Peppermint Bark and I got to be fast friends when I worked at the Williams-Sonoma store at Carousel Center in Syracuse two Christmases ago.
Every day, we’d pull out a tin or two of the bark, break it into smaller pieces and share samples with customers coming into the store. When no one was looking, we’d pop a piece in our mouths and savor the minty, melt-in-your-mouth, chocolate-y goodness.
Grow tired of it? If only. One co-worker amassed a pile of bark bits from the bottom of the tins and took them home to serve over ice cream. Waste not.
This year, inspired by seasonal favorite homemade peppermint candy canes from Hercules Candy Co. in East Syracuse and a small bottle of peppermint oil, I decided to try my hand at Peppermint Bark at home.
It’s easy to make, utterly delicious and turned out to be a well-received gift.
Got leftover candy canes? Here’s a way to use them up.
You will need:
16 ounces semisweet or bittersweet chocolate, chopped
12 ounces white chocolate, chopped
½ teaspoon peppermint oil
3 ounces crushed candy canes (or peppermint swirl hard candies)
Place a sheet of wax paper or parchment paper on a baking sheet.
Melt dark chocolate over low heat in a double boiler or in a pan set over hot water until it just melts. Stir in peppermint oil. Spread chocolate on paper-lined sheet into an oval or rectangle about 8 inches by 11 inches. Allow the chocolate to set at room temperature then move it to the refrigerator for about an hour.
Follow the same procedure to melt the white chocolate. When white chocolate is melted, mix in about half of the crushed candy canes. Using a spatula and working quickly, gently spread the white chocolate over the dark chocolate. Sprinkle remaining crushed candy canes on top, pressing it in gently using the back of a spatula or soup spoon.
Refrigerate the bark until hardened, then break it into chunks (I did this using a paring knife, inserting the knife into the chocolate and whacking the knife handle lightly with a small hammer to break the chocolate into odd-size pieces). The recipe makes enough for five or six small gift packages.
Note: This recipe was made using Ghirardelli semisweet and white chocolate bars.
