My daughter has been perfecting her homemade peppermint bark recipe for the past three years and she kindly agreed to let me share it with you. These are the ingredients she used this year (I only show one bag of each chocolate but this recipe requires two of each). Most bulk chocolates work well also.
2 bags (12-oz each) of semi-sweet chocolate chips (Whole Foods 365 Organic)
2 bags (12-oz each)of white chocolate chunks (Whole Foods 365)
2 teaspoons peppermint extract
1 cup crushed candy canes (use individually-wrapped candy canes)
Spray oil (Pam)
1. Cover a cookie sheet with aluminum foil and spray with oil. The cookie sheet must have a lip all around.
2. Slowly melt the semi-sweet chocolate chips in a double boiler, stirring frequently. Remove from heat right before the last little bit of chocolate is melted. It will finish melting on its own, do not overcook.
3. Add 1 teaspoon of peppermint extract to the melted chocolate.
4. Pour the melted dark chocolate, while it is still hot, onto the prepared cookie sheet and spread evenly with a spatula.
5. Place in refrigerator until it is completely cooled, about 20 minutes.
6. Now is a good time to crush the candy canes between two sheets of wax paper.
Update: To avoid a spectacular spray of red and white, leave candy canes in their wrappers during crushing.
It takes self-control and finesse to get just the right granularity:
7. Slowly melt the white chocolate chunks in a double boiler, stirring frequently. Remove from heat right before the last little bit of chocolate is melted.
9. Pour the melted white chocolate, while it is still hot, over the completely cooled dark chocolate and spread evenly with a spatula.
10. While the white chocolate is still soft, sprinkle the crushed peppermint on top of the white chocolate and gently push them into the chocolate.
11. Place in refrigerator until it is completely cooled, about 20 minutes.
12. Break into large hunks using a butter knife.
13. Best if served cold.
Here is the text of the recipe:
Peppermint Bark
2 bags (12-oz each) of semi-sweet chocolate chips (Whole Foods 365 Organic)
2 bags (12-oz each)of white chocolate chunks (Whole Foods 365)
2 teaspoons peppermint extract
1 cup crushed candy canes (use individually-wrapped candy canes)
Spray oil (Pam)
1. Cover a cookie sheet with aluminum foil and spray with oil. The cookie sheet must have a lip all around.
2. Slowly melt the semi-sweet chocolate chips in a double boiler, stirring frequently. Remove from heat right before the last little bit of chocolate is melted. It will finish melting on its own, do not overcook.
3. Add 1 teaspoon of peppermint extract to the melted chocolate.
4. Pour the melted dark chocolate, while it is still hot, onto the prepared cookie sheet and spread evenly with a spatula.
5. Place in refrigerator until it is completely cooled, about 20 minutes.
6. Crush the candy canes in their individual wrappers and between two sheets of wax paper.
7. Slowly melt the white chocolate chunks in a double boiler, stirring frequently. Remove from heat right before the last little bit of chocolate is melted.
8. Add 1 teaspoon of peppermint extract to the melted chocolate.
9. Pour the melted white chocolate, while it is still hot, over the cooled dark chocolate and spread evenly with a spatula.
10. While the white chocolate is still soft, sprinkle the crushed peppermint on top of the white chocolate and gently push them into the chocolate.
11. Place in refrigerator until it is completely cooled, about 20 minutes.
12. Break into large hunks using a butter knife.
13. Best if served cold.
Bon Appetit! Smakelijk eten!
20 comments:
I think I saw my name on one of those bags, no ?
It looks wonderful. I don't have a teenage boy, but it occurs to me that the peppermint crushing is also well-suited to a harangued public servant. I predict smiles ahead for me when I make this. Thanks for sharing it.
Yes yes yes and yes. Today is our last day of work, then two weeks off. We had already talked about cooking and baking, and now I know the first recipe. I've always loved this stuff, but I never looked it up (and it isn't in American Cook in Turkey, in case you're wondering). Thank you, and how thoughtful of you to repeat the whole text of the recipe.
The photo of your home (?) looks lovely.
Thanks for the yummy recipe - I think I tasted something similar on my last christmas party -without the dank chocolate and the candy canes. If I have time, I'm going to experiment with this recipe! Thanks for sharing!
Bytheway, do you speak Dutch?
Oh, this is extremely fun...peeking at your lovely table setting...
the extremely clean stove! my dog, how could it be that clean? and the lovely pot that the chocolate is melting in. And my favorite photo, banging to death those bits of candy cane!
I love your care and attention to your daughter's holiday ceremony...
thank you...
Yummm! The bags with candy look so festive. Oh course there is some for each of us? Thanks for the recipe.
we are fans of almond bark, with white chocolate. yum.
You had me at the word “chocolate” in your recipe. I think that to celebrate Christmas without chocolate should be forbidden – “interdit”. Thank your daughter for this yummy recipe.
Dear beth,
Oh dear, I'm afraid they are all spoken for by the vultures out here.
Dear Nancy,
In some ways, our teenage boy felt like a harangued public servant too :) I'm smiling thinking about your smiles.
Dear Ruth,
Enjoy making this delicious recipe. Bulk chocolate works very well also.
Yes, it is my home, but you should have seen all the clutter I had to move off the table for the photo.
Thank you for your kind words.
Dear jeannette stgermain,
This recipe is a lot of fun to experiment with; of course the quality of chocolate makes all the difference in the world. How great would it be to make this with Verkade chocolade?
I do speak some Dutch, but it is quite fractured. You can read about it here:
http://godutchbaby.blogspot.com/2009/02/interview-with-relyn.html
Dear mellissashook,
I showed my daughter your comment and we both eyed each other with guilty looks. Let's just say that we are grateful you didn't look closely and that stove top was mostly in shadow.
We three laughed at the photo of the menacing mallet. I'm glad you enjoyed it too. It actually took some finesse and self-control to not smash them all to smithereens.
Dear Marilyn,
Thank you. The ribbons came from Costco, my favorite source for ribbons. Oh dear, I'm afraid I don't have any left.
Dear Vagabonde,
I love that! I can see the triangular traffic sign now: Pas de Chocolat - Interdit!
I forgot to tell you that around here Whole Foods is called Whole Paycheck....
happy holidays...
Dear mellissashook,
Yup, it's called Whole Paycheck here too. I hated to call out an elite brand but my daughter had some bad luck with some other brands and I wanted to be sure to give a specific brand that was available nation-wide.
BTW, I deleted your duplicate comments. I'm sorry you had trouble posting your comment.
Thank you for your comment on my blog. I corrected my Dutch greeting. Thanks again and Zalig Kerstfeest to you!
Lieve Vagabonde,
Zalig Kerstmis!
These look so tempting!
Dear paris parfait,
I bet this recipe would be great with some wonderful European chocolate.
Yum!!! I was just thinking yesterday of a family whose three children I taught. Every year for several years I got the most delicious peppermint bark. YUM!!
Oooh, that looks really good! But I probably would want to keep it all for myself and give any away! lol
Dear Relyn,
What a nice family! How lucky they are to have had you as a teacher for all three children!
Dear Susan,
I know exactly what you mean. We deemed some of our early batches "not good enough to give" :-D
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