bark loudly

A little while back, my son had a few friends over to play video games, throw the ball around at the park and just hang out.  Unfortunately with a last minute cancellation, our daughter's original plan to spend the day with a friend didn't materialize.  She was very disappointed.

It is no secret in our house that our little girl loves anything sweet. As if she's not sweet enough! So while the boys played, I promised her that we'd make some kind of candy to pass the time.  Just the two of us. As I was saying this, I wished I stopped myself from making this promise as I didn't want her to be disappointed (again). How am I going to make candy? I don't have any ingredients unless we made caramel sauce (but no ice cream to top it with) or fudge ("not interested" she said).

All of a sudden, our dog started barking loudly (and for no reason...bird? squirrel?).  The continuous yelping at small critters usually bothers me, but for some reason it felt like our pup was trying to tell us something, giving me a great idea. Throughout the continuous barking, I told our daughter that our pup was suggesting that we make "bark", and with her eyes widening with enthusiasm, she gave an astounding "yes" and hugged our dog in appreciation for the good idea. Our dog finally stopped barking.

Since I usually don't make bark unless it's Christmas, I had forgotten how quickly and easily one can have such sweet goodness in a few hours.  I just used what I had on hand...a half a package of semi-sweet baker's chocolate, half a bag of white chocolate chips and half a bag of toffee bits.

Our little girl had the greatest time watching the different coloured chocolate mix together, creating a beautiful marbled look.  Her sadness with the cancelled playdate quickly dissolved as she licked the bowls clean. She had the biggest, stickiest smile on her face.

I guess we had a sweet day after all and maybe I should thank our pup...

...for barking loudly.

Marble Chocolate Toffee Bark

(Makes enough to serve about 4-6 people).

This is the easiest and quickest chocolate bark. Ever.  Not sure if this really constitutes as a recipe, but here we go.

Ingredients

• 4 squares of Baker's Semi-Sweet Baker's Chocolate
• 1 cup of white chocolate chips
• ½ cup of toffee bits, plus more to top (I used the "Skor" brand, but you can use any kind of candy you have on hand).

Directions

• In two separate small bowl, place the baker's chocolate in one bowl and the white chocolate chips in the other.
• Set your microwave at 50% (medium) and melt the chocolate for about 2 minutes.
• Remove and stir quickly.  If it's not melted, then put the bowls in the microwave and melt again at 50% for another minute.
• Remove.  In the bowl with the baker's chocolate, stir in the toffee bits.
• On a baking sheet, place parchment paper.
• Spread the white melted chocolate on the parchment paper.
• Spread the baker's chocolate on top.  Using the spoon, swirl the two chocolate together.
• Top with a few more toffee bits (optional), to taste.
• Place the cookie sheet in the fridge for at least 3 hours.
• When the chocolate has hardened, break into pieces (you don't have to be precise...it looks better when you just cut it any way you wish).
• Keep in a sealed container, in a fridge for up to 5 days.

Enjoy!