Delicious Homemade Peppermint Bark

If you’re looking for an easy and delicious Christmas treat, look no further than peppermint bark! This recipe is simple to follow and always a hit with friends and family.

Plus, it’s the perfect way to use up any extra candy canes you may have lying around. So get creative and add this sweet treat to your holiday baking list!

How To Make Peppermint Bark Recipe:

Start by chopping your white chocolate into smaller pieces. I always just buy the blocks of chocolate, but if you would rather, you can use chocolate chips. Just make sure they are actual chocolate.

Often, they are the chocolate compound that doesn’t contain cocoa butter.

You don’t notice it in small amounts, but make sure you get the real thing for this recipe. Once the chocolate is in smaller pieces, transfer it into a heatproof bowl.

You can either melt it in the microwave or over a double boiler. Make sure to do it slowly so the chocolate doesn’t burn.

If you’re melting it over a double boiler, heat a small amount of water in a saucepan.

Once it is boiling, place the bowl of chocolate over the top, making sure the bottom of the bowl doesn’t touch the water.

Immediately turn the heat off. The heat trapped in the bowl is more than enough to melt the chocolate.

While the chocolate is beginning to melt, we can prepare the tin.

Cover it in a layer of foil, so once the peppermint bark has completely set, you can easily just pull it out.

Alternatively, you can just pour the chocolate onto a baking sheet topped with baking paper. I won’t be as uniform, but it will still work great.

Stir the chocolate around to make sure it’s melting evenly. When it is completely smooth, add a couple of teaspoons of flavorless oil, like canola.

Stay away from olive oil, as its flavor is too strong.
The oil makes the chocolate glossy and thins it out, so when it comes time for cutting or breaking it up, it’s a lot easier.

Stir the oil in until it’s well combined with the chocolate. Make three layers of chocolate, two white and one of dark, so use two-thirds of the chocolate now and leave the last third for the top.

Either pour it into the prepared tin or use a spoon or ladle.

Pick the tin up and tip it around until the chocolate has coated the base.

Shake it side to side to ensure it is even, and place it into the fridge to harden up.

While it is set up, we can get started on the dark chocolate. Cut it up into smaller pieces. This helps it melt a lot easier, and place all the chocolate into a bowl.

Using the same saucepan as before, make sure the water is boiling. Place the bowl of chocolate over the top and turn the heat off.

While waiting for the dark chocolate to melt, Squish some candy canes.

Make sure they are all unwrapped and place them into a plastic bag. This part is great stress relief.

Either use a rolling pin or something heavy with a flat base like a frying pan to begin to smash up the candy canes.

They should start to break up into smaller pieces. A variety of sizes is great, some bigger and smaller pieces.

Pour the crushed candy canes out into a bowl.

Once the dark chocolate is fully melted, pour in a teaspoon of oil and mix.

I’ve used less oil for the dark chocolate as I’m not using as much chocolate.

The white chocolate in the tin should have hardened by now, so pour in the dark over the top and tip around to ensure the white chocolate is completely coated.

Place back into the fridge to set.

The white chocolate from earlier should still be melted, but if it has begun to harden, just place it back over the hot water for a few minutes.

Pour it over the set dark chocolate, turning the tin to ensure it is evenly covered.

While the white chocolate is still melted, take handfuls of the crushed candy canes and sprinkle them over the chocolate.

It should sink in, so it will stay in place when the white chocolate has set.

Place the peppermint bark into the fridge for at least 15 minutes to ensure all the chocolate is completely set. When the peppermint bark has set, lift the foil and remove it from the tin.

Place the bark on a chopping board and either break it into smaller pieces or use a hot knife to cut it.

It’s quite rich, so don’t make the pieces too big.

If you want to give it as a gift, wrap it up in cellophane and tie a bow at the top.

The peppermint bark will last in the fridge for a few weeks.

How do I melt chocolate?

To melt chocolate, you need to use a double boiler or use a microwave oven at specific power settings for melting chocolate.

Microwave:

Simply place a small amount of chocolate in the microwave and allow it to melt at room temperature for a few minutes. It’s best to do this with a glass bowl to keep an eye on it as the chocolate melts.

Be careful not to overheat your chocolate, or it will begin to burn instead of melt.

Once the chocolate has melted, remove it from the microwave.

Stovetop:

You can also use a double boiler to melt unsweetened chocolate over a gentle heat, but try not to let it boil.

The choice of how hot you want your chocolate is up to you. The most common approach is to start with low heat and work your way up.

When the chocolate begins to thicken (about five minutes), remove the pan from the heat and stir quickly until smooth.

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