Guess what I whipped up today out of the blue? Some sweet, minty peppermint bark! Peppermint bark has always been one of my favorite holiday treats, and this is the first time I made it homemade! This recipe is so simple, even some of my not-super-into-baking followers can give it a try! And who can say no to this classic winter treat?

I know I can’t! So, to make a pan-full of this delicious peppermint bark, all you need is chocolate, peppermint extract, and candy canes. That’s it! I used Ghirardelli semisweet chocolate, white chocolate, and dark chocolate to make the layers, putting the dark, then white, then semisweet.

When that’s all done, I sprinkled the top of the bark with some crushed up candy canes! To easily break them up, I recommend putting two candy canes in a small plastic snack bag, and tapping them with the back of a metal spoon. That makes perfect little chunks, without breaking up the candy canes too finely.

As you can see in the picture above, there are three delicious, distinct layers of chocolate in this bark. To make these perfect layers, you have to freeze the chocolate after each addition to the pan, or else the chocolate layers will melt together, and you’ll have swirly bark, rather than layered. However, if you want a swirly look, go for it, and let me know how it turns out! I like the look of separate layers, though. 🙂

Also, in case you noticed the plate that I photographed the bark on, I have to explain it! I went to the pottery place in my town and painted a winter scene on the plate, planning to use it for a blog post! I painted a cute little polar bear, deer, and bunny – some cuddly winter animals, in addition to a holly border. Hope you like it! Painting is so much fun, right?

Anyway, please enjoy this sweet winter recipe – it’s not just for the holiday season, either! I know I’ll be making this all winter – because it’s so simple and easy to make, I doubt my house will ever be out of stock. Let me know how the recipe goes in the comments section below (click the pink plus sign to add a comment)!

xx

Juliet

Winter Peppermint Bark

Prep time: 1 hour

Cook time: 1 hour total of chilling in the freezer

Yield: One 4-by-8 inch loaf pan

Ingredients

• 1 bar of good quality dark chocolate (4 oz)
• 1 bar of good quality white chocolate (4 oz)
• 1 bar of good quality semisweet chocolate (4 oz)
• 3/4 teaspoon peppermint extract
• 2 candy canes (crushed for topping)

To make:

1. Using a double boiler or in thirty second spurts in the microwave, melt the dark chocolate bar until smooth. Make sure that whichever melting method you’re using, that you stir the chocolate every thirty or so seconds with a rubber spatula to prevent scorching and burning the chocolate. When it’s melted, stir in 1/4 teaspoon of peppermint.
2. After lining a 4-by-8 inch loaf pan with a smooth layer of tin foil, pour in the melted chocolate in an even layer, smoothing it into all of the corners with your spatula. Place the pan in your freezer for 20 minutes, or until hardened.
3. Repeat the first two steps with the layer of white chocolate and the layer of semisweet chocolate.
4. Before putting the final layer in the freezer, sprinkle the top of the pan evenly with crushed candy cane pieces. I place the unwrapped candy canes in a small plastic bag, and use the back of a spoon to tap them until they’re crushed. Then, put the pan in the freezer for 20 minutes.
5. To finish, pop the tin foil out of the pan, and remove the foil from the chocolate. It should stay fresh at room temperature for up to two months! Enjoy!