"Almond Bark" Candy - Quick and Easy Christmas

Since last week's fairly easy recipe had a few issues (one of you actually commented that it looked like what had happened was that I had boiled the syrup to the "hard crack" stage - which is probably exactly what happened), this week I went for foolproof - and fast.

From start to finish, it will probably take you longer to read/watch this post than it would to make these treats (assuming you don't have to go to the grocery store for ingredients right before a major holiday, at least).

What are we doing? Let me explain:

Do you ever find that you have no idea how to describe something that you know really well? Yeah... sorry about that. Let's get into the "recipe" and try to clear this up!

First of all, as promised, there are only three ingredients in this: peanuts, mini marshmallows, and almond bark.

If you're not sure you'll like this, you could start with a smaller amount, but I just dive straight in and use the whole package, since I know that I'm always going to find people who like it.

I start with my makeshift double boiler. (If you're working with a microwave, you'll want to follow the directions on the packaging - we don't have a microwave in the kitchen, hence the double boiler.)

Covering it will hold the heat in and hurry the melting a bit.

Unfortunately, it makes it really boring to look at.

The first signs of melting seem to take forever. But, with a metal bowl, you can see how the heat is conducted through the bowl to the candy.

I find that pushing down on it from time to time (forcing the blocks to make more contact with the hot bowl) helps the melting process.

There's a point when, as you're stirring, you'll find that it has just all gone liquid. It's kind of sudden, really, and it's a great feeling. (For me, that took about 15 minutes.)

Now comes the fun part: adding things in. I'd love to give you exact amounts of what goes in, but the trick is that what you're using will always catch more (or less) of the coating. So it varies based on the shapes of what it is.

What I can tell you is that you should always start with the non-marshmallow ingredient (for me, that's typically salted peanuts). This is so you temper the coating a bit so that it won't melt the marshmallows when they go in.

What do you think? Maybe a cup of peanuts? Maybe 1 1/4 cups?

Once you've got your first ingredient in, you'll want to add about the same amount of mini-marshmallows. (Or at least that's the ratio I go with. If you'd prefer more salt than sweet - or vice-versa - that's entirely your option.)

Remember - if you add the marshmallows when it's still really warm they'll melt. 

When you're stirring, you're hoping to reach a point where the coating is basically all taken up by the fillings. If you've got a big puddle of it in the bottom of the bowl, you'll probably want to add more fillings so that no one ends up with just a block of white confection.

Can you see how there's almost none left on the sides of the bowl? 

I use my small ice cream scoop for these (yes - the same one I use for a lot of cookies). I don't worry about them all being the same size, though - I just use that so that they'll be about the same size, and so that I don't get too much of it on my hands.

You'll want to put these out on waxed paper, so that they don't stick. (If you wanted to make a "bark" out of these, this is when you'd spread it out on a sheet of waxed paper and simply let it harden.)

So cute, right?

Depending on how much of the fillings you put in, you'll get different numbers of these, but I think I got about 5 dozen from my batch.

See how different they are in size? Perfect for a crowd, so that people can choose the size they want!

Pretty easy, right?

So, there we have it. An actually quick, easy, host/hostess gift.* Or a very simple (yet massively crowd-pleasing) candy to serve at a party this weekend - or maybe for New Year's. Or - heck - tint them pink and serve them for Valentine's...

Before you run off to the store to pick up the ingredients (either to make these treats, or to have the ingredients in the pantry, just in case), let me just wish you a Merry Christmas - and I'll see you in a week!


*Note: there is a comma between "easy" and "host" - I am not implying that this is a quick gift for an easy host. Though - who you party with is entirely up to you.


-----
Do you have a New Year's food tradition? Something you eat for luck - or just because you grew up with it? I'd love to hear about it! Let me know and we can talk about it in the next week or so!