The Wolfkitchen | Trick-or-Treat Vomit [i.e. Halloween Candy Bark]

We are already in full Halloween mode here at the House of Vaughn--Oingo Boingo dance parties at night, skeletons and scarecrows on our mantle, and treat-making in the kitchen. For me, the latter half of the year is all about baking cookies and making candy, essentially fattening up my loved ones like the witch in Hansel & Gretel. This is my first Halloween treat of the year for Mads and Ella (and Wolfman--he takes a Dad Tax of 30% of all sweets). It didn't turn out as beautifully as the photos from the recipe I used at Just a Taste, but it tastes like a diabetic coma waiting to happen, so I will call this a success.

Ingredients:

• 2 cups miscellaneous candy (I used: mini M&Ms, peanut butter M&Ms, mini candy corn, mini Kit Kat bars, coca crispies [at Wolfman's recommendation], and little Frankenstein monster sprinkle figures I found at Target)
• 3 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips (basically, an entire bag)

Directions:

1. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. Melt the chocolate chips in a double boiler (or I suppose you could use a microwave if you're into that sort of thing), stir until smooth.
3. Pour the chocolate onto the parchment paper, smoothing with a spatula. Sprinkle candy over the chocolate.
4. Place baking sheet in the refrigerator and chill for 30-45 minutes. 
5. Chop into pieces. Serve immediately or refrigerate.

Things I'd do differently next time (and there will definitely be a next time):

1. This is the perfect recipe for using up leftover trick-or-treat candy, which is why, apart from the look of it, Wolfman and I have taken to calling it Trick-or-Treat Vomit (as appetizing as that sounds). I will probably wait to make this again until I have leftovers. 
2. Also, I'll try finding something even darker and more bitter than semi-sweet chocolate chips--the chocolate base doesn't need to be sweet; the candy topping is more than sweet enough. 
3. And, on that note, some of the candy might be better if mixed into the chocolate (certainly, the cocoa crispies). The sprinkling of candy on top is great for making the bark look fun, but during the chopping and storing process, much of it gets jostled off.

Original recipe via: Just a Taste

"Dead Man's Party," Oingo Boingo