Monday, 07 December 2009

  • Recipe: Peppermint Bark

    This is a guest post from: Spork or Foon?
     

    When you have baked 1200 cookies (and counting) in the past two weeks, sometimes, you just don't want to bake anything else.  But I'm still in the mood for some Christmasy stuff. I wanted something easy, yet delicious, to make to ring in the Christmas season.  What's tasty and no-bake?  Peppermint Bark. Aw, yeah.

    You'd think the process is easy, no? Melt some dark chocolate in a double boiler, spread the melted chocolate in a jelly roll pan and let set.  Repeat with white chocolate, sprinkle with peppermint. Done and done, right?

    Wrong.

    For those of you who have ever tried to melt white chocolate, you'll know that it is not a fun process.  You stand over the double boiler, stirring occasionally, jumping at the first sight of smeared chocolate.  Slowly but surely, the chopped chocolate becomes a smooth and spreadable ivory ocean, and you pat yourself on the back for a job well done.  You turn around to quickly grab your jelly roll pan and turn back to the oven to grab the chocolate. You grab your spatula and begin to coax the chocolate out of the bowl and into the jelly roll pan.

    But what's this? Your once smooth chocolate has turned into a clumpy, chalky mess!  You turned your back too long and now it is ruined! Ruined, I say!  So much for no-bake, no-stress!

    The moral of the story is, don't turn your back on white chocolate. It knows the hate it receives from people who say it is "not chocolate". White chocolate is not stupid.  It will get it's revenge.  Don't hate the player. Hate the game. 

    Peppermint Bark Recipe

    12 oz. good quality dark chocolate, chopped finely

    12 oz. good quality white chocolate, chopped finely

    2 teaspoons peppermint extract, divided

    Crushed Peppermint Candies

    Line a 9 x 13 inch cookie sheet with aluminum foil and spray with nonstick spray. Set aside.

    Position a heatproof bowl above a pot of simmering water.  Place the dark chocolate in the bowl and stir occasionally until melted. Once the chocolate is almost completely melted, add 1 teaspoon peppermint extract and stir to combine. 

    When the chocolate is completely melted, remove the bowl from the heat and pour chocolate onto lined cookie sheet.  Let set for at least 15 minutes in the refrigerator.

    In a separate heatproof bowl (or you can use the same one and wash it out but make sure it is completely dry), repeat process with white chocolate. Add remaining peppermint extract and mix to combine.  As soon as the chocolate has melted, remove from heat and, working quickly, spread the chocolate over the set dark chocolate.  Sprinkle with crushed peppermint candies.  Place in refrigerator until firm. Break into pieces and serve, or store in a cool place.

Related Posts

Comments (12)

  • Sign in to Comment

  • Give eProps (?)

About the Author

  • sporkorfoon
    • From: sporkorfoon
    • Name: sporkorfoon
    • About Me: I grew up in Franklin Square, NY (aka Long Island) and attended Syracuse University where, in 2003, I received my BFA in Acting with a minor in Nintendo’s 1990 classic, Dr. Mario. My hobbies include playing the piano, cooking and baking, and then going to the gym to work off the calories. I currently live with my boyfriend Jack and my dog, a gorgeous Australian Shepherd named Remy right outside of Washington, DC. I began cooking in a tiny little kitchen in my apartment on 68th and Madison in New York. The apartment was a 400 square foot 1 bedroom in fifth floor walk-up. The kitchen was roughly 4'x6' (no joke) with an oven that burned anything after 10 minutes and stove burners that would sear the countertop because the flame would shoot out from under the pan -- if the flame even ignited in the first place. There were only two cabinets to for food so we had to keep our dinnerware in the living room and there was no counter space, so I did most of my prep work on a dresser in t
    Stats: This Week All Time
    Posts: 0 11
    Views: 0 5171
    Comments: 0 67
    View all posts by sporkorfoon

Tags

Who recommended?

Who gave the eProps?

2 eProps from: