holiday sweets party

This past weekend, I attended Jenn's annual Holiday Baking Party. As always, there was good company, yummy drinks, and waaaay too many goodies to take home. (My coworkers are cursing me for ruining their diets.) I was a bad blogger and didn't get any pictures of the party other than my loot at home. Check out Jenn's post for a recap.

(Please, pretend I have a nice camera and this shot is focused in the foreground and blurry in the back. Thank you.)

I made chocolate bark for the party after being inspired by Lauren of Pamplemousse and Melanie of You are My Fave. I had never made it before and was amazed at how easy it is. All you do is melt chocolate (I made a mix of dark and semi-sweet) in a double boiler or microwave. Then spread a thin layer on parchment paper on a cookie sheet. Sprinkler with your favorite toppings and pop in the freezer for an hour. Once it is chilled, you can break it into pieces or cut with a sharp knife. You can go crazy with toppings (like Island Coconut Lime Bark) but here are the varieties I tried:

Peppermint - crushed candy canes and white chocolate 

Pretzels with white chocolate (FYI, white chocolate does not like the microwave. I would suggest a double boiler.)

S'Mores - crushed graham cracker and mini marshmallows

Fruit and Nut - store bought mix of seeds, nuts, and dried fruit

As always, thanks for being a great host, Jenn. How about a New Year's Resolution Detox Party? Raw veggies and water after running a few miles? I think I need it after this sugar overload :)