Peppermint Bark 09

Here's something productive and sweet. For the past few years I've been making peppermint bark at Christmas time to put in gifts. It's most fun to do with two wild monkeys wanting to help.



In case you wanted to make some for your very own...here's a breakdown. It's pretty easy. Even I can't screw it up.



First crush a box of candy canes. Or if you are lucky like me, you sat up all night with insomnia when you were pregnant in 04 and fell in love with the infomercial for the Magic Bullet Blender and your wonderful mom got you one for Christmas that year. Because those things pulverize the candy canes way easier and less messy than doing it with a mallet and Ziploc bag.



Next you melt a bag of Andes mints baking chips (or box of the unwrapped mints). I put mine in a measuring cup in the microwave. You have to stir it and work with to get the mint to dissolve into the chocolate. Next pour it out on a sheet of waxed paper. Let it set up. It starts to loose it's shine.

Next step, you melt half a package of white almond bark. You know it's that vanilla candy coating. I do mine in the microwave also. Then pour and spread it over the chocolate.

Immediately sprinkle the crushed canes on it. If the pieces aren't quite powder like mine end up, press them gently into the white bark because some with fall off when you break it into pieces. Which leads up to the next step. Break it into pieces while peeling it off the waxed paper.

The original recipe called for putting it on a cookie sheet and refrigerating between layers, but I found that it stuck to the cookie sheet and was a pain to get off. Also when I pulverize my canes, I end up using only half of the canes on one recipe. Actually today I made three recipes with only one box of canes.

Good night and sweet dreams!