Halloween Bone Bark

This Halloween I’ve found myself making several things shaped like bones or skulls… I’ve done meatloaf skulls, decorated brownies to look like graveyards with hands coming out of the graves and now, chocolate candy with skulls and bones floating in them!  What kid wouldn’t like bones floating in their candy?  Ok, maybe not. This Halloween Bone Bark does goes together very easily though and ranks right up there in the “That’s so cool!” category.

I used a Wilton Candy Mold (HWN Bones) and Wilton’s Bright White Candy Melts to make the skeleton parts.

The best way to fill the molds, is to use a disposable piping bag and microwave the candy melts inside the bag. It takes approx 28 white discs to fill this mold – yes, I counted! Just follow the directions on the Candy Melts bag to melt the candy.  Massage the piping bag to smooth out the candy before using it.  Cut a tiny bit off the end of the piping bag and using gentle pressure, fill each section until the candy comes just to the top.  After each section is filled, lightly tap the mold on a hard surface (like your kitchen counter or a cutting board) so any bubbles that might be in the mold will rise to the top.  Refrigerate for 30 minutes or so, until the candy has hardened.  Turn the mold over and pop out the pieces by lightly flexing the tray. I’ve used this mold many times and never had a problem with the candy sticking.

Now you’ve got yourself a sweet pile of bones and you’re ready to decorate!

This recipe calls for 3 cups of bittersweet chocolate chips.  I used Valrhona, because that’s what I had in my pantry.  Feel free to use Ghirardelli, Hershey’s or your favorite chocolate chips. Melt the chocolate over a double boiler or even in the microwave, stirring until completely melted and smooth.

Pour the melted chocolate onto a half sheet cookie pan lined with parchment paper.  Using an offset spatula, smooth the chocolate into an even layer across the pan. Set the candy bones into the melted chocolate in random places.  Add additional pieces of candy as you see fit.  I used candy corn, a variety of M&M’s (both plain and peanut!) and some candy sprinkles.  Nuts or dried fruits would work well too!  Use your imagination and make it fun!

Place the candy in the fridge for at least an hour, or until it hardens completely.

When it’s ready, remove it from the pan and cut into assorted shapes!  Depending on the thickness of the chocolate, you might need to use a heavy chef knife to cut through the candy.  Be careful!

Serve them on a fun plate or a cool napkin and let your little goblins eat them up!