Day 6 – Countdown to Christmas – Peppermint Bark

It wasn’t until I became an adult did I develop a true appreciation for Bark.  Bark – that wondrous marriage of chocolates, candies, flavored extracts, nuts, pretzels, etc…  It’s that one dessert, treat if you will, whose combinations seem endless. I could literally dedicate one entire category here just on Bark. Bark is one of those ‘tings that is super, SUPER simple to make, doesn’t require many ingredients but looks so elegant when made and is a fantastic gift to give!

If you’re like me every year before Christmas you buy a few boxes of candy canes to put out either in case someone wants to eat one or to decorate with.  Sure we’ll use some for baking but we never really use them all up.  At one point I found 4 boxes in the back of my one cupboard.  Hey I’m not proud but at least I found them!

Now with Peppermint bark we tend to only really make it during the holidays which doesn’t make sense as we all love that flavor yet we attribute it with Christmas and winter.  Why?  Perhaps it’s that minty coolness you get from the candy cane?  Hmmm… maybe.

For me though I make this year round because it’s one of my favorite barks to make.  Not only is it delicious but the contrast of chocolates with the pop of red really brightens up things.  It’s a pretty dessert AND you don’t have to have mad kitchen skills to make it. The hardest part is melting the chocolate so you don’t burn or seize it.

You get to take out your aggression by crushing the crap out of the candy canes .. fyi.. crush them AFTER you take them out of their wrapper.  Don’t ask me how I know *blush*  LOL

The beauty about making bark is your imagination is the limit.  There is no wrong way to go.  I’ve made it with fresh fruit, nuts, cereal, chips, bacon, caramel, chili spice (it’s amazing by the way) and pretty much whatever I’m in the mood for.

I have a ton of bark recipes to share so check back often.  I’ll have a bark section here on the site for easy look up as well.

So next time you’re clearing out your cupboards and find a box of candy canes, think Peppermint Bark!

Day 6 – Countdown to Christmas – Peppermint Bark

• Author: The Kitchen Whisperer

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Ingredients

• 3/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate, rough chopped
• 3/4 cup dark chocolate, rough chopped
• 1 pound white chocolate, rough chopped
• 1/2 tsp peppermint extract
• 3/4 cup crushed candy canes
• 1/4 cup Candy Cane Kissyface Dust

Instructions

1. Line a 15×10 jelly roll pan with foil extending it by 2” over the sides.
2. Spray with cooking spray.
3. Place the semi-sweet and dark chocolate in in double boiler over medium-low heat.
4. Pour evenly into the pan and smooth with offset spatula.
5. Put in the fridge until firm; ~1 hour.
6. Melt the white chocolate in a double boiler over medium-low heat until the chocolate is almost all melted.
7. Remove the white chocolate bowl from the heat and stir completely until melted.
8. Stir in the extract and kissyface dust mixing to combine.
9. Pour over the chocolate layer and spread quickly to cover.
10. Sprinkle with the crushed candy canes.
11. Chill until both layers are firm – 2 hours
12. Lift foil out of the pan and shake off excess candy.
13. Peel off foil from bottom of the bark.
14. Trim edges and cut into 2” squares or to keep it rustic just break into pieces.
15. Store in airtight container.

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