• DIA DE LOS MUERTOS BARK DE CHOCOLATE •

Dia de los Muertos celebrations have grown in popularity year after year.

 There are a ton of Dia de los Muertos festivals in the Los Angeles area; one of the largest is held annually at Olvera Street and it is a wonderful cultural and spiritual experience.

In honor of Dia del los Muertos and all that leftover Halloween candy we're sure many of you have sitting in your candy dish, here are a few versions of chocolate candy bark. If you've eaten one too many pieces of candy corn and are looking for something new to indulge in, then this is definitely a sweet solution for you.

So why chocolate bark and not pan de muerto? In all honesty, I still need to work on my bread making skills, however, I still wanted to mark this holiday since it is a significant celebration in the Mexican culture.  Although this is not a traditional Mexican recipe, there are things you can add to the chocolate in order to spice it up and give it a Mexican vibe, like pinch or two of cayenne pepper and some cinnamon.

Once your chocolate base is melted and flavored if you choose, top it off with some of your favorite leftover candy.

I used Reese's Pieces, Kit Kats and Reese's Peanut Butter Cups.  I also added in some pretzels { I love the salty/sweet combo } and some dried cranberries for a bit of tangy fruity goodness.

Get creative!  {FYI: For those of you in the LA/OC area...there is fantastic Dia De Los Muertos festival  in Santa Ana this Saturday, November 5th! }

I listened to some of favorite tunes with a Latin vibe in honor of the holiday:
1)  El baile y el salon - Cafe Tacuba
2) No Se Tu - Luis Miguel
3)  Deja - Sidestepper
4)  La Cumbia de Mole - Lila Downs
5)  Mentira Salome - Linda Ronstadt