HOT FOR YOU CHOCOLATE
We cooked up a storm and we ate it all, and then we were at the sweet end.
Which was hot.
I think we all know that I love spicy, and so spicy chocolate it is. This is great when you want to bake/make something, but you don’t feel like really working so hard. It is an excellent use for half empty bags of chocolate chips laying in the back of your pantry. Don’t feel like making it spicy, then go sweet and add some dried cranberries or other dried fruit instead.
1 cup sugar
1 cup walnuts.
1 cup semi sweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup bittersweet chocolate chips
flaky sea salt
alleppo chili peppers to taste – or any dry chili
Start by melting the sugar in a heavy bottom skillet.
Please make sure the pan is totally dry before adding the sugar.
Turn on the burner to medium high heat and step away.
Do not stir the sugar, or shake the pan.
Just step away until the sugar begins to melt around the edges, then you can gently shake the melting sugar or stir with a DRY fork, even a drop of liquid will cause the sugar to crystalize, however, you want to prevent the edges of the sugar from burning before the center becomes melted. Once the sugar is melted into a caramel toss in your walnuts until coated, and pour out onto a heat proof surface. Once cool, and please don’t touch until totally cool, cause caramel is seriously hot and if you play with fire you will get burned. So once the caramel walnuts are totally cooled, chop them fine.
Over a double boiler, or kick it old skool, by adding a metal bowl over a pan of simmering water, add 1 cup (or more) of semi sweet chocolate chips. Once melted, start adding the bittersweet chocolate chips to taste. You want your chocolate to not be too sweet, maybe this is 50/50 or 70/30, this is your chocolate, so you decide when it is just right for you.
Then stir in half of the walnuts, and pour the mixture onto a buttered sheet pan, and spread as thin as possible, then sprinkle the rest of the walnuts, sea salt and chili peppers to taste over it.
Chill and break into chunks to eat.
Photo and Food Styling by Mimi Newman