What type of candy do you buy for Halloween? Is it the candy you wish you got as a kid? Is it candy you hate so it won’t tempt you?

When I was about 11 years old, I remember the neighbors around the corner handed out full size candy bars for Halloween. That was unprecedented, unheard of, and something I still remember all these years later! It was so exciting, my girlfriends and I switched around our costumes so we could go back a second time without being recognized!

From that day on, I always knew that when I had a house of my own, I would do something special like that for the children in my neighborhood. Fast forward 25 years and I did! Over the years I have given out large gummy lollipops, big bags of potato chips, and one year I gave out giant Pixie Stix that were almost 2 feet long! However, it’s not easy to continue this tradition in my community. Most years we get anywhere from 60 to 85 kids and it gets very expensive to give out that one big thing.

Now we give out smaller candy, but always the good kind (usually chocolate) and with something fun like glow sticks! I bought 6 bags of candy, 3 dozen glow sticks and we didn’t have much left over. If you do have some left over, don’t bring it to your office; don’t throw it out or freeze it. You have to try this great jazzed up chocolate bark recipe. Aside from being a delicious reinvented treat, it makes a great gift. Be Creative & Enjoy!

Ingredients
1  3/4 cups good quality chocolate. I used 60% cocoa but use what you like
1/2 cup melting chocolate*
2 to 2 1/2 cups chopped candy bars and candy pieces (use as much or as little as you like)

Prepare a quarter size sheet pan (9 x 13) with parchment paper and set aside.

In the top of a double boiler,* place the chocolates in to melt – stirring often until smooth. Take it off the heat just before all the chocolate has melted. Continue to stir and when it is all melted, gently mix in about 1/3 of the candy.

Pour the mixture into the prepared pan and using an offset or rubber spatula, spread the chocolate mixture evenly. Sprinkle the remaining candy on top. Refrigerate 1 to 2 hours until the chocolate is set. Once firm, break the bark into pieces.

This will make a nice gift wrapped in cellophane, or placed in a beautiful tin. It looks very pretty with colorful candy, however, I just bought Junior Mints on sale and thinking I might need to make another batch! There are endless combinations. Be creative and let me know what you come up with!

*I use a small amount of melting chocolate because I like the softer and smoother texture this yields after it’s refrigerated; it’s not a hard bark. I also like that contrast of textures – crunchy candy and smooth chocolate. If you like a firmer chocolate bark, use 2 1/4 cups chips and eliminate the melting chocolate.

**You can also microwave the chocolate. Place the chocolate in a glass bowl and microwave in 30 second increments until just melted. Make sure to stir each time you check.