Peppermint Stick White Chocolate Bark Food

WHITE CHOCOLATE PEPPERMINT BARK

Steps:

• Line an 11x17-inch baking sheet with parchment paper.
• Melt white chocolate chips in a microwave-safe glass bowl on 50% power for 3 minutes. Stir well until bowl is no longer warm. Heat for 3 minutes more; stir. Heat for 1 minute more and stir; repeat as necessary until chocolate is completely smooth.
• Stir candy canes and peppermint oil into the melted chocolate until well combined. Spread onto the prepared baking sheet. Smooth with a spatula. Refrigerate until set, 30 minutes to overnight. Break into pieces and store in an airtight container.

PEPPERMINT BARK

Steps:

• Start by getting everything prepped and ready to go. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or wax paper.
• Finely crush 3 candy canes. You can do this in the food processor or in a ziplock with a rolling pin. These candy canes are going to be stirred into the white chocolate, so you want to crush them pretty well.
• Coarsely crush 5-8 candy canes in a ziplock (a food processor will crush them too much). These ones are going to be sprinkled on top of the bark. Set aside.
• A word about chocolate. Be sure to buy high quality chocolate. Dark or semisweet is fine; I prefer dark. I like to use Ghirardelli, Guittard, or Nestle. If you are using chocolate chips, use 12 ounces. This is 2 cups of chocolate chips. If you are using a bar of chocolate, roughly chop it.
• Melt your chocolate. In a medium bowl, add 12 ounces dark or semi sweet chocolate. Add 1 teaspoon vegetable oil. Heat for 30 seconds on high in the microwave and stir. Heat for another 30 seconds and stir. Continue after this in 15 second increments, stirring each time. When the chocolate is glossy and mostly smooth, but still has lumps, do not microwave again. Just keep stirring until the final hard pieces melt.
• Add 1/2 teaspoon peppermint extract and stir well.
• Pour the chocolate onto the prepared pan. Use an offset spatula to spread the chocolate into a large rectangle. Mine was about 11x15 inches. The larger your rectangle, the thinner your bark will be. I don't like super thick bark, I like it to be nice and thin (the easier to bite into). Drop the pan on the counter a few times to get out all the air bubbles.
• Set the pan of chocolate aside to set. You can put it in the fridge if you are in a hurry. Do not add the white chocolate layer until this layer has set.
• A word about white chocolate. Check the ingredients. If it does not list "cocoa butter" then it is not white chocolate. Most white chocolate chips do not have cocoa butter. It's best to buy a bar. I like the Ghirardelli white chocolate bars.
• Chop 12 ounces of high quality white chocolate.
• In a new bowl (or clean and dry the other one very well), add the white chocolate. Add 1 teaspoon vegetable oil.
• Microwave for 30 seconds and stir. Microwave another 30 seconds and stir. After that, heat in 15 second increments until there are still a few lumps. Then stir until the lumps are gone. White chocolate seizes even easier than regular chocolate, so be careful!
• Stir the finely crushed candy canes into the white chocolate. Pour the white chocolate over the top of the cooled dark chocolate. Use an offset spatula to spread almost all the way to the edge. The heat from the white chocolate might slightly melt the bottom layer, so be careful you don't smear them together.
• Immediately sprinkle the coarse candy canes on top. Let the bark cool at room temperature or stick it in the fridge. It takes about 30 minutes in the fridge.
• Once hardened, use a sharp chef's knife to slice the bark into pieces. I don't like to break the pieces apart by hand. As satisfying as it is, the white chocolate tends to separate from the dark chocolate that way.
• Enjoy! Keep in a sealed container at room temperature.
• You can freeze the bark for up to 3 months if it is well sealed. You do run the risk of white spots ("bloom") showing up on your chocolate. Thaw in the refrigerator to avoid this (there will be less condensation that way.)

WHITE CHOCOLATE PEPPERMINT CRUNCH

Steps:

• Line a baking sheet with parchment or waxed paper. In a microwave, melt candy coating; stir until smooth. Stir in butter and oil until blended. Stir in candies. Spread to desired thickness on prepared pan., Refrigerate until firm. Break into pieces. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

WHITE CHOCOLATE PEPPERMINT BARK

Steps:

• Line a 9x13" baking pan with aluminum foil.
• Break up the white chocolate into small pieces and melt in either a double boiler set over simmering water, or in the microwave according to the package directions.
• Do not let the chocolate burn!
• Remove from heat and stir in the 1/3 cup of crushed candy canes.
• Immediately pour this mixture into the prepared pan and spread spoon with a rubber spatula, leaving a 1/2" border around the edge of the pan.
• Don't worry if it doesn't look perfectly shaped, but try to get it as evenly flattened as possible.
• Melt semisweet chocolate pieces.
• Drizzle the melted semisweet chocolate all over the surface of the white chocolate.
• Sprinkle with the remaining 2 tablespoons of crushed candy canes.
• Set in the fridge until it firms up- this only takes a short time (about 15 minutes or so).
• Cut or break the bark into serving pieces.
• Jagged edges are ok.
• These will look nice wrapped in plastic tin and tied with pink& white curling ribbon to give as holiday treats.

PEPPERMINT BARK

Steps:

• Line a large baking tray with baking parchment. Melt the milk and white chocolates in two separate heatproof bowls set over pans of simmering water, ensuring the bases of the bowls don't touch the water. Or, melt in the microwave in 20-second bursts. Add the peppermint extract to the melted milk chocolate and gently mix until combined.
• Pour the peppermint milk chocolate over the centre of the baking tray. Smooth with a spatula until it's 2mm thick, then drizzle over the white chocolate. Gently swirl the white chocolate through the milk using a teaspoon, then sprinkle over the candy cane chunks.
• Leave to set at room temperature to prevent the milk chocolate from discolouring. Once fully set, freeze for 10 mins, then snap into shards. Will keep in an airtight container lined with baking parchment for up to two weeks.

PEPPERMINT STICKS

Steps:

• Coat a 12-by-17-inch rimmed baking sheet with cooking spray, and set aside. Place sugar, corn syrup, and 1/2 cup water in a medium saucepan. Cover; bring to a boil. Remove lid, and cook, swirling pan occasionally, until syrup registers 305 degrees (hard-crack stage) on a candy thermometer, about 10 minutes. Remove from heat, and carefully stir in lemon juice, extract, and food coloring.
• Pour hot syrup onto prepared baking sheet, being careful not to touch syrup. Using a metal spatula coated with cooking spray, fold edges toward the middle (this will help cool the syrup). When it is cool enough to handle but still quite warm, using plastic gloves, strech and pull candy, folding it over onto itself before pulling again, until it is opaque and just starting to firm up, about 10 minutes.
• Immediately pull off pieces to form long pencil-thin ropes. Working quickly, cut into 7-inch lengths with a pair of kitchen scissors. Continue pulling until all candy is used or is no longer pliable.
• Temper chocolate: Heat 2/3 of chocolate in a heatproof bowl set over a pan of barely simmering water until chocolate registers 118 degrees on a candy thermometer. Remove pan from heat, and add the remaining chocolate; stir with a rubber spatula (avoid using a wooden spoon, which can impart other flavors) until it cools to 84 degrees. Remove any unmelted pieces, and discard. Return bowl to pan, and stir until chocolate reaches 88 to 90 degrees.
• Dip top 3 inches of each pepperment stick in the chocolate, if desired. Allow excess to drip off; set on a parchment-lined baking sheet, and let harden.

BAKER'S WHITE CHOCOLATE-PEPPERMINT BARK

Steps:

• Microwave chocolate in microwavable bowl on HIGH 2 min., stirring after 1 min. Stir until chocolate is completely melted.
• Stir in crushed candy and extract.
• Spread into thin layer on waxed paper-covered baking sheet; sprinkle with coconut.
• Refrigerate 30 min. or until firm. Break into small pieces.