Holiday Baking Part 2

Ok, here are a few more of the delicious treats I made for the holidays...some for parties, some for families I work for, some for dessert  dinner tonight...

As always...click photo for link to recipe...

I saw this on Pinterest marked as "S'mores Bark."  You had me at S'mores.  I clicked the link which didn't work but found out it's actually a Weight Watchers recipe that isn't S'mores bark at all.  It's just marshmallows coated in chocolate.  Delicious?  Yes.  S'mores Bark? No.  So, I made it into S'more Bark anyway. 

 Follow the directions on this recipe, but: Use a 9X13 pan.  Line it with foil then place graham crackers in a single layer to cover as much of the bottom as possible.  I believe I used 6 which gave me a nice rectangle in the middle of the pan.  Do everything else the recipe says...I used a small offset spatula to spread the chocolate mallow mixture out over the crackers.  

I let it cool a bit at room temp then became impatient and placed it in the freezer for about 20 min.  Broke it into pieces and...yum!  I did use bittersweet (60%) chocolate chips, it makes it a little stronger so you'll eat less...but still, I ate a lot...oops.

Peanut Butter Graham Balls:
I made these after my failed attempt at the peppermint puppy chow...I had all the ingredients and they were super simple to throw together.  I didn't roll them in mini chips like the photo shows...I drizzled some of the melted chocolate over them in a circular pattern.  They looked nice.  They taste good too...not a 10 by any means, but a solid addition to the cookie platter.

Bacon Peanut Brittle:
For realz??  I knew I had to make this the second I saw the recipe.  My first attempt was terrible...I didn't have a candy thermometer but thought I could use my pastry cheffing skills to get the job done...not so, as it would turn out.  The sugar turned too quickly and BAM!  burnt brittle...have you ever tasted burnt sugar...it's bitter and gross.  Yuck.  So, ran off to the store and got a chancy thermometer...brittle turned out amazing!  Here are the changes I made:  I fried the bacon (I doubled what the recipe called for...I love me some bacon) then crumbled it--who has time to dice bacon then fry it?  Not this girl...  Also, I used a silpat instead of greasing the cookie sheet.  Nothing sticks to a silpat...nothing.  If you don't have one, you need to invest-it's worth it.  I also added a little vanilla at the end, right before pouring it onto the pan.  Next time, I'll make it with bourbon instead, but alas, I'm a sissy, girly drinker and there is no bourbon in my house.  Next time.  Oh, a few more tips...spread it out as thin as possible...thick brittle is hard and obnoxious to eat.  As it cools, pick up one end and begin to lightly pull, causing the brittle to stretch and become even more thin.  To clean your pot, immediately fill it with water and get it back on the stove...the only way to clean hardened sugar is to dissolve it in boiling water.  I love me some brittle, and bacon is my favorite food group, so how could this be anything less than a dream come true?

Check back next week for the last few (ok, there are plenty more) recipes.  If you missed part 1, click here.