Peppermint Bark
Courtesy of Delish
The ultimate Christmas treat.
Peppermint bark is a candy we cannot wait to get our hands on every holiday season. Luckily for you, you can make a batch in 10 minutes flat.
What is peppermint bark?
It’s a holiday treat made of two types of chocolate—either semisweet or dark and white—and chopped candy canes. Williams-Sonoma is basically famous for theirs at this point. And for good reason: It’s delicious. But peppermint bark is so easy to make that once you do it, you can’t totally justify paying for it.
Do I need to use the peppermint extract?
Yes! This is what makes the chocolate taste so minty!
How do I melt chocolate?
You have a couple options for this:
- Microwave: Place the chocolate chips or baking pieces in a large heatproof bowl and microwave on low in increments of 30 seconds. Remove the bowl from the microwave and stir between each increment. We’re using a lot of chocolate chips here so you’ll want to keep stirring to make sure the ones on the bottom get melted, not burnt.
- Stovetop: The easiest way to melt this many chocolate chips is using a double boiler on the stovetop. Double boiler sounds fancy, but it’s not. It just means you place a glass bowl on top of some simmering water so that the steam melts the chocolate. You just want to avoid getting water in the bowl—the chocolate will seize!
How long does peppermint bark take to set?
Once you pour over the melted chocolates onto a parchment-lined baking sheet and sprinkle the bark with candy canes, you just need to refrigerate the bark for 20 minutes, or until it’s firm. If you’re in a real rush, you can pop it in the freezer for 10 minutes. Once the bark has completely set, for a more rustic look, break it apart with your hands. If it is too thick to break with your hands, the flat side of a meat mallet should do the trick. For cleaner cuts (hello gift basket!) use a sharp knife that has been dipped in hot water and dried.
Ingredient variations
Try using chocolate peppermint candy canes. Swap peppermint extract for almond, and add chopped toasted almonds to the top. For a slightly salty variation, check out this hot cocoa pretzel bark.
INGREDIENTS
12 oz. semisweet chocolate, chopped
12 oz. white chocolate, chopped
1/2 tsp. peppermint extract
8 candy canes, crushed
DIRECTIONS
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Fill the bottom of a large pot with 3” water and bring to simmer over medium heat. Reduce heat to low, then place a large heatproof bowl on top. Add semi-sweet chocolate and stir occasionally until chocolate has melted. Stir in extract. Pour into prepared baking sheet and spread into an even layer with an offset spatula. Refrigerate until set, about 20 minutes.
- Over the same pot of barely simmering water, place another large heatproof bowl. Add white chocolate and stir until melted. Pour over set semi-sweet chocolate then top immediately with candy canes. Refrigerate until set, about 20 minutes.
