Peppermint Bark and Cookbook Winners — Yes 2 Winners!

Thank you to everyone who entered to win this cookbook.  I am so pleased to be wrapping it up to send to Terri Conner.  Terri is a regular follower through Facebook and often shares her comments!  Congratulations Terri!

But wait … there’s more!

It’s Christmas and I just couldn’t resist sending this 2012 Southern Living Christmas book to a second winner this week!  The second name on the list is JULIA!  Julia is a Tuesdays With Dorie baker and I am thrilled she stopped by my blog this week and entered the giveaway.  Congrats Julia.

Thank you to everyone who entered to win the cookbooks given away this month. I love receiving your comments, emails and notes. Please keep them coming!

I am getting close to finishing up Christmas treats and cooking.  Looking around at my stash of ingredients I have 24 ounces of chocolate bark, a goodly amount of semi-sweet chocolate chips and slightly less of the white almond bark and white chocolate chips.  Hmmm….. what to do?
I have seen a variety of recipes for peppermint bark floating around the internet.  Most of them using various amounts of high quality chocolate, which sometimes separates between the white and dark layers when cut.  Using bark and chocolate chips together eliminates this problem along with my own little secret-
After I melt the chocolate chips and bark I spread them on a parchment lined baking sheet.  Then I sprinkle the first layer of crushed candy canes.  When I add the white chocolate and bark layer, the candy canes help the two layers to stay together!
By the time I get the white bark and white chocolate chips melted the first layer is cool and almost totally solid.  I carefully spread the melted white chocolate layer.
Crushed candy canes are then sprinkled for a second time and the bark is left on the counter to cool and hardened.  This doesn’t take very long, 45 minutes to an hour at the most.
Once the bark has hardened it can be cut in squares or you can break it off in chunks.  I like to cut mine in different sizes.  That way if someone wants just a “nibble” there is a small piece and if my Chief Culinary Consultant comes along there is a much BIGGER piece for him 🙂This bark is so quick and easy and decadent.  It is a candy that will taste like you slaved away to get it made.  Keep it simple this weekend … and I will keep your secret 🙂

~Blessings, Catherine

Peppermint Bark

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Let peppermint bark be on your candy list this holiday season!

Ingredients

• 24 ounces chocolate flavored almond bark
• 16 ounces semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 24 ounces white chocolate flavored almond bark
• 16 ounces semi-sweet white chocolate
• 1½ cups crushed candy canes

Instructions

1. Line a 10" x 15" cookie sheet with parchment paper. Set aside.
2. In microwave or double boiled slowly melt chocolate almond bark.
3. In a separate container microwave chocolate chips for 1 minute. Stir and microwave an additional 30 seconds if need to fully melt chips. Do not over cook or this chocolate will burn.
4. Mix melted chocolate bark and melted chocolate chips together. Pour chocolate mixture onto prepared baking sheet, smoothing to cover most of the sheet with an even coating.
5. Sprinkle chocolate with ¾ cup crushed candy canes. Set aside to cool and harden.
6. While the chocolate bark is cooling: In microwave or double boiled slowly melt white chocolate almond bark.
7. In a separate container microwave white chocolate chips for 1 minute. Stir and microwave an additional 30 seconds if need to fully melt chips. Do not over cook or this chocolate will burn.
8. Mix melted white chocolate bark and melted white chocolate chips together. Pour white chocolate mixture over chocolate/candy cane bark in prepared baking sheet, smoothing to cover all of the chocolate bark.
9. Sprinkle chocolate with remaining ¾ cup crushed candy canes. Set aside to cool and harden.
10. After one hour bark should be cooled and can be cut into desired size pieces.
11. Store in airtight container at room temperature.

Notes

Crushed candy canes sprinkled between the layers of chocolate and white chocolate will help keep the layers from separating when cut.

Bark can be cut or broken into serving size pieces.

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