Peppermint Bark

[aliantha]

This stuff is ridiculously cheap and easy to make, and beats the $18.50/lb. stuff from Williams-Sonoma. I give it as a Christmas gift every year; one guy told me it was so good, I should sell it.

Anyway, here you go:

Equal parts white and semi-sweet chocolate (the kind that comes in blocks)
Peppermint flavoring
Candy canes or starlight mints

Line a cookie sheet with aluminum foil. Melt the semi-sweet chocolate in the microwave, mix in some peppermint flavoring, and spread in the pan. Allow to cool.

While you're waiting, crush the candy canes or starlight mints.

Melt the white chocolate in the microwave and spread over the semi-sweet chocolate. While the white chocolate is still soft, sprinkle the crushed candy on top. Allow to harden. Break into pieces (or let folks hack off their own hunk).

Notes: If you're fortunate enough to have a Trader Joe's nearby, they sell Ghiradelli's chocolate in blocks. I get about 6/10 of a pound of each kind of chocolate -- that's enough to do a medium-sized cookie sheet. (Actually, I do two batches every year, one for gifts and one for us. One box of candy canes yields enough to top the double batch.) The worst part of the whole process is spreading the white chocolate without melting the dark, which gives you a marble effect. Doesn't affect the taste but it's not as pretty if you're giving it away.

[Menolly]

Oh yum...

Thanks aliantha!!

[sgt.null]

thanks for the recipe aliantha!

[aliantha]

You're welcome!

I meant to mention that crushing the candy gives you a socially acceptable way to work off some holiday stress, too.

[Menolly]

heheheheheh

Stress? What stress?

*snort*

[aliantha]

Exactly!

[Menolly]

[Wyldewode]

I made my peppermint bark this year by melting white chocolate in a double boiler. While most of it was melting, I microwaved about 1/4 of the white chocolate with a few drops of peppermint candy flavoring, and a goodly amount of red food coloring. Once the main batch was melted, I spread it on a cookie sheet, then dropped the colored/flavored white chocolate over the top, and swirled through it with a skewer to make it look pretty. Once that was done, I sprinkled Andes peppermint baking bits over the top and pressed them in lightly. It was so good--just the right combo of chocolate to peppermint. When it was cool, I packed it into cellophane bags and gave it as Christmas presents to my 15 co-workers in my application.

[aliantha]

Mmmmmm....

[Prebe]

Execllent recipe Aliantha! Are the candy canes those with red stripes?

The worst part of the whole process is spreading the white chocolate without melting the dark, which gives you a marble effect.

I guess you could stick the dark cokolate in the freezer for 15 minutes before pouring the white.

[aliantha]

Execllent recipe Aliantha! Are the candy canes those with red stripes?

The worst part of the whole process is spreading the white chocolate without melting the dark, which gives you a marble effect.

I guess you could stick the dark cokolate in the freezer for 15 minutes before pouring the white.

Never thought of that! (Duh, ali.... ) I'll have to try that next year.

I've used both traditional red/white striped candy canes, and the red/green/white variety. Last year -- maybe two years ago -- I found a pattern online for a knitted dishcloth in a spiral pattern. I made those in red/green/white cotton yarn -- they looked kind of like peppermint candies. And then I designed a red/green/white diagonal striped plastic canvas cover for bottles of peppermint-scented hand soap. Boxed up a bottle of the hand soap; a dishcloth; a store-bought, Christmas red kitchen towel; and some of the peppermint bark topped with the red/green/white candy canes. Very theme-y. Folks liked it, I think, tho my mom wanted to know why I sent her hand soap ("I've *got* soap!" Yeah, you're welcome, Mom ).

[Wyldewode]

Aww. . . sounds lovely, Ali! And as far as that goes, it has become tradition for me to give my Mom lemon kitchen soap from Bath And Body Works, and my Dad a bottle of his favorite Cornhusker's lotion every Christmas. If they didn't get them I know they'd wonder why not!