Ring In The Holidays With Our DIY Peppermint Bark
It isn’t December without a box of peppermint bark on your desk, at your holiday party, on your kitchen counter, and maybe even in your car. Unfortunately, store-bought versions can set you back a pretty penny, so we set out to recreate our favorite minty treat at home. The end result is an intensely rich, layered bark that packs a serious peppermint punch. Queue up those Lifetime holiday movies and grab your sweatpants, because our recipe also happens to be one of the easiest around.
Peppermint Bark
(Serves 8-10)
Recipe Notes: White chocolate can seize up or get lumpy and grainy if overheated. To avoid this, remove your bowl of chocolate from the heat source every so often and continue stirring — the residual heat may be enough to melt it completely. In this recipe, we use an easy tempering shortcut to help give the bark snap. If you skip it and melt all of your chocolate at one time, your bark will be more crumbly in texture.
Ingredients
Ingredients:
- 1 pound dark chocolate, roughly chopped
- 2 teaspoons peppermint extract, divided
- 12 ounces white chocolate, roughly chopped
- 4 candy canes, crushed into small pieces
Directions
1. Make the dark chocolate layer. Place 2/3 of the dark chocolate in a heat-proof bowl.
2. Fill a small saucepan with an inch of water and bring to a boil. Reduce to a gentle simmer and place bowl of dark chocolate on top, making sure the bottom of the bowl does not touch the water. Stir frequently until the chocolate is completely melted.
3. Remove from heat and add the rest of the chocolate a few pieces at a time, stirring until fully melted after each addition.
4. If the chocolate gets too cold to melt the rest, place it over the hot water again for just a minute to rewarm it. Do not rush this step. When all the chocolate has been melted, stir in 1 teaspoon of the peppermint extract.5. Use a small offset spatula to spread the chocolate into an even layer in a quarter sheet pan (9×13) lined with parchment paper. Set aside to cool (you can also pop into the refrigerator to speed the cooling).
6. Make the white chocolate layer. Repeat step 1, this time using the white chocolate.
7. When the dark chocolate layer is almost set, spread the white chocolate evenly on top.
8. Sprinkle the crushed peppermint on top and lightly press into the white chocolate.
How to store
When the chocolate bark has completely cooled, break or slice into pieces. Store at room temperature in an airtight container for up to one week.
Find more holiday recipes by following Brit + Co on Pinterest.
(Recipe and photos via Jessica Smith Wall/Brit + Co)
