Chef Melinda Foley's - Peppermint Bark
Yet another great request from my girls at Jazzercise! This recipe is fairly quick and easy. You can multitask around the house while making it. It is great to take to any party anytime of the year and is far less expensive than purchasing from gourmet companies. Once finished, you can break it into pieces and put into small gift boxes for friends and family or pile it onto a tray and garnish with colorful peppermints sticks and fresh peppermint leaves found in the produce section of your grocery store.PEPPERMINT BARK
4- 3.5 oz mint chocolate bars, such as Ghiradelli or Lindt *
1 12 oz bag of white chocolate chips
1 bag of Peppermint twists or candy canes**
Waxed paper
Spray the bottom of a 13X9 inch pan lightly with cooking spray. Place a piece of waxed paper in bottom of pan. It should continue some up the sides of the pan. Set aside.
While chocolate bars are still in the wrapper, tap them against the corner of your counter top to break them into pieces. Add to a medium saucepot over low heat. This process cannot be sped up. (Take your time to melt the chocolate. If it gets too hot, it will seize up and you will have to start over, unless you are a pro.) Let the chocolate melt in the pot until you start to see it liquefy on the bottom. Touch the bottom of your pot with your hand. Chocolate generally melts at 88 degrees, so if you can’t touch the bottom of your pot for three seconds, it is too hot. Simply put it on a cool burner and stir gently. The hot bottom will allow the chocolate to continue to melt even though it is on a cool burner. If the chocolate stops melting, repeat the process until the chocolate is completely melted. This will take only 5 minutes or less.
Spread chocolate into prepared pan with an offset spatula*** Place the pan in the refrigerator for about 20-30 minutes. To check to see if chocolate is set, gently touch with one finger. If chocolate remains on your finger, put back in fridge. If only a slight fingerprint remains it is ready for then next step. While the chocolate is in the fridge, unwrap the peppermints and put into a strong ziplock bag ( like the ones made for the freezer). Break them into piece by hitting them with a rolling pin or the back of an iron skillet.
When dark chocolate layer is ready, pull from fridge and begin to melt the white chocolate chips the same way you did the dark chocolate. When all is melted spread the white chocolate on top of the dark chocolate. Sprinkle with the peppermint chips and place back into fridge. Check for doneness the same as with the dark chocolate or leave in fridge until ready to use.
When ready, remove the waxed paper and set chocolate from the pan. Place on a cutting board. Remove the waxed paper backing. Roughly chop the bark into random pieces. If some pieces fall apart, don’t be discouraged. Many people pick these special pieces out due to taste preferences. Assemble in boxes or on a tray and garnish. Do not put fresh mint leaves into boxes as they will have too much moisture and become moldy. If you begin to cut the bark and it sticks to your knife instead of breaking into pieces, you will need to chill it again. This may be especially necessary on a warm day.
Good Luck and have fun with this recipe! It’s YUMMY!
* I have found these chocolate bars at Target and some grocery stores. Some Walgreens carry them as well.
**I use the individual peppermint twists that are oval and more airy and light as opposed to the round hard peppermint candies or sticks. I found mine at Walgreens for 99 cents a bag.
*** an offset spatula is a metal spatula that is long and about 1 inch wide. From the handle it has an almost 90 degree blade. It can be purchased from any store that sells cake supplies like Michael’s or Walmart and is fairly inexpensive but saves a lot of time and is best used icing cakes (such as the Carrot Cake recipe!)
Enjoy!!
Melinda