Chocolate-Peppermint Bark {9th 12 Days Recipe}

 

There are a lot of different ways to make a chocolate bark ~ with nuts, with fruit, with pretzels, with just about everything but the kitchen sink.  For Christmastime, though, nothing beats a bark that combines dark chocolate and peppermint.  The great thing about a bark is that it's supposed to look rustic and imperfect, so it's really hard to mess up.  It also comes together in a snap ~ you could throw it together a few hours before you need it without a problem.  And my version requires only three ingredients!

 White baking morsels, semi-sweet chocolate morsels, and candy canes ~ that's it!

Stir in crushed candy canes

 Spread mixture on a wax-paper-lined cookie sheet ~ it may not spread the full length of the pan

 Cover set white/peppermint layer with melted chocolate

 When bark is completely set, break into pieces and package or serve

Bean's Chocolate-Peppermint Bark

Ingredients

1 12-ounce bag semi-sweet chocolate chips

1 12-ounce bag white baking morsels

3 candy canes, crushed

Line a small cookie sheet with wax paper and set aside.

In a double boiler over a low to medium-low flame, melt white baking morsels, stirring frequently.  {Tip:  you don't need more than an inch or so of water in the bottom pan of the double boiler.  Water shouldn't touch the top pan or bubble over the sides}.  When morsels are melted and smooth, stir in 2 crushed candy canes.  

Immediately spread mixture across prepared cookie sheet.  It may not spread all the way to the edges.  Spread to your desired thickness in a rectangular shape and place sheet in the freezer for 20-25 minutes to set.

Clean and thoroughly dry top pan of double-boiler ~ any water inside the pan can cause the chocolate to "seize" up and become impossible to work with.  

Once pan is clean and dry and the white/peppermint layer is just about set, melt the semi-sweet chocolate in the double-boiler.  When melted and smooth, drop dollops of chocolate across the surface of solid white/peppermint layer and quickly smooth it out of the edges.  Immediately sprinkle remaining crushed candy cane across the surface and place back in the freezer for another 20-25 minutes to set.

When bark is completely hardened, remove from freezer.  Break into pieces and package or set out to serve.

xoxo
Bean