Comments on: Whiskey, Caramel, Marshmallow and Bacon Bark

By: Peter

Peter — Tue, 21 May 2013 12:01:14 +0000

This recipe looks great however I think the marshmellow bit looks a bit gooey to work with and a bit fiddly but In saying that I am going to give it a try cause it looks super yummy.

By: Meg

Meg — Mon, 06 May 2013 15:52:04 +0000

Hello!

I made this bark for my Derby party on Saturday and although it was quite tasty, my marshmallow layer did not turn out well. Do you have any tips to make a marshmallow layer that won’t chip teeth? I’m not quite sure what happened and since everything else about this recipe was marvelously scrumptious, I’d really like to give it another go sometime. Thanks in advance!

~Meg

By: KSH

KSH — Fri, 03 May 2013 20:42:32 +0000

Ok, so I am not a fan of people who completely alter the recipe and then post it – but I am going to be that person. My version is the LAZY/EASY version – just to make people’s life easier. I think one of the keys in the original (which I am sure the original recipe works perfectly well too!) is knowing how to make candy and let’s face it – not all of us are journeyman candy makers. Thank you to the blogger for creating this in the first place!!! Mmmmm.

[u]EASY/LAZY Bacon Whiskey Bark:[/u]

Bacon:
- 16 oz bacon, cut into small pieces (although 8 oz is enough – maybe save some for yourself!)
- 2T sugar
- 1/4t pepper
- sprinkle of cayenne pepper

1. Cook bacon till crispy. Remove from heat and drain. Place back in pan and sprinkle with sugar and peppers. Stir. Place on paper towel. Set aside.

- 12oz – 16 oz semi sweet chocolate (I used choc chips)
- 1 T butter

2. Melt 1/2 of the choc chips with 1/2T butter in a double boiler or use a microwave method. Pour into parchment lined 9×13″ pan. Smooth. Place in freezer while doing the next step.

- 4 c mini marshmallows
- 3T spiced whiskey

3. Place marshmallows AND whiskey in medium pot and heat over low. Heat until thick but runny, stirring frequently. (I think the biggest difference here was adding the whiskey at the end after the marshmallows were already melted – adding before incorporates the whiskey and then you control how melty you want the mixture to be.)

4. Remove chocolate layer from freezer and pour melted marshmallow mixture over chocolate. Place back in freezer.

- 6T butter
- 6T brown sugar

5. Place butter and brown sugar into a small pan/pot. Stir constantly over medium low heat till incorporated and bubbly. Continue to heat until the caramel reaches soft ball stage. I don’t have a candy thermometer BUT no worries! I have used the cold water test for years and it has never failed me. (http://www.tasteofhome.com/Recipes/Holiday—Celebration-Recipes/Christmas-Recipes/How-to-Make-Candy). 5-7 mins.

6. Remove marshmallow/chocolate layer from freezer and pour caramel over the top. Place back in freezer until next step is done.

7. Melt remaining chocolate and pour over caramel layer. Sprinkle with bacon. Place in freezer till ready to cut. Follow cutting instructions above.

Hope this helps!! Good luck all!

By: JJO

JJO — Tue, 19 Mar 2013 03:37:02 +0000

This was great! Everyone loved it. The only thing I would do differently is a larger pan. 8×8 the bark was a little thicker that I would have liked. My first time making caramel and it was perfect. The marshmallow was a challenge but as it cooled it tightened up. I’ll be making this one again for sure.

By: Libby

Libby — Mon, 18 Feb 2013 19:35:21 +0000

I made this as a special treat for a whiskey-loving boyfriend, and it was a huge hit! Time-intensive, to be sure, but the end product is fantastic. I didn’t have any problems with runny caramel or marshmallow layers, but I also served it chilled versus letting it come to room temperature. Next time, I would also make the bottom chocolate layer slightly bigger to keep the marshmallows better contained. Thanks for a great recipe!

By: Ashley Linde

Ashley Linde — Fri, 25 Jan 2013 14:39:46 +0000

Do you think these would me okay to make and then ship to a friend in another state? Im worried they may be a melted mess by the time they arrive.

By: Angie

Angie — Mon, 14 Jan 2013 03:12:34 +0000

What an AMAZING combo of flavor!!! I love sweet and salty. So here is what I learned. Much thanks to all the comments. Chocolate..good. Marshmellow..used the fluff, put it in a mixer with a splash of whiskey (not cooked so alcohol is there)…Yum. Carmel..I used the squares, added 2 Tbs. of whipping cream over low heat and it melted to a desired consistancy. Layered a little spiced bacon , Layered with more chocolate and topped with rest of the bacon. I took a few short cuts but it turned out great. Thanks so much for this idea!! Making it for an elder meeting at our church. Hopefully the whiskey will help them all relax

By: ambrosia

ambrosia — Thu, 27 Dec 2012 22:54:42 +0000

I cannot even form words right now, my mouth is watering too much and my brain is on overload. These look amazing. I will be trying them, probably for my NYE party.

By: Sally

Sally — Thu, 13 Dec 2012 06:51:18 +0000

I am currently waiting for my caramel layer to freeze but so far I’m loving what I see and I can’t wait to try the finished product. I went super semi-homemade on it too buy using already made bacon crumbles you can get in packages for things like salads and potatoes and just followed the rest of the directions listed for the bacon and it turned out delicious. For the caramel sauce I got the caramel cubes and mixed a whole 14oz package with 1 cup of heavy cream and melted that all down and used just enough to cover the marshmallow layer. I also sprinkled just a little bit of salt on top of the caramel to enhance the flavor like someone had suggested. For the marshmallow layer I went ahead and added 4 tbsp of whiskey at the beginning when I put the 4 cups of marshmallows in hoping I wouldn’t get the soupy effect that everyone else seemed to get but I failed so I just added the rest of the marshmallows from the bag, let them mellow for just a little bit but let the extras keep their shape and then poured the marshmallow mixture in the pan and freezing it helped the marshmallow to set and not be a soup anymore. Hope this helped!

By: ingrid

ingrid — Thu, 15 Nov 2012 03:45:41 +0000

I haven’t made these yet, but here’s my plan:

I want to use the Wilton Peppermint Bark Kit (and some other sundry metal cookie cutters i have laying around) but not the candy chips that comes with it) and enclose the marshmallow and caramel layers in the chocolate – so they won’t actually be layered bark, i guess, but more of a candy bar.

I know my cooking skills, and since i’m planning to enclose the messier parts anyway, plan to totally cheat and use caramel ice cream topping and add the whiskey at the start, the same way you add butter to marshmallows when making rice crispy treats.

I was thinking instead of the simple syrup, would melted butter and brown sugar work for the bacon crumble? I think enough of the butter would bake off in the oven that it wouldn’t be too greasy and fall out of the top chocolate layer.

I’ll come back and let you know how it turns out.