You’ve spent the last couple months thinking about holiday parties and soirees even though it feels like Halloween was just yesterday! Whether you have potlucks, white elephant parties or family get-togethers, this dessert is sure to be a crowd pleaser, not only because it’s a holiday classic, but also because it’s made with healthy ingredients. That’s right, this peppermint bark is paleo, vegan, gluten free AND yummy. Go ahead — give your holiday traditions a healthy spin this year!
Ingredients
Image via Nataliya Vaitkevich/Pexels
— 1 cup dark chocolate chips
— 1/2 cup coconut oil, softened— 1/2 cup coconut butter, softened
— 1 Tablespoon pure maple syrup
— 1/2 teaspoon peppermint extract
— 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
— 2-3 candy canes (I used this brand because it doesn’t use artificial dyes)
Instructions
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1. Place chocolate chips in a double boiler and melt until the chocolate is a smooth consistency.
2. Pour melted chocolate into a pan lined with parchment paper.
3. Place pan in fridge to let chocolate solidify.
4. Mix together remaining ingredients until well blended.
5. Take pan out of fridge and spread coconut mixture over the chocolate.
6. Crush candy canes into small pieces and pour over top.
7. Put in fridge until bark is hard (about 20-30 minutes).
8. Remove from fridge and break into two-inch pieces.
9. Store in fridge to prevent slight melting of the top layer.
How to assemble
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Start by melting down your chocolate. You can use a double boiler or put a pot inside another pot that is filled with a couple inches of water. It’s important to use this method because chocolate will burn if it is on the heat source directly. Make sure to constantly mix the chocolate while it’s heating until fully melted.
Pour chocolate in a pan lined with parchment paper. I found my brownie pan was the perfect size. Put the pan in the fridge to let it cool down while working on the next layer.
Mix together the softened coconut oil and butter, maple syrup and peppermint and vanilla extracts. It should be a frosting-like texture.
Spread over hardened dark chocolate until you have an even layer.
Top your bark with crushed candy cane pieces and place in the fridge again to harden the top layer. This should take about 20-30 minutes. Then break bark into pieces and enjoy!
It’s almost too pretty to eat!
But not too pretty :) Easy to grab and munch on, this peppermint bark could be dangerous!
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