When it comes to candy making, a great place to start is with bark. The technique for making bark is simple: you melt chocolate, spread on a baking sheet, throw on the toppings, refrigerate until cold, then break into pieces.

Use whatever kind of chocolate (milk, white, dark) and toppings (nuts, dried fruit, candy) you feel like. When selecting toppings, choose an assortment of flavors and textures: chewy, crunchy, sweet, salty — this will result in a delicious bark where each bite is filled with layers of goodies.

To celebrate Halloween, I made black and orange bark with a mixture of dark and milk chocolate, dried apricots, pretzels, and candy corn. It's a great after-dinner treat, or packaged in a pretty cellophane bag makes a fun edible gift. To learn the easy and adaptable method to making bark, keep reading.