Peppermint Bark

Peppermint Bark is delicious- and so so easy to make! Even easier than the homemade caramels that I made a few posts ago! I don't get why it's so expensive online (Williams Sonoma- $20 &Shari's Berries- $25) because it takes about $5 bucks to make a whole cookie sheet worth!

All you'll need:

1 bag of either milk or semi sweet chocolate chips

1 bag of white chocolate chips

10 candy canes

Cookie sheet

Wax or Parchment Paper

Spatula

Double Boiler

Step 1: Set up your double boiler. All you'll need is a small sauce pan with about 1 inch of water in it- and a metal or a oven safe glass bowl! Set the bowl on top of the pot- make sure the bottom of the bowl doesn't sink so far into the pot that it touches the water- that will ruin your chocolate. Get your water up to a boil and then reduce to a low heat. 

Step 2: Add your milk/semi sweet chocolate chips to the bowl and slowly mix as the chocolate melts. 

***The most important part of this step is to make sure that none of the steam coming from the pot gets in the chocolate- any water will make your chocolate seize up and the whole batch will be ruined!!*****

 Step 3: Once the chocolate is completely melted spread it out on the parchment lined cookie sheet, and put it in the fridge to chill. Let it sit in the fridge for a good 15 minutes at least.

Step 4: While the milk chocolate is hardening in the fridge, take your candy canes and put them in a ziplock bag. Put a hand towel underneath the bag, and one on top- when you start smashing them the dust will get everywhere if you don't cover it! Use a hammer or back end of a knife to crush the candy canes until it's part dust and part small pieces.

 Step 5: Repeat step 2 with your white chocolate chips:

 Step 6: Evenly pour the white chocolate over the chilled milk chocolate and spread quickly- otherwise the chocolates will melt together and when you break the pieces apart you wont have the nice look of two layers!

 Step 7: Before the white chocolate hardens evenly sprinkle your candy canes over the entire pan and gently press the pieces into the chocolate:

 Step 8: After chilling for an hour break it all up into pieces:

Looks good, right? I wrapped them up into cute little cellophane bags along with the homemade caramels and a few chocolate dipped pretzels- perfect season's greetings gift!

Oh, and here are those chocolate dipped pretzels. I found some cute snowflake sprinkles to go along with the usual red-white-green ones, and used extra crushed up candy canes for decoration!

So what holiday treats did you make for others?! These?