Bittersweet Chocolate-Peppermint Candy Bark

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"Bite-Size Desserts" is a clever cookbook for sweet lovers who appreciate creative ideas and small portions. Author Carole Bloom, an accomplished pasty chef, offers the dessert lover dozens of yummy ideas for individual desserts for year-round baking.

I am a big believer that a gift from the kitchen is truly a gift from the heart. Each year I try to add a new gift idea to go along with my standard seasoning salt and pate. This will be the treat I send along to all of those who have been helpful to me through the year.

Chopped peppermint candies are mixed with deep, dark bittersweet chocolate to create a very refreshing and satisfying holiday candy. You can make this ahead since it can be refrigerated for a month or frozen for up to 2 months. Just make sure to store the bark in an airtight container with waxed paper between each layer.

Help is on the Way:

--Replace the peppermint candies with candy canes.

--Use white chocolate or dark milk chocolate (38 to 42 percent cacao) instead of the bittersweet chocolate.

--Defrost or remove from the refrigerator and bring to room temperature before serving.

--Serve this after dinner on a pretty glass plate.

--Use a good quality bittersweet chocolate like Valrhona or Scharffen Berger.

 

Bittersweet Chocolate-Peppermint Candy Bark

Makes about 3 dozen 1-inch pieces

1 cup (7 ounces) red-and-white-striped round peppermint candies

8 ounces bittersweet chocolate (62 to 72 percent cacao), chopped

 

1. Unwrap the candies and place in a work bowl of a food processor, fitted with a steel blade. Pulse until the candies are finely chopped, about 2 minutes.

2. Place 6 ounces of the chocolate in the top pan of a double boiler set over hot water. Stir often with a rubber spatula to help melt the chocolate evenly. Or place in a microwave safe bowl and melt on low power for 30-second bursts. Stir with a rubber spatula after each burst. Remove the top pan of the double boiler, if using, and wipe the bottoms and sides very dry.

3. Stir the remaining 2 ounces of chocolate in 2 to 3 stages, making sure each batch is melted before adding the next. Stir in the chopped peppermint candies and coat them thoroughly with chocolate.

4. Line a baking sheet with waxed or parchment paper. Pour the chocolate mixture onto the baking sheet and use an offset spatula to spread it to a thickness of about 1/4-inch.

5. Chill the bark in the refrigerator until set, about 30 minutes. Remove the bark from the refrigerator and gently peel off the paper. Break the bark into 1-inch pieces.

6. Serve the bark at room temperature or store the bark between layers of waxed paper in an airtight container for up to 1 month.

 

Diane Rossen Worthington is an authority on new American cooking. She is the author of 18 cookbooks (click here), including "Seriously Simple Holidays: Recipes and Ideas to Celebrate the Season," and also a James Beard award-winning radio show host.

Available at Amazon.com:

Bite-Size Desserts: Creating Mini Sweet Treats, from Cupcakes and Cobblers to Custards and Cookies

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Bittersweet Chocolate-Peppermint Candy Bark - Diane Rossen Worthington Recipes

(c) 2009 Diane Rossen Worthington