It all began when my husband brought home the most heavenly Peppermint Bark last week. That sparked my desire to craft my own and spread the festive cheer through Christmas candy boxes this holiday season.
The company kindly provided the ingredient list, but alas, no measurements. Undeterred, I thought to myself, "How hard can this be?" and added almond bark, vanilla almond bark, candy canes, and peppermint extract to our Christmas grocery order. The anticipation was building—I was convinced it would be amazing!
Originally planned for last weekend, our Christmas candy-making venture got delayed when Bentley ended up in the ER on Saturday (he's doing much better now). Despite my husband's suggestion to do it all this weekend, I couldn't resist an early start.
Armed with my mother-in-law's trusty copper-bottom pots, I kicked things off by melting the chocolate. In the process, the struggle with tricky candy cane packaging slowed me down. Stir, open a candy cane, stir, open a candy cane… It turned out those candy canes were no easy feat to unwrap.
With the chocolate successfully melted, I confidently poured it onto wax paper on a cookie sheet, feeling like a master candy maker (teehee). Into the fridge it went, and while it chilled, I turned my attention to melting the white chocolate in the second pot.
Realizing I'd fallen behind on crushing candy canes, I reduced the heat and embarked on a comedic journey of trying various methods—breaking, smashing, and even using saran wrap to contain my mess, resulting in candy cane chaos.. they were flying everywhere! Eventually, I admitted defeat and turned to the trusty small food processor, creating unintentional peppermint dust in the process.
Despite the candy cane saga, I successfully layered the white chocolate over the hardened chocolate, sprinkled peppermint dust and crushed candy canes, and into the fridge it went for what I hoped would be a quick 20-minute finish.
However, dinner plans interrupted my candy-making flow, and upon retrieval, I discovered an unhardened center the hard way—with my thumb in wet chocolate as I was breaking it up. Cue the "wish-I-could-hit-rewind-button" moment. After a stint back in the fridge, we finally got the show on the road, and about 10 minutes later, success was sweet.
So, are you taking notes on what not to do in your own candy-making adventures? I sure hope so!
Peppermint Bark Recipe
Ingredients:
- 1 package Chocolate Almond Bark
- 1 package Vanilla Almond Bark
- 1 t peppermint extract, divided
- 10 Candy Canes
We've thoughtfully included links to Walmart for both the ingredient list and seamless shopping convenience.
Instructions:
- Open candy canes, place into food processor and pulse 2-3 times to crush candy canes, but be sure not to create peppermint dust
- Set stovetop to low heat, I set my dial to "2"
- Open chocolate almond bark, add 1/2 t peppermint extract, melt on low heat until smooth, be sure to continuously stir until fully melted
- Pour over wax paper on top of cookie sheet
- Place in refrigerator while melting vanilla almond bark'
- Place second pot onto stovetop at same heat and begin melting the vanilla almond bark until it is smooth, add 1/2 t peppermint extract while stiring over heat
- Remove chocolate almond bark from fridge, pour vanilla almond bark over the chocolate
- Sprinkle candy canes over white chocolate and place back into fridge for 30 minutes or until hardened
- Break up peppermint bark into pieces
- Store in airtight container
Phew, you know, it really doesn't have to be as challenging as I often make it. Sometimes, I yearn for a recipe to follow instead of improvising as I go. Perhaps adding a touch of organization to my New Year plan is the solution? Yeah, that's definitely on the agenda. 😉
If you're a fellow creative soul, you might understand the disorganized chaos I tend to create for myself. Ideas flow, and sometimes I dive in without a full plan. Don't worry; it drives my meticulous, type A husband nuts too. Wishing you a Merry Christmas! Give us a shout-out if you decide to give this recipe a whirl.
Exciting news – we've set up a Walmart Storefront where we're gradually adding items we use for our projects and recipes. Bear with me as I'm tinkering with it daily; feel free to check it out. I find Walmart convenient since I can add items to our grocery list without the wait for shipping. Also, we've curated a "Last Minute Shopping Idea List" for those in need of ASAP gift ideas. It features unique items that are essential but often overlooked in our daily lives. Cheers!
Don't Forget to Pin for Later!
Merry Christmas!
Cara
The peppermint bark looks delicious, and I love how easy it is to make! I should defintiely try making it myself!
ReplyDeleteI hope you like it Karalee, it was really easy to make, and a big hit here. You will have to let us know if you decide to give this recipe a try.
DeleteThank you so much for sharing this recipe Cara! I've had this same thing happen to me but I could not figure out what I had done wrong depsite following what was supposed to be an easy recipe. I love peppermint anything and usually have it during the winter season so this post could not be more perfectly timed. I am so excited! Hugs, CoCo
ReplyDeleteI am a huge peppermint fan too! It is so refreshing, I'd like to make them with dark chocolate next round. I love easy in the kitchen because if it isn't, chances are I will not make it. I hope you like it CoCo!
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