Holiday Chocolate Fix

The pace of the pre-holiday busyness (visiting friends, gathering food for the feast) slowed down momentarily this morning and I took the chance to make some more goodies.

First on the agenda was one of Rachel Ray’s Five Minute Fudge Wreaths. I’m not really a fan of fudge, but I decided to give this a shot anyway.

The recipe called for an 8 ounce can of walnuts, but I’ve never seen such a thing, so I just used a cup of chopped walnuts and it seems like the right amount. I also used dried cranberries instead of currants, which was a nice touch. I’m happy to say it’s actually really yummy – it reminds me a bit of one of those Cherry Blossom chocolates (without the gooey center).

The other thing I made is Chocolate Peanut Butter Bark, which is a favorite of mine. If you like peanut butter cups, you’ll love this stuff. It takes a little longer than 5 minutes to make, but not much.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Bark (from Canadian Living Magazine):

• 1 lb white chocolate, chopped
• 1 1/2 cups crunchy peanut butter
• 8 ounces semi-sweet chocolate

Line 10 X 15″ baking sheet with parchment or waxed paper. Melt white chocolate with peanut butter, stirring occasionally (I do this in a metal bowl set over a pot of boiling water). Pour into prepared pan, spreading evenly. Melt semi-sweet chocolate, and pour in 4-5 (1/2″ thick) lines across the surface of the white chocolate mixture. Draw a knife through the mixture (alternating directions) to marbleize. Chill in refrigerator until set. Let the bark come to room temperature before serving, otherwise the chocolate swirl will be much harder than the rest.

Tomorrow looks like it’s completely free (I’ll believe it when I see it), so I should get the majority of my baking done then. My 80 year old grandfather is arriving from Ontario on Friday, so it’s crunch time. I’m really excited to have him coming though, we haven’t spent the holidays together since I was 12!