Hey you, with the leftover sprinkles from birthdays, christmas, random events, who has zero idea what to do with them. In your flurry of cupcake-decorating and cookie-bedazzling, you suddenly realized you have more sparkly goods than you do actual food.
This bark is for you.
It’s also perfect for New Year’s Eve, because all it takes is a little chocolate, some nuts, and whatever sprinkles, sparkles, or edible glitter you have hiding out in your pantry.
It’s snowing here; as in, we’re having our first official snowstorm. I’m thrilled, because although it’s not the best weather for, say, pictures of sparkle bark (sorry!), it’s fantastic weather for cooking all sorts of things for my little stay-at-home, game-filled NYE party.
This year’s theme? Toasting to 2013.
Because we’re making everything on crostini. Get it? Toast.
Try to stifle those giggles.
At this minute, I just took my favorite lemon bars out of the oven, I have homemade roasted pistachio ice cream chilling in the freezer, and I’m roasting beets for one of the crostini recipes. Also, I’m midway through a recipe for your designated drivers; if it works, I will post it, along with everything else that works. That pistachio ice cream? That’s for sure coming up, because I’ve never had better.
I love 2013 so far. Even if it’s not 2013 yet.
Sparkle Bark
- 8 ounces 60% bittersweet chocolate (I use Ghirardelli baking bars)
- 12 ounces white chocolate (I use Ghirardelli baking bars, which is especially important with white chocolate for both flavor and meltability)
- 3/4 to 1 cup shelled, roasted pistachios
- all the sprinkles, sparkles, sanding sugar, nonpareils, and luster dust your heart desires.
Line either a 9 x 13 Pyrex glass baking dish or a lipped quarter sheet pan with parchment paper. Make sure it’s flat (it doesn’t have to go up the sides) and level against the bottom of the pan.
In the top of a double boiler over just simmering water, melt your 8 ounces of bittersweet chocolate. Pour into the center of the parchment-lined dish or pan, and use a rubber spatula or wooden spoon to smooth the chocolate evenly over the parchment, spreading to about a 1/2 inch from the edge of the parchment. Place in the fridge for at least 1 hour to set.
Once the dark chocolate layer is set, melt your white chocolate in the top of a double boiler over barely simmering water. Once melted and smooth, stir in pistachios until evenly distributed. Remove your dark chocolate pan from the refrigerator and set on your work surface. Gently pour the white chocolate mixture over the dark chocolate layer, trying to get it as evenly spread as possible as you pour.
Working quickly (because the dark chocolate layer will start to get melty if you disturb it too much), gently push the white chocolate mixture out to the sides so it evenly covers all of the dark chocolate layer. Tap the pan gently against the counter to meld the chocolates together and flatten them.
Sprinkle and sparkle to your heart’s content. If you’re using luster dust, I like to do that first, since it sticks to the chocolate better this way. I also went over my finished product with a little more dust, because hey; I like sparkle.
Happy New Year (almost).
12 Comments
Happy Sparkley New Year!!!!
When Jon was little, he once answered the question, “What color are you?” (long story) with the answer, “Sparkley purple”.
I love that kid.
ditto; i bet he IS sparkley purple, too, (in his heart) and that’s the great part.
Love the sparkles! What a great idea to start 2013 off on the right foot 😉 Happy New Year to you and your family, Shannon!!! Can’t wait to see what you cook up next year.
happy new year to you too! and the Bearded One. 🙂 i can’t wait to see what we both do this year; i think it’s going to be great.
Oh you beat me to it! I had plans for a bark like this but didn’t get around to it, now I sure wish I did. I love the look of it, and I know kids would go crazy for it. Happy New Year!
ha! YES! you know, every time i think of something “new” by myself, i rush to do it because i just KNOW someone is thinking the same thing. I had started thinking i was just being paranoid, but NO! you have proved me right! 🙂 great minds think alike, right? yes, i think so, so we’ll consider this “our” sparkle bark. happy new year to you!
This is a great use of sprinkles – and I’m not one to use a lot of sprinkles! It makes the bark so festive, and almost reminds me of champagne, which is perfect for a New Years party! Speaking of which… why am I not invited? I could help make the ice cream, and hors d’oeuvres, and I could help eat the ice cream, and hors d’oeurves… (I know, so helpful, right?). 😉
It all sounds so delicious, and I’m looking forward to that pistachio ice cream recipe (you know I’m a HUGE fan of ice cream, and I love it with salty pistachios – mm!).
Happy New Years!
thanks, willow! you know, aside from the momofuku birthday cake, i’m not huge on sprinkles either; i love them, but in small doses (smatterings here and there, or on edges). I tried to go for a “celebratory” sprinkle here (like confetti, champagne popping, etc), so i’m happy you saw it the way I did.
you are ALWAYS invited to my parties; like, standing invite. for serious. I would make you bring some of your food though; price of admission. i’ll trade you pistachio for your honey’d goat cheese and fig; I still think about that one. mmmm.
happy new year to you too!!
Mother of pearl!! Do you KNOW how many random sprinkles and sparkles I have in my baking cupboard? I fear it will eventually break 2.0 and I apart.
Thanks for saving us.
This was the post for Those of Us Who Collect Sparkles with Zeal. so, definitely the two of us. I’ve hidden my stash of them in the part of the pantry Mr. Table doesn’t frequent, so my secret’s safe. for now.
I LOVE the toast pun. And I love almost anything + crostini. I’m intrigued buy the roasted beets…
I hope you have a most marvelous and the happiest of New Years!!!
happy new year to you too! We did have a lovely evening, filled with toast all over the place – 7 types of crostini toppings on 3 choices of crostini toast! crazy fun. I couldn’t take photos of them all, and there’s a few recipes that came out as “almost perfect but in progress,” so i’m fine-tuning those, but they were delicious. Crostini bars are kinda awesome.