Ingredients:
For the bark:
20 ounces Hershey’s milk chocolate bars, broken into small bit size pieces
For the witches hats:
8 Oreo cookies
8 ice cream waffle sugar cones, cut into 3 inch height, plus 1 extra full size ice cream cone as a holder for brushing
4 ounces black candy melting wafers (about 2/3 cup)
1/2 teaspoon neutral tasting vegetable oil
For the brooms:
8 mini pretzel sticks
8 Haribo Sour Streamers (gummi candy, assorted colors), cut into 2 inch length belts
For the witches faces:
8 ounces of green candy melting wafers (about 1 1/4 cups)
1 teaspoon neutral tasting vegetable oil
16 candy eyeballs
Adds for the bark:
8 mini candy pumpkins
2 teaspoons Halloween candy sprinkles
Directions:
1. For the bark: Using a medium microwave safe bowl. Microwave the 20 ounces of Hershey chocolate for 30 second intervals, stirring in between until melted. Place a silicone baking sheet mat (16 1/2 by 11 1/2 inch) or parchment paper on a flat counter top. Pour the chocolate out in the center. Use a flat rubber spatula to spread out the chocolate into a 15 by 10 inch rectangle.
2. For the witches hats: Using a large sheet of parchment paper on a flat counter top, place the Oreo cookies and the full size ice cream cone, standing point side up toward the ceiling (this is only going to be used as a holder to help brush candy on the smaller 3 inch ice cream cone witches hats).
3. Using a small microwave safe bowl. Microwave the black candy wafers for 30 second intervals, stirring in between until melted. Stir in the 1/2 teaspoon of vegetable oil. Let cool for 2 minutes. Stack one 3 inch ice cream cone on top of the extra full size cone (see picture below recipe). Using a culinary brush. Brush the 3 inch cone with the black candy. Generously brush the top of one Oreo cookie with black candy. Pick up the 3 inch cone by it’s point, brush the bottom, place on top of the Oreo cookie and gently press into place. Rebrush black candy to cover the point of the cone if needed. Repeat for the remaining witches hats. Pick up the hats by the Oreo cookie part and place the hats on the Hershey chocolate rectangle. Three hats near the top, two hats in the middle and three hats near the bottom. See the main picture for the general idea.
4. For the brooms: Using scissors, make thin vertical cuts along the 2 inch length of one of the sour streamers candy leaving about 1/4 inch uncut at the top (see photo below recipe). Wrap the uncut 1/4 inch part around the end of a pretzel stick and pinch some of the candy together to hold in place. Spread out the cut pieces of the candy so that it resembles a broom. Repeat, making 8 brooms and set aside for later.
5. For the witches face: Using a medium microwave safe size bowl. Microwave the green candy wafers for 30 second intervals, stirring in between until melted. Stir in the 1 teaspoon of vegetable oil and let cool for 3 minutes. Add about 2 tablespoons of the green candy below and around each of the Oreo cookie witches hats. Use the back of the tablespoon to gentle spread the candy out. See main picture for the general idea. Place 2 candy eyeballs per face.
6. Set the witches brooms (pinched side down) and the mini candy pumpkins near each of the witches hats. Scatter the Halloween candy sprinkles over the Hershey chocolate part of the rectangle. Let cool for at least 2 hours or overnight.
Notes and hints: Use a serrated knife to cut the ice cream cones in a gentle sawing like motion. If you find the cone breaking into pieces, wrap the cone in a wet paper towel and microwave for 5 to 8 seconds to help soften the cone up.
So why the added vegetable oil for the black and green melting chocolate? Heating chocolate tends to dry it out, so the added vegetable oil keeps it from becoming hard. If not added, the candy could develop a white sheen look to it. Adding oil will keep it smoother and make it look shinier and less of a chance to look cracked.
The Hershey’s milk chocolate really doesn’t need the addition of vegetable oil, due to it’s high cocoa butter content.
