Winter has arrived and I wanted to be festive this Christmas and make something pretty!! I decided to give Peppermint Bark a try but I wanted to go a step further and make it double layered with milk and white chocolate. It turned out beautifully so I wanted to share it with you!! It’s perfect for Christmas, but it’s great to have all winter long…so yummy! If you’re looking for another fun Christmas treat check out my Peanut Butter Balls recipe. Actually, it’s not necessarily a Christmas treat – we should eat those all year long ;)!

Please note: Before beginning, I had written a tip at the bottom of this post about the sort of white chocolate to buy. Make sure to read and understand that before you start!!

Here’s what you’ll need:

11.5 oz. White Chocolate Chips or Squares for melting (**I recommend Ghirardelli White Baking Squares)
11.5 oz. Bag of  Milk Chocolate chips or squares for melting
12 regular size Candy Canes
Crisco shortening (if needed to thin out chocolate)
Aluminum Foil
Colander
9×13 baking dish or cookie sheet

 

Instructions:

1. Line a 9×13 baking pan or cookie sheet with aluminum foil leaving some extra over all edges. Make sure to try to get it smoothed out on the bottom and in the corners. THIS is one of the ones that I use and love it!!

2. Use a double boiler to melt your milk chocolate OR use microwave directions on the packaging. Just be sure to not over cook it or it will get thick and clumpy. If it’s not thinning out enough to be able to easily pour out of the bowl, you can add a couple tablespoons of Crisco shortening and that will help thin it out some. I don’t recommend vegetable oil.

3. Once it’s thin enough to pour, go ahead and pour the milk chocolate into your aluminum foil lined pan. Smooth it out with the back of a spoon if needed then place in the freezer for 1 hour or until hard.

4. Unwrap all of your candy canes and place in a large ziploc bag. Use a rolling pin or something similar to crush the candy canes into fine pieces. Be sure to not OVER do it or you”ll be left with powder…some powder is good but you also want some nice sized pieces as well. Once you’re finished crushing the candy canes, grab a colander and pour contents of the bag in it. Shake the candy cane powder into a smaller bowl, leaving only the bigger chunks inside the colander. We’ll be adding this powder to the white chocolate mixture so just set aside for now ;)!

5. After your milk chocolate has hardened, pull it out of the freezer and set aside. Now melt your white chocolate the same as you did the milk chocolate…either in a double boiler or in the microwave as per the directions on the bag. Again, if needed…add a little Crisco to thin out. Once it’s thin enough to pour, add the candy cane powder and mix really well then pour ontop of the milk chocolate layer.

6. Smooth out with the back of a spoon if needed, then sprinkle the remaining candy cane chunks on top and use a spatula or spoon to lightly press the candy canes into the white chocolate. That keeps them from falling off later.

7. Now, set back in the freezer for one hour or until hard. Once it’s firm and set, lift the edges of the aluminum foil to release the peppermint bark from the pan and begin to tear the foil away. Inside the pan, begin to break the peppermint bark into chunks…just start at a corner and begin working your way through it all. You don’t want nice precise lines. Peppermint bark is meant to be jagged and uneven, no 2 pieces looking the same.

TIP: Make sure to buy the RIGHT White Chocolate

You MUST buy white chocolate that is made with Cocoa Butter and NOT palm kernal oil or coconut oil. It’s okay for the milk chocolate to have this BUT the white chocolate will NOT bond to the milk chocolate if it has either oil I mentioned. When you begin to break it, the white and milk chocolate won’t stay together and they separate. Sooo…make sure to get white chocolate made with cocoa butter. One brand that I’m aware of, that worked for me was the Ghirardelli White Chocolate Baking Squares.