Peppermint Bark **Explored**
December 06, 2015
"The essential conditions of everything you do must be choice, love, passion." - Nadia Boulanger
-----
Panicking for an easy recipe for a last minute Christmas party? This is the one for you. Making bark is incredibly simple and always a favourite with guests (or unsuspecting neighbours who walk by).
I took the lazy way out and melted the chocolate in a microwave rather than pulling out my double boiler, but hey lazy works sometimes.
Need the recipe? Here you go:
Ingredients
- 12 ounces of white chocolate, broken into pieces and divided in two
- 6 ounces of semi-sweet or dark chocolate broken into pieces
(yes, you can use chocolate chips, but that effects the taste and melting consistency, I'd recommend using a higher end brand, I used Baker's)
- 1/4 (x2) teaspoons of peppermint extract
- 3 candy canes, crushed (you could get away with one or two if you don't have three hanging off your tree)
Directions
1. Line an 8 inch square baking pan with parchment paper or aluminium foil, smoothing out any wrinkles. (Honestly, this is the most difficult part of the entire recipe)
2. Melt the first batch of white chocolate. *Note* if you're using the microwave, do so in 15 second bursts. Microwave for 15 seconds, stir with a rubber spatula after each burst of heat. Continue until chocolate is completely melted.
3. Remove from microwave and mix in 1/4 teaspoon of peppermint extract.
4. Pour melted chocolate into the baking pan and spread into a thin layer.
5. Place in the fridge or freezer for 15-20 minutes to harden the chocolate. *Note* You do not want to pour the next layer while the first layer is still warm, the colours of chocolate will blend together and you'll end up with either a diluted brown or swirls.
6. Melt the semi-sweet or dark chocolate in the same manner as you did for the white chocolate.
7. Mix in 1/4 teaspoon of peppermint extract.
8. Pour melted chocolate into the baking pan and spread into a thin layer.
9. Place in fridge or freezer for 15-20 minutes.
10. Melt the other 6 ounces of white chocolate in the same way as you have before.
11. Spread melted chocolate into a final layer in the baking pan.
12. Sprinkle with crushed candy canes. (I put the candy canes into a ziplock baggie and crushed them with a rolling pin, but this was very loud so I wouldn't recommend doing this at 2 in the morning if you have neighbours nearby. I've also heard people use a food processor to simplify the process, so you could try that. Me, I like to save on dishes.)
13. Refrigerate until completely hardened then break into pieces or cut into squares. If you're going to cut the pieces, let the bark sit at room temperature for 10-15 minutes to soften slightly.
You can freeze this if you're preparing ahead of time, or can be kept in the fridge for about three weeks.
Anyway, hope everyone has had a good day.
Click "L" for a larger view.
Peppermint Bark **Explored**
December 06, 2015
"The essential conditions of everything you do must be choice, love, passion." - Nadia Boulanger
-----
Panicking for an easy recipe for a last minute Christmas party? This is the one for you. Making bark is incredibly simple and always a favourite with guests (or unsuspecting neighbours who walk by).
I took the lazy way out and melted the chocolate in a microwave rather than pulling out my double boiler, but hey lazy works sometimes.
Need the recipe? Here you go:
Ingredients
- 12 ounces of white chocolate, broken into pieces and divided in two
- 6 ounces of semi-sweet or dark chocolate broken into pieces
(yes, you can use chocolate chips, but that effects the taste and melting consistency, I'd recommend using a higher end brand, I used Baker's)
- 1/4 (x2) teaspoons of peppermint extract
- 3 candy canes, crushed (you could get away with one or two if you don't have three hanging off your tree)
Directions
1. Line an 8 inch square baking pan with parchment paper or aluminium foil, smoothing out any wrinkles. (Honestly, this is the most difficult part of the entire recipe)
2. Melt the first batch of white chocolate. *Note* if you're using the microwave, do so in 15 second bursts. Microwave for 15 seconds, stir with a rubber spatula after each burst of heat. Continue until chocolate is completely melted.
3. Remove from microwave and mix in 1/4 teaspoon of peppermint extract.
4. Pour melted chocolate into the baking pan and spread into a thin layer.
5. Place in the fridge or freezer for 15-20 minutes to harden the chocolate. *Note* You do not want to pour the next layer while the first layer is still warm, the colours of chocolate will blend together and you'll end up with either a diluted brown or swirls.
6. Melt the semi-sweet or dark chocolate in the same manner as you did for the white chocolate.
7. Mix in 1/4 teaspoon of peppermint extract.
8. Pour melted chocolate into the baking pan and spread into a thin layer.
9. Place in fridge or freezer for 15-20 minutes.
10. Melt the other 6 ounces of white chocolate in the same way as you have before.
11. Spread melted chocolate into a final layer in the baking pan.
12. Sprinkle with crushed candy canes. (I put the candy canes into a ziplock baggie and crushed them with a rolling pin, but this was very loud so I wouldn't recommend doing this at 2 in the morning if you have neighbours nearby. I've also heard people use a food processor to simplify the process, so you could try that. Me, I like to save on dishes.)
13. Refrigerate until completely hardened then break into pieces or cut into squares. If you're going to cut the pieces, let the bark sit at room temperature for 10-15 minutes to soften slightly.
You can freeze this if you're preparing ahead of time, or can be kept in the fridge for about three weeks.
Anyway, hope everyone has had a good day.
Click "L" for a larger view.