Let me start by saying that this right here is prize-winning bark. Entered in the very prestigious About.com holiday bake-off, this recipe bested a cutthroat field of four to make it to the top.
The recipe, from About.com’s Candy site, is very easy in theory, layering white chocolate on top of a layer of dark chocolate and topped with peppermint bark. Somehow, in my infinite ability to mess up the easiest recipes because of immense pressure to “get it right,” for the second consecutive night, I managed to ruin my treats.
In yet another entry of the “first kitchen chronicles,” I had to use metal bowls to double boil, rather than the heat-proof Pyrex I’m accustomed to. Naturally, we don’t have any oven mitts, so I was forced to use a kitchen towel to hold the bowl as I spooned the chocolate out onto the cookie sheet. And of course, while the  dark chocolate layer went smoothly, I dropped the bowl into the white chocolate layer because the bowl was too hot.
A few burned fingers and one very er, marbled slab of peppermint bark later, I tried to evenly sprinkle the peppermint, and instead ended up with great unequal swaths of red-and-white glitter. Thankfully, once broken into pieces, there were a few pretty-enough pieces for judging purposes — just enough to fool everyone into believing that sometimes I am a semi-competent baker/dessert-maker. (That rhymes, and may be my new official title. Get ready for the business cards.)
Note: These are great candidates for packing into tins and shipping, in case you’re a better person than I am and make lovely homemade gifts for your friends.
Peppermint Bark
Recipe from About.com’s Candy site
– 12 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped, or chocolate chips
– 12 ounces white chocolate, chopped, or white chocolate chips
– 8 peppermint candy canes
1) Unwrap the candy canes and place them in a large Ziploc and close. Use a rolling pin to roll/smash the candy canes until they in small pieces. Cover a cookie sheet with smooth aluminum foil or wax paper.
2) Melt the dark chocolate using a double boiler, then pour the chocolate onto the cookie sheet and use a spatula to spread it to an even thickness. Refrigerate the chocolate until it is hardened.
3) Meanwhile, melt the white chocolate in a second double boiler. Stir in most of the candy cane bits, reserving about a quarter of the candy cane pieces for the topping.
4) Take the tray out of the refrigerator and spread the white chocolate in an even layer over the dark chocolate. Sprinkle the remaining candy cane pieces over the entire surface evenly, and press down slightly. Refrigerate the tray of peppermint bark until it sets, at least 30 minutes.
5) Once the chocolate hardens completely, break it into small pieces with your hands.
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