White Chocolate Peppermint Drops Food

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 BARK WITH PEPPERMINT STICK

Steps:

• Melt the chocolate. Place the peppermint sticks in a heavy, locked plastic bag and crush them fine by whacking and then rolling them with a rolling pin. They should have about the same consistency as crushed ice. When the chocolate is melted, stir in the peppermint oil. Stir in all but 2 tablespoons of the crushed peppermint pieces and spread the mixture out on the cookie sheet, about 1/4-inch thick. It will not fill the pan completely. Sprinkle the reserved peppermint stick over the top. Let set at room temperature until hardened, about 2 hours. (Or, refrigerate for 30 minutes to harden more quickly.) Use your hands to break into pieces. Store in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks.

CHOCOLATE PEPPERMINT PIZZELLE

Steps:

• Whisk the flour, cocoa, baking powder, cinnamon, orange zest, and salt together in a large bowl.
• In another medium bowl, briskly whisk the eggs, sugar and melted butter together until smooth and evenly combined.
• Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and pour in the egg mixture. Gradually whisk the liquid into the flour to make a thick batter. When the pizzelle batter starts to clump up in the whisk, switch to a rubber spatula to finish mixing it together. (If you have a large pastry bag, put a big round tip in it, and fill with the pizzelle batter.)
• Preheat a pizzelle iron until a drop of water sizzles on the hot surface, about 10 minutes. Lightly spray the hot surface with nonstick cooking spray. Pipe or spoon about a tablespoon of the batter into the center of each cookie imprint. Close the iron and cook until whiffs of steam comes from the iron, about 30 to 45 seconds. Open and remove cookie from the iron, cool on a rack. Repeat with remaining batter.
• Put the chocolate and butter in a microwave safe bowl. Cover and microwave on medium power until soft and melted, about 3 minutes depending on the power of your oven; stir until smooth. Alternatively, put the chocolate in a heatproof bowl. Bring a saucepan filled with 1-inch or so of water to a very slow simmer; set the bowl on the pan (without touching the water). Stir occasionally until melted and smooth. Stir in mint extract.
• To serve pipe a tablespoon of the mint filling into the center of half the cookies. Top with another cookie and press to sandwich them together. Serve now or keep tightly covered for up to 1 week.

WHITE CHOCOLATE PEPPERMINT FUDGE

Steps:

• Line a 9-by-13-inch pan with foil. Bring the marshmallows, sugar, cream, butter and salt to a simmer in a medium saucepan over medium heat, stirring constantly. Continue to stir until the marshmallows melt and all the sugar dissolves. Remove the saucepan from the heat, add the white chocolate chips and vanilla, and stir until the chips are completely melted.
• Pour the mixture into the prepared pan, and scatter the crushed candies over the top. Let cool to room temperature, then wrap and refrigerate until chilled and firm, about 2 hours. Cut into 1-inch squares.

WHITE CHOCOLATE PEPPERMINT CANDIES

Steps:

• Spray the ice cube tray with cooking spray.
• Sprinkle a bit of crushed candy cane in the bottom of each tray to serve as the topping.
• Melt 2 cups of the white chocolate candy melts and pour about 2 tablespoons into each tray. Tilt the entire tray in all directions to coat the sides. Place in freezer to set.
• Melt the other 1/2 cup of white chocolate with the heavy cream, peppermint extract and food coloring. Pour evenly into the trays. Place back in freezer to set.
• Cover with remaining melted white chocolate. Place in refrigerator for about 1 hour until set.

PEPPERMINT WHITE HOT CHOCOLATE

Steps:

• In a large saucepan, heat milk over medium heat until bubbles form around sides of pan. Meanwhile, in a small bowl, beat cream until stiff peaks form. Fold in 1 teaspoon crushed candy., Whisk chocolate into milk until smooth. Remove from heat; stir in extract. Pour into mugs; top with whipped cream. Sprinkle with remaining candy and, if desired, marshmallows. Serve immediately.