Chocolate for Valentine’s Day: Heavenly Hash Bars
One billion Valentine’s cards sent each year. $13 billion spent on Valentine’s Day gifts. $1 billion worth of Valentine chocolates purchased (and no doubt happily consumed). Valentine’s Day is one hot (chocolate) holiday, eh?With Valentine’s Day just a week away, I’ve been afflicted with a severe case of sucralosis, a.k.a. Candy on the Brain. Those chalky pink and green pastel message hearts, red-foil-wrapped “I Love You” chocolates, and Valentine versions of everything from Milky Ways to Almond Joys line the aisles of the local CVS.Selective shopper that I am, though, I look for one particular combo, one that’s not that easy to find: dark chocolate and marshmallow. Cadbury eggs, with their creamy-drippy centers, come close; but I’m really after dark chocolate and real marshmallow. Or even better, dark chocolate, marshmallow, and pecans.Back in December, I blogged on a candy I’d made combining these three elements, and called it rocky road. Since then, I realized it’s not rocky road I lust after: it’s heavenly hash, the classic marshmallow-chocolate-pecan combo.So, off to the test kitchen to come up with the perfect marriage of those three elements. And here’s what I found: 30 ounces of dark chocolate (5 cups chopped or chips) melted in 10 ounces (1 1/4 cups) of heavy cream, combined with a 10.5-ounce bag of mini marshmallows and 8 ounces (2 cups) of chopped, toasted pecans, poured into a parchment-lined 9” x 13” pan, yields a wonderfully rich, creamy-textured heavenly hash. Attention: Print this page, clip this recipe, and store it somewhere handy. I guarantee you’ll use it over and over again.Empowered by my easy victory, I decided to take it a step further: how about making this rich candy into a cookie? With visions of Mallomars and Moon Pies dancing in my head, I baked a simple shortbread crust, topped it with chocolate, sprinkled with marshmallows and pecans, and bingo! Another recipe is born. Just in time for Valentine’s Day, I bring you Heavenly Hash Bars.
First, line a 9″ x 13″ pan with parchment, and grease the parchment. You can simply grease the pan, but parchment makes it easier to get the bars out without crumbling.
This shortbread crust is as simple as butter, sugar, and flour. First, beat together the butter and sugar (and salt and vanilla) till smooth. This isn’t smooth enough; keep beating…
…till it looks like this.
Next, add the flour.
The mixture will seem very dry. Don’t despair; keep beating, until finally…
…it comes together and looks like this: a stiff, smooth dough.
Drop the dough in chunksinto the prepared pan.
Press it down with your fingers to cover most of the bottom of the pan.
Then smooth it down as best you can. A pastry roller works really well here. Or cover the dough with plastic wrap (to prevent sticking), and press it flat with the bottom of a measuring cup.
Prick the dough all over with a fork.
Bake the crust till it’s golden brown. And there you have it: a simple shortbread. Only we’re going to gussy it up with chocolate and nuts and marshmallows.
As the crust cools a bit, make the topping. Combine chocolate chips (or chopped chocolate) and heavy cream in a microwave-safe bowl.
Heat till the cream is very hot, and starts to steam and form bubbles (though it shouldn’t boil).
Remove from the microwave, and stir. It’ll seem impossibly soupy at first. Just keep stirring, and you’ll see the chocolate beginning to come together.
Keep stirring…
…and eventually the chocolate and cream will be smoothly incorporated with one another.
Pour the chocolate atop the crust…
…and spread it to the edges with a spatula.
Sprinkle with mini marshmallows. This is really easy, huh?
Sprinkle with nuts…
…and cut into squares while still a bit warm. Your knife or bench knife may drag a bit; it helps to rinse it off in hot water every few cuts. Serve to your sweetheart and/or favorite lover!
Tags: Bars, Chocolate, Valentine's
