Carrot Cake Candy Bark
I know I just got done indulging in a week's worth of bread, butter and cheese, but is it wrong of me to want to dive into my computer screen and eat today's blog post? If it is, then I don't want to be right!
I've been a longtime fan of carrot cake. I mean, who wouldn't be? You're basically disguising vegetables as dessert, which gives you an automatic pass to having as many servings as you want, and who wouldn't want that?! Now, as if carrot cake wasn't good enough on it's own, I thought to myself, how can I make it even better? Well, as they say, everything is better with chocolate, so combine it with chocolate and turn it into magical sweet dreams, er, candy I did. Truly, this carrot cake candy bark is essentially an adult's Easter candy dream come true. I mean, trust me, I get it. Chocolate eggs, Cadbury eggs, jelly beans, those are exciting no matter how young or old you are. But sometimes you want to reward all your adulting with something a little more adult, say something that doesn't come in a brightly colored foil wrapper?! If that's the case, than this candy bark is perfect for you. It's all the flavors of carrot cake (plus actual carrot cake) and the results taste like, well, carrot cake. In other words, it's mind-blowingly awesome! Can you make requests to the Easter bunny like you do Santa? Because, if so, well, I'm pretty sure I know what we'll all be asking for in our Easter eggs this year!
I'd love to know, do you have a favorite Easter candy/treat?
INGREDIENTS
2 cups white chocolate chips (1 package)
1 cup butterscotch chips
1/3 cup toasted coconut flakes
1/3 cup walnuts chopped
1/3 cup golden raisins (you can also use regular raisins)
1/3 cup dried pineapple, chopped
1 cup carrot cake (without frosting), broken into crumbles
Nutmeg
Cinnamon
INSTRUCTIONS
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silpat mat. Set aside.
Over low heat, in a small pan, (or in a double boiler) melt the butterscotch chips, stirring constantly. Once they're completely melted, remove the pan from the heat and set aside.
Immediately, in a separate pan (or double boiler), set over low heat, melt the white chocolate, stirring constantly. Make sure you don't stop stirring and are very careful with the white chocolate as it can quickly burn and start lumping together.
As soon as it's melted, remove from the heat and immediately pour the chocolate onto the lined baking sheet. Use a spatula to spread the chocolate out evenly. Drizzle the butterscotch chocolate onto the white chocolate and use the spatula or a knife to swirl the two chocolates together.
Sprinkle evenly with the coconut flakes, walnuts, raisins and carrot cake crumbles and then finish with a dusting of nutmeg and cinnamon.
Use the back of a spatula to gently press the toppings into the chocolate. Place the pan in the freezer (for a shorter amount of time) or the fridge (for a longer amount of time) until the bark has hardened. The freezer should take about 30-60 minutes and the fridge should take about 90 minutes-2 hours, or you can let it set overnight.
Remove the pan from the fridge or freezer. Let it soften for about 10-15 minutes, then use a knife or your hands to gently break the bark apart.
Store the pieces in an airtight container in the refrigerator. When stored this way, it should last approximately 3 weeks.
NOTES
If you have an extra set of hands available (aka someone who can help you in the kitchen) I recommend enlisting their assistance in the melting of the chocolates. As both the butterscotch and white chocolate can be a bit finicky when they're melting, it makes it easier to have one person focused on each one.Plus, it's even better if you can melt both at the same time.
For the carrot cake, you can either buy a slice from a bakery and just scrape the frosting off, or, you can do what I did, which is to mix up a boxed cake mix, bake as directed and then just cut what is needed for the bark. We then ate the leftovers for breakfast, because, who can say no to cake for breakfast?!