Peppermint Bark

This is a delightful winter holiday candy that’s easy to make. Since there are so few ingredients, it’s important to use quality chocolate. Chocolate chips and white chocolate morsels are fabulous in cookies, but are not ideal for melting into bark. Try using Ghirardelli, Guittard, or Baker’s brand bars of chocolate. Let the children help crush the candy canes and sprinkle them on the chocolate.

You Will Need:

12 ounces (339g) white chocolate, coarsely chopped and divided*
6 ounces (170g) semi-sweet or bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped*
1 and 1/2 teaspoons vegetable oil or coconut oil, divided
1/2 teaspoon peppermint extract, divided
2–3 regular-size candy canes (24–36g total), crushed

What to Do:

1. Line the bottom and sides of an 8-inch or P-inch baking pan with parchment paper or aluminum foil, smoothing out any wrinkles. Or use a lined baking sheet with ledges. Set aside.

2. Crush unwrapped candy canes in a sealed zipped-top bag and roll or bang with a rolling pin or meat mallet until crushed.

3. Place 6 ounces of white chocolate in a small heatproof bowl or a liquid measuring cup. Add 1/2 teaspoon of oil. Melt in 20-second increments in a microwave, stirring vigorously with a silicone spatula spatula or spoon after each increment, until completely melted and smooth. White chocolate and chocolate overheat easily, so it’s important to do this in increments.

4. Once melted, stir in 1/4 teaspoon peppermint extract. Pour melted white chocolate into the prepared baking pan, and, with an offset spatula or spoon, spread into a thin smooth layer.

5. Place semi-sweet chocolate in a small heatproof bowl or a liquid measuring cup. Add 1/2 teaspoon of oil. Repeat melting, just as you did with the white chocolate in step 2. Once melted, stir in remaining 1/4 teaspoon peppermint extract. Pour all of the semi-sweet chocolate over the white chocolate layer and spread it into a smooth layer.

6. Place the remaining white chocolate in a small heatproof bowl or a liquid measuring cup. Add last 1/2 teaspoon of oil. Repeat melting, just as you did with the other layers. Pour over the bark layers and spread into a smooth layer.

7. I used a butter knife to marbleize the white and dark chocolate by quickly dragging it through the chocolates.

8. Sprinkle top of chocolate evenly with crushed candy canes.

9. Refrigerate the bark until completely set, about 1 hour. Once hardened, remove from the pan and peel off the foil or parchment. Break or cut into pieces as large or as small as you want. If your bark chilled in the refrigerator for longer than 3–4 hours, let it sit at room temperature for 10–15 minutes to slightly soften before breaking/slicing.

References:

Recipe idea from