PEPPERMINT BARK

Peppermint Bark is a delicious treat and so easy to make. The classic flavor combination of chocolate and peppermint is always a favorite and easy to change up too.

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 5

Chilling/setting time 20

Total Time 35

Servings Yield: 1 cookie sheet of approximately ¼ inch bark

Calories 92kcal

Author Toni Dash

Equipment

Hammer or meat pounder
Plastic zip bag
Kitchen towel

Ingredients

2 12-ounce bags high quality dark chocolate chips or 1 bag dark chocolate chips and 1 bag semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 bag Starlight Peppermints I purchased a 7 ounce bag and did not use them all; if using candy canes, use one box

Instructions

Line a rimmed cookie sheet (with sides; not completely flat) or similar sized pan with heavy foil. Set aside.
Unwrap peppermint candies. Place them inside a plastic zip bag or inside a folded piece of waxed paper or paper bag with room to take more space once broken down. Cover the bag or paper with a kitchen towel to buffer the hammering.
Pound the candies until they break apart leaving manageable bite-sized pieces. Set aside.
In the top of a double boiler or in a metal heat-proof bowl set over a saucepan of boiling water, melt the chocolate over medium heat stirring frequently until fully melted. Alternatively if you have a ‘melt’ function on your microwave you may melt the chocolate that way as well.
Remove chocolate from heat and carefully pour into prepared pan. Using a spatula spread chocolate to evenly cover bottom of the pan.
Sprinkle the top of the chocolate with the crushed peppermints, pushing the larger pieces into the chocolate to secure them better. Place the pan into the refrigerator and chill until hard; about 30-40 minutes.
Remove pan from refrigerator. Remove the foil with the bark from the pan onto a hard surface. Manually break apart into bite size pieces. Store in the refrigerator.
Variations:
White and Darker Chocolate Layered Peppermint Bark: Add a layer of melted white chocolate on the bottom of the pan. Chill until hard. Add a second layer of milk, semi sweet or dark chocolate and peppermints on top of that and chill until completely hardened.
Flavored Chocolate Bark: Select a flavored chocolate bar to melt for the bark instead of standard chocolate chips. I love Chocolove bars for their quality and of course being local. Select a flavor you would enjoy with peppermint and give it a go.
Mix the peppermint into the chocolate instead of putting it on top only.

Nutrition