About This Recipe
This super simple recipe for Black and White Peppermint Bark looks like something you’d get from a fancy candy shop, but it is so simple to make. Just five ingredients combine to make a delicious candy that you and your family will love.
Bark is a term for melted chocolate that is spread in a thin layer and sometimes mixed with other ingredients and sometimes topped with them. I have other recipes for Toffee Bark and Cookie Bark that are wonderful too.
It uses three kinds of chocolate – semisweet, milk, and white. One interesting thing: white chocolate isn’t actually true chocolate because it doesn’t contain cocoa solids. This ingredient, however, is luscious because its melting point is close to the temperature of the human body. In other words, it melts in your mouth very easily so it is used in lots of recipes.
The only trick to this recipe is to melt the chocolate carefully. Chocolate can burn (although that is more difficult to do in the microwave oven) and it can seize, or suddenly turn into a hard clump. It seizes when moisture is introduced as it’s melting. So be careful to keep liquids away from chocolate as it melts.
You can serve this easy candy recipe for Christmas, for Valentine’s Day, or just because it’s a Tuesday. Store it in a covered container at room temperature – don’t refrigerate it, as it will get too hard. Enjoy every bite.
Tips for the best results:
- The way the chocolate is melted helps it set up properly. For the darker chocolate, most is melted, then some chips that are held back are stirred in until they melt too. That sets up the crystals in the mixture so the chocolate sets.
- Crush the candy by putting it into a good quality plastic bag like a freezer bag. Seal the bag and pound the candy gently but thoroughly with a mallet or a rolling pin until it is broken into small pieces.
- This looks like a long recipe, but it takes longer to read it than it does to make it. The detailed instructions are necessary for success.
Why this recipe for Black and White Peppermint Bark Works:
- The combination of three types of chocolate is delicious. Adding peppermint to the mix adds another layer of flavor and accents the chocolate.
Steps
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1
Done
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Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper and set aside. |
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2
Done
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In a medium microwave-safe bowl, combine the semisweet chocolate chips and 1/2 cup of the milk chocolate chips. Microwave on 50% power for 1 minute; remove and stir. Continue microwaving for 1 minute intervals, stirring after each interval, until the mixture is smooth. |
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3
Done
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Then stir in the remaining 1/2 cup milk chocolate chips and continue stirring until those chips are melted and the mixture is smooth. Add 1/8 teaspoon peppermint extract and stir again. |
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4
Done
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Immediately pour this mixture onto the parchment paper and spread with a spatula until it's about 1/8-inch thick. Put in the refrigerator to set. |
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5
Done
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Now put 1-3/4 cups of the white chocolate chips in another medium microwave-safe bowl Microwave at 50% power for 1 minute; remove and stir. Continue microwaving for 30 second intervals, stirring after each interval, until the mixture is melted and smooth. |
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6
Done
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Then stir in the remaining 1/4 cup of the white chocolate chips and stir until the mixture is smooth again. Stir in remaining 1/8 teaspoon peppermint extract. |
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7
Done
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Take the pan out of the fridge and pour the white chocolate mixture over. Immediately sprinkle with the crushed peppermint candy and push in lightly. |
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8
Done
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Let the candy stand at room temperature until it is firm. Break into pieces, and store in an airtight container at room temperature. |
