Avalanche Bark
Last Friday, our Chief Culinary Consultant and we decided to take a little afternoon field trip and drove to the outlets an hour north of where we live. Upon arriving, we headed straight for the food court in do-not-pass-GO style, and grabbed hot pretzels for sustenance before starting our shopping. As we left the food court, we immediately ran into the Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory. As soon as we saw the caramel apples in the window, we realized that it was the same chocolate shop we visited in Toronto, which was inspiration for our from-scratch caramel apples. Since we had just eaten pretzels, we decided to hit up the chocolate store on our way out so we’d have some goodies to enjoy on the car ride home. A few hours and many shopping bags later, we found ourselves back there, staring at the cases of chocolate treats, trying to decide what we wanted. In the end, we settled on a buckeye caramel apple (mmm peanut butter, caramel and chocolate!), a chocolate-covered graham cracker, and our Chief Culinary Consultant eyed the avalanche bark in the case, so we got two pieces of that. Turns out, avalanche bark is quite possibly a standby thing, ever.
The avalanche bark from Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory tasted like part fudge, part Rice Krispies treat, and part chocolate bark. By the time the second piece had vanished, our Chief Culinary Consultant asked if we could recreate them. Like, immediately. Luckily, Rice Krispies treats and chocolate bark are among the easiest and quickest chocolate goods to whip up, so this didn’t take long at all. You can play around with the ratios of white chocolate and peanut butter, based on how much you like one or the other. You can also make it more or less crispy by altering the Rice Krispies, and more or less “chewy” by increasing or decreasing the amount of marshmallows. Any way you make them, you are going to LOVE them!
These were the reliable end to a wonderful impromptu shopping trip, and our guess is they would be a fabulous addition to any day of the week, no matter what you’re doing.
One year ago: Cranberry Upside-Down Cake
Two years ago: Red Velvet Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting
Three years ago: Parmesan Black Pepper Biscotti
Avalanche Bark
Yield: 9 bars A recreation of the popular Avalanche Bark from Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory.- 12 ounces (340.2 g) white chocolate, finely chopped
- ½ cup (129 g) peanut butter
- 1½ cups (42 g) Rice Krispies
- 1½ cups (112.5 g) miniature marshmallows
- ½ cup (90 g) miniature chocolate chips
- Line an 8-inch square pan with parchment paper; set aside. Place the miniature chocolate chips on a plate and place in the freezer until ready to use.
- Combine the white chocolate and peanut butter in a mixing bowl and microwave on 50% power in 30-second increments, stirring after each, until completely melted.
- Remove from microwave and stir in Rice Krispies. Let the mixture sit and cool until it reaches room temperature, stirring occasionally, about 10 to 20 minutes.
- Gently stir in the miniature marshmallows, then the miniature chocolate chips.
- Turn the mixture into the prepared pan and press into an even layer. Refrigerate until set, about 15 minutes.
- Remove from the pan and cut into squares. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.
Notes
Nutritional values are based on one serving
- Yield: 9 bars
- Prep: 15 minutes
- Total: 30 minutes
Ingredients
- 12 ounces ( 340.2 g ) white chocolate, finely chopped
- ½ cup ( 129 g ) peanut butter
- 1½ cups ( 42 g ) Rice Krispies
- 1½ cups ( 112.5 g ) miniature marshmallows
- ½ cup ( 90 g ) miniature chocolate chips
Method
- Line an 8-inch square pan with parchment paper; set aside. Place the miniature chocolate chips on a plate and place in the freezer until ready to use.
- Combine the white chocolate and peanut butter in a mixing bowl and microwave on 50% power in 30-second increments, stirring after each, until completely melted.
- Remove from microwave and stir in Rice Krispies. Let the mixture sit and cool until it reaches room temperature, stirring occasionally, about 10 to 20 minutes.
- Gently stir in the miniature marshmallows, then the miniature chocolate chips.
- Turn the mixture into the prepared pan and press into an even layer. Refrigerate until set, about 15 minutes.
- Remove from the pan and cut into squares. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.
