I’m going to keep this short and sweet, because if you, like me, have absolutely no time during the holidays, this is the treat for you!
It’s ridiculously easy, and ridiculously quick. And, it only has four ingredients.
You heard me.
Four.
Chocolate. Cream. Almonds. Candy Canes. That’s it.
It only takes five minutes to assemble (maybe ten if you get easily distracted like me!), and is SO yummy. Pop ‘er in the fridge for half an hour. Cut. Take to a party to be ooh-ed and ahh-ed over because it is just oh so pretty and delish!
First, you have to melt the chocolate and the cream in a small pot on the stove on medium heat, stirring occasionally to prevent burning/sticking and making sure they’re mixed together.
While that’s doing its thing, put all your candy canes in a plastic bag.
Then SMASH THEM WITH A HAMMER! (or meat tenderizer, whatever you’ve got handy!)
Did I mention this recipe was super fun? This recipe is super fun – a great way to get out your pent-up holiday-induced aggression, plotting against emperors or not!
Guess what? You’re going to do the same thing with the almonds.
SMASHY SMASHY SMASH!
By now your chocolate should be all melted, so toss in those almonds and mix everything together.
On a baking sheet or 9×9 inch pan covered with wax or parchment paper, pour the chocolate and almond mixture, making sure it’s as even as possible. It should be about ½ an inch thick at most. It doesn’t have to be too smooth or pretty.
Cover with smashed candy canes. Press them in a bit with your hand to secure them.
Toss in the fridge and forget about them while you go do other holiday things for at least half an hour. Trim the tree. Make gingerbread cookies. Try and figure out what you’re going to wear to the party tonight because both your outfit and your backup outfit are in the laundry, casualties to a previous party’s tragic eggnog accident. Try to convince your two-year-old that they don’t fit into their party dress from last year.
Pull out the bark.
Cut it haphazardly.
Stick it in a wax-paper-lined tin and bring to the party. Everyone will ooh and ahh, and you’ll just smile a knowing smile because this was the easiest recipe you’ve ever made in your entire life.
Just to let you know, my wonderful readers, I’m taking the next couple weeks off from the blog. As you can read above, it just gets a little too crazy around this time of year, and I’m in serious need of a vacation! I’ll still have a couple round-up posts coming out next week and will still be posting to social media occasionally, but this is the last recipe post until 2016.
I wish you a safe and happy holiday, and I hope you get to eat many delicious things!
- 13 oz . (~370g) semi-sweet chocolate (chips or bricks work!)
- 1 Tbsp heavy cream
- 5 oz (~140g) almonds
- 5 oz (~140g) candy canes
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In a pot on the stove, melt chocolate and cream on low-medium heat, stirring occasionally to make sure they're completely mixed and melted.
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Place candy canes in a plastic bag, and smash them using a hammer (I used a meat-tenderizer) until they're small pieces. Repeat with the almonds.
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Once the chocolate is melted, mix the almonds in.
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Pour/spoon the chocolate into a wax or parchment paper lined 9x9 pan, or onto a baking sheet. It doesn't have to be pretty, but it should be about the same thickness throughout.
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Sprinkle the crushed candy canes on top. Press them in with your hand just a little to make sure they don't fall off too much.
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Let cool and solidify in the fridge for at least 30 minutes.
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Cut and serve! Keep them at or below room temperature for optimal deliciousness.
