A guilty snack - chocolate barks

I don't know if this really counts as cooking, but I made two different kinds of barks, and I was so happy to eat them I thought I would share.

For the pretzel bark - In a double boiler melt down 12 ounces of dark chocolate (maybe Scharffenberger bittersweet 70% cacao . . .?) until it is smooth and creamy (but not burnt). In a sheet pan lined with parchment paper pour out the melted chocolate and spread it around evenly with a spatula. Crumble 1 cup of thin salted pretzels and sprinkle them across the chocolate. For the final step sprinkle with 1 1/2 teaspoons sea salt. Refrigerate for 3 hours. Once hardened, break the bark into pieces and devour.
For the peanut butter bark - melt 16 ounces of milk chocolate in a double boiler. Pour the chocolate in another lined sheet pan. Spread evenly. Warm 1 1/2 cups of peanut butter in the double boiler. Pour the peanut butter in with the chocolate. Swirl a knife through the peanut butter to make it all pretty. Place the bark in the fridge for some hours. Check to make sure it is set and then put the point of a knife into it to break it into pieces.

Chocolate Frustration Cake

This weekend I had a lovely lazy Sunday. My favorite time to cook is on a grey day when I have loads of lazy time and can leisurely meander my way through a dish. So this last Sunday provided me with the perfect cooking opportunity but I couldn't decide what I wanted to make. I was going to do a main course or a soup, but then I just wasn't in the mood. Next, I decided I would make this pie that I have been wanting to make for a while, but after I looked at the recipe (a small novel), I ditched that option. Then, I found an easy pie that sounded great, but it called for pecans. I didn't have any and I had JUST come from the market. Frustration was mounting and I decided to regroup. So, I sat back and thought about what I was in the mood for - I decided upon a chocolaty cake with crunchy chocolate chips laced throughout it and thus, a cake was born.


I found a recipe of Nigella Lawson's that seemed good, but it involved making a chocolate syrup that I decided from the outset I wasn't going to do. I went ahead and started to assemble my ingredients, only to realize that I didn't have cocoa powder, which led me to my version of Chocolate Frustration cake.



To begin, combine a heaping 1 1/2 cups flour, 1 1/4 cups granulated sugar, 1 1/2 sticks butter (softened), 2 eggs, 1/3 cup sour cream, 1 tsp vanilla extract, 1/2 tsp baking soda, a dash of salt, AND swirl in 1/2 - 2/3 cup chocolate syrup (mmmm). Stir in 1/3 cup boiling water. Finally, fold in 1 1/2 cups chocolate chips.

Pour the batter into one large, well-greased loaf pan. Lick bowl clean. Pop your cake into a 325 degree oven for 45 minutes to an hour. I enjoyed my loaf with a large glass of milk.