Easy Peppermint Bark

Ingredients:

• 12 ounces semi-sweet chocolate chips or chopped semi-sweet chocolate
• 16 ounces white chocolate chips or chopped white chocolate (preferably made from cocoa butter and not palm oil)
• 1/2 teaspoon peppermint extract or 2 to 3 drops of peppermint oil
• 3/4 cup crushed candy canes or crushed peppermint candies

Directions:

1. Place peppermint candy canes or candies in a resealable bag and then use a meat mallet or rolling pin to break it into small pieces.
2. Line a 9″x 13″ rectangle baking sheet with a silicone baking mat or parchment paper.
3. Place the semi-sweet chocolate in a heatproof bowl. Set the bowl over a saucepan with a few inches of simmering water over low heat (do not let the bottom of the bowl touch the water). Gently melt the chocolate on top of a double boiler over the barely simmering water, stirring frequently and scraping down the sides with a rubber spatula to avoid scorching until melted.
4. Spread the chocolate on a piece of parchment paper. Place the chocolate in the fridge for 10 minutes to partially set. Do NOT go past 10 minutes in the refrigerator. The chocolate should be set around the edges but partially melted in the middle. If you let this layer harden completely, the white chocolate may not stick to it.
5. Place the white chocolate in a heatproof bowl. Set the bowl over a saucepan with a few inches of simmering water over low heat (do not let the bottom of the bowl touch the water). Gently melt the white chocolate, stirring occasionally, until only a few lumps remain, about 3 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir until completely smooth. Stir in the peppermint oil or extract.
6. Spread the white chocolate over the semisweet chocolate layer. Smooth it into an even layer with an offset spatula. Sprinkle with the crushed candy. Let it harden in the refrigerator for 1 to 2 hours.
7. Once the bark has completely hardened, remove it from the fridge and let it sit at room temperature for about 20 minutes. Either use a straight-edge chef’s knife to cut the bark into pieces by cutting straight down through the layers of the bark or break it into pieces. Serve and enjoy.

TIPS:

White chocolate bars are slightly higher quality and less sweet than white chocolate chips, but you can use either here.

Peppermint bark layers may separate if you have tried layering white chocolate made with palm oil over dark chocolate made with cocoa butter. The palm oil can prevent the two layers from sticking together.

Be sure to let the bark chill until it’s completely set. It can also come apart if you try to break it before the layers are firm and bonded together. The final tip is to let your finished bark return to room temperature before you break it up. I find that cutting it with a knife produces the best results regarding the layers staying together.