Marbly Chocolate Goodness!

This stuff is too good for your own good. I made this yummy chocolate concoction this week to give away as Christmas cheer, but so far only one person has benefitted: moi!

I found this recipe in a recent Southern Living magazine and couldn't resist its promise of chocolate decadence. A caption on the recipe reads, "The hardest part about making Salty Chocolate-Pecan Candy is waiting for the chocolate to firm up before devouring it." Obviously the person writing this caption wasn't just a creative writer hired to make the recipe sound good but had devoured his/her own prodigious share of this candy.

It's really quite easy and the results are spectacular!

Here's what you need:

1 c. pecans, coarsely chopped
3 (4-oz.) bars bittersweet chocolate baking bars
3 (4-oz.) white chocolate baking bars
>1 teaspoon coarse sea salt*
(*3/4 tsp. kosher salt may be substituted.)

Here's what you do:

Place pecans in a single layer on a baking sheet. Bake at 350° for 8 to 10 minutes or until toasted.

Line a 17- x 12-inch jelly-roll pan with parchment paper (I used my DeMarle silpat). Break each chocolate bar into 8 equal pieces. (You will have 48 pieces total.) Arrange in a checkerboard pattern in jelly-roll pan, alternating white and dark chocolate. (Pieces will touch.)

Bake at 225° for 5 minutes or just until chocolate is melted. Remove pan to a wire rack. Swirl chocolates into a marble pattern using a wooden pick (I used my Pampered Chef cake tester).

This was lots of fun! And isn't it beautiful?!
As much as I love chocolate, I could see this as a
wallpaper in my kitchen...except I'd always be craving
chocolate....wait! I already do that!

Sprinkle evenly with toasted pecans and salt.

Chill 1 hour or until firm. Break into pieces. Store in an airtight container in refrigerator up to 1 month. (Candy will soften at room temperature)

Not only does this taste fabulous, it looks spectacular! Pretty on a plate:

Wait a minute! I need to get a little closer to that chocolate!

MUCH better! Now all this raving about Salty Chocolate-Pecan Candy is
more than I can handle. I'm off to dig some out of the refrigerator for
a late-night snack. Don't tell anyone....oh, and if you are one of the people
I was making this to give, I'm sorry. I couldn't keep from eating it all!

This recipe found in Southern Living, OCTOBER 2007 and at Southern Living Recipes online.

Pretzel Wreath

My kiddos and I spent part of an evening last week cooking in our pjs and this is what we made:


This recipe came from the Pampered Chef Holiday Guide 2007. Its easy and fun. Give it a try. Tie a ribbon and bow on it, put it in a pretty goody bag and give them as gifts.


Place almond bark or confectionery coating candy in a bowl. Microwave according to package directions until melted and smooth.

Dip rounded bottoms of 5 minature pretzels, one at a time, into bark; shake off excess. Lay pretzels onto Parchment Paper (I used my Demarle silpat) in a circular pattern with sides touching and rounded sides toward center.

Repeat with 5 more pretzels, placing directly on top of first circle in a staggered pattern. Decorate wreath as desired with nonpareils or colored sugar. (I used Pampered Chef's sweet caramel sprinkle)