It's That Time of Year Again!...

I love baking and packaging the treats during the holidays (thank you Martha Stewart line at Michaels).  My son still naps for 2-2.5 hours so my goal today was to tackle these recipes.  My husband is usually around on the weekend to help so I can get stuff done, but he recently joined a running club on Sundays.  It worked out today then N napped for 2.5 hours...HOORAY!!!  Last year, I made Mike's coworkers candy cane pretzels and they were a big hit.  This year I decided to whip up two types of bark.  They were simple to make and scrumptious.  My 2.8 old loved these treats as well.  Thanks to Pinterest, I found these recipes, but adapted them a bit.

Peppermint Oreo Bark
(recipe adapted from CrazyforCrust)

Ingredients: 

20 Oreos (the original recipe called for Peppermint Joe Joe cookies from Trader Joes, I thought that would be a bit too much peppermint) 

30 Candy Cane Hershey’s Kisses (these are deadly, I ate a few during this process) 

1 package (12 ounces) semi-sweet chocolate chips

1 package (12 ounces) white chocolate chips

Directions:

1.       Line a cookie sheet with waxed paper. Unwrap your Kisses and coarsely chop them. Coarsely chop your cookies.

2.       Melt semi-sweet chips using a double boiler and spread onto the cookie sheet. Sprinkle chopped cookies on top and press down firmly with your hands. 

3.       Melt white chocolate and spread on top of cookies. Sprinkle with chopped Kisses and press down with your hands. 

4.       Chill until hardened. I left it in the fridge for over 2 hours.  Then break apart and serve!

Toffee Peanut Butter Bark
(Recipe from Everyday with Rachael Ray)

Ingredients:

• 4 unsalted matzo crackers 
• 2 sticks (8 ounces) unsalted butter
• 1 1/4 cups sugar
• 2 Tablespoons of water
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• One 12-ounce bag of milk chocolate chips 
• 1 cup creamy peanut butter (I love Skippy) 

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a rimmed baking sheet with foil, covering the bottom and sides. Spray with nonstick cooking spray. Place a layer of matzo crackers on the sheet, breaking as needed to cover the sides; set aside. 

1. In a heavy saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Stir in the sugar and 2 tablespoons of water. Bring the mixture to a boil and cook undisturbed over medium-high heat until the caramel mixture is a light golden, about 5-7 minutes. Remove from the heat and let cool for 1 minute. Stir in the vanilla and quickly pour over the matzos, using a metal spatula to spread evenly. Bake for 8 minutes.

1. Remove the bark from the oven and spread with chocolate chips. Return to the oven and bake just until the chocolate starts to melt, about 2 minutes, then spread the chocolate evenly.  
2. Meanwhile, melt the peanut butter in a microwave safe bowl for 1-1 1/2 minutes, until it is a smooth. Drizzle the peanut butter over the chocolate and, using the handle of a wooden spoon, swirl the chocolate and peanut butter together.
3. Let the bark cool for 1 hour, then refrigerate until set, at least 2 hours. Break into pieces and package. 

 The Oreo Peppermint Bark was a big hit with my son!  He does have anew obsession with candy canes!