Sometimes it takes just a few simple ingredients to win my heart. That’s what fellow Southerner Ben Mims recently did. And he did it with candy.
Truth is, I’m generally not the sort of person who makes candy at home. It can be a bit fussy and time-consuming and I don’t find the process nearly as satisfying as landing a slab of something meaty over an open fire. But I’m still a sucker for a good sweet, and as I paged through Mims’ recent cookbook, “Sweet and Southern: Traditional Southern Desserts,” I was smitten with one of his simplest recipes.
It was his Aunt Barbara Jane’s pretzel-peanut chocolate candies. Crunchy, salty and sweet, these chocolates are similar to bark, but easier. You simply mix everything together, then spoon it onto waxed paper to set up.
Of course, I’m never happy to just let things be. My mind was immediately racing with ideas for riffing on this. Such a simple and versatile recipe could be taken in so many directions. I made Mims’ pretzel-peanut-semi-sweet chocolate version, but I also did cashew-coconut-chopped dried mango and dried cherry-toasted almonds-chopped candied ginger versions.
They were all delicious! And what a perfect idea for Valentine’s Day. Even the kids could do this.
Looking for other combinations? Mix whatever intrigues you; just stick to the proportions in the recipe and you should be fine. Or try these combinations:
The chocolate candy clusters recipe below readily adapts to your tastes. Just stick with the proportions set out and you can mix in whatever you like. But a good rule of thumb is to offer a contrast of textures and flavors — crunchy and soft, salty and sweet, etc. It also helps if the mix-ins are roughly the same size. Pretzels or chips should be broken into smaller pieces, while larger dried fruits such as apricots should be chopped. And if you like, the chocolates can be sprinkled with nonpareils before they set up.
CHOCOLATE CANDY CLUSTERS
Start to finish: 30 minutes
Makes 40 clusters
10-ounce bag bittersweet chocolate
3 cups mix-ins (see ideas above)
Line a baking sheet with kitchen parchment.
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