This has got to be the easiest, most delicious, and forgiving candy I have ever made. No boiling, no candy thermometer, no pouring a hot mixture in a hot heavy pan into another pan.

Just melt some good quality chocolate chips, stir in some espresso powder, vanilla extract, and assorted nuts. Then scoop the whole shebang into a pan. Sprinkle lightly with fleur de sel and refrigerate for a short time, then cut into desired sized pieces. Final product doesn’t even need to be refrigerated. Totally easy to prepare and even easier to eat.

So if you need a quick and easy candy to give as a gift to your neighbors, kid’s teacher, dog walker, butcher, baker, or candlestick maker, this is the recipe for you. And let’s be honest here. If you or someone in your family is a chocolate nut candy bar fanatic, this is the way to go from an economic standpoint. This recipe makes a lot of candy bark. Make a batch, cut it into reasonably sized pieces and store in your freezer. Then anytime you, or one of your family members requires a chocolate nut candy bar fix, you need only visit your local freezer rather than running to your local grocery store.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all.  

3 c. (18 oz.) semi-sweet chocolate chips (I use Guittard chocolate chips that I find at Bartell’s Drug Store or Ghirardelli)

2 c. (12 oz.) milk chocolate chips (Ghirardelli or Guittard here too)

rounded ¼ tsp. espresso powder (I use Medaglia D’Oro Instant Espresso Coffee)

1 tsp. vanilla extract

3 c. toasted, roughly chopped mixed nuts (almonds, hazelnuts, walnuts, pecans, macadamia nuts, etc. – any combination – salted or unsalted)

fleur de sel or course sea salt

Line a 10×16-inch rimmed baking pan with foil. (Take care to avoid wrinkles.) Spray very lightly with PAM.

Melt the semi-sweet and milk chocolate chips in your microwave. Remove from microwave and quickly stir in the espresso powder and vanilla. Stir in the nuts and scrape the mixture into the prepared pan.

Level the top with an offset spatula. Lightly sprinkle with fleur de sel. Place the pan on a wire rack in your refrigerator for about 15 minutes. Remove from refrigerator and transfer the bark and foil to a cutting board. Remove the candy from the foil. Using a long, heavy, sharp knife, cut the bark into desired sized pieces. Store in an airtight container at room temperature, or in your refrigerator or freezer.