some tips...
Tempering is so fussy and I seem to still get the white streaks ( bloom-when you get the chocolate too hot) once in a while. I called a chocolate company and here are a few tips they gave me.
1. Best to cut the chocolate in uniform small pieces, it is best to use a serrated knife to do this.
2. Use a double boiler with the lower pan on low heat and melt 1/4 of the chocolate in the top pan very slowly.
3. Add each quarter of the chocolate after the first is melted, this keeps the batch from getting too hot.
4. Once melted, remove from heat making sure none of the water or steam from the pot hits your chocolate. If it does, your chocolate will seize- "clot"
5. Store the final product- your candy, in cool place, in air-tight container. I freeze my bark.
6. They also told me I can check my chocolate by smearing a small bit on a piece of waxed paper and place it in the refrigerator, if it gets white then I took it too far. The flavor is fine, it just doesn't look as nice. So no worries.
7. Remember slow and low!
8. Candy coating, Candy melts, almond bark are all good for beginners as it is more forgiving than working with actual chocolate.
9. If you are worried about the chocolate running all over, then line a large jelly roll pan with side with parchment to prevent over flow.
10. Have fun, it's only chocolate!
It takes lots of practice. I am still practicing;-) And tasting all my samples as I go! Hope this helps.
Robin Sue
Post a Comment
Post a Comment