This is good stuff. It’s so easy to make (it’s really just melting, pouring and spreading), but very impressive to look at; if you can actually bring yourself to give any away, your recipients will be sufficiently wowed. Plus now that Christmas is over, I’m guessing that you probably have candy canes lying around (at least the ones hanging on the tree above child-finger height), so why not make some of this divine double-chocolate peppermint bark?
Truth be told, I’m not much of a white chocolate person, seeing as how it’s not actually really chocolate, but it works in this iteration. Next time I make this, though, I think I’m going to reverse the layers, so there are two layers of dark chocolate and one middle layer of white. That’s more my speed. Either way you do it, you’ll end up with chocolatey, creamy, crunchy, minty deliciousness. And there’s nothing wrong with that.
Oh, and if you still have left over candy canes, try these. One of my all-time favorites.
We had a lovely Christmas at home and will be doing more of the same for New Year’s with a few friends coming over to ring in 2012. I’m starting to mull over my resolutions for the new year…I like to ruminate over the course of the days leading up to January 1st and try to come up with things I’ll really attempt to do and are also actually worth the effort to attempt to accomplish. I may even write some down this year.
What about you? Any particular resolving going on in your house — besides making this peppermint bark, of course?
Here’s to the end of a wonderful year and the beginning of another new and exciting one. The happiest of happy new years to you and yours. Cheers!
Peppermint Bark
17 oz. white chocolate, such as Callebaut, finely chopped (make sure cocoa butter is listed in the ingredients)
2-3 candy canes or 20-25 peppermint candies, coarsely crushed
7 ounces dark chocolate (I used 70%), finely chopped
6 tablespoon heavy cream
1/2 teaspoon peppermint extract
Flip a large sheet pan upside down and cover with aluminum foil. Measure out and mark a 9- by 12-inch rectangle on the foil (I used a mechanical pencil keeping the lead inside).
Put the white chocolate in a metal (or other heatproof) bowl, and set it over a saucepan of barely simmering water (don’t let the bottom of the bowl touch the water.) Melt the chocolate until smooth, stirring occasionally. Remove from the heat and pour 2/3 cup of the melted chocolate onto the marked rectangle on the foil. Using an icing spatula, spread the chocolate to fill the rectangle. Sprinkle with 1/8-1/4 cup of the crushed peppermints (a little goes a long way, so I used more like 1/8 cup). Chill until set, about 15 minutes.
Meanwhile, combine the dark chocolate, cream, and peppermint extract in a heavy medium saucepan. Warm over medium-low heat, stirring frequently, until the mixture is just melted and smooth. Cool for about 5 minutes.
Get your cooled baking sheet from the fridge and pour the dark chocolate over the white chocolate, spreading the chocolate to completely cover the white rectangle (make sure your spatula is clean unless you want the marbled look!). Chill until very cold and firm, about 25 minutes.
Rewarm the remaining white chocolate, then pour that over the dark chocolate and spread to cover completely. Sprinkle more peppermint candy over the top and chill again till firm, about 20 minutes more.
Carefully lift the foil from the baking sheet onto a large cutting board. Trim the uneven edges and eat immediately. Cut the bark crosswise into 2″ strips. Using metal spatula, slip the bark off of the foil and onto the cutting board. Cut each strip crosswise into 4 sections, and then cut each section diagonally into 2 triangles. Or just cut it however you like.
Put in an airtight container with sheets of wax paper between the layers o prevent them from sticking to each other. Store in the refrigerator (preferably in the back where your husband won’t find it).
