Swirled Peppermint Bark

in Candy, Chocolate, Christmas, Holiday Favorites, Peppermint Bark

I fear working with white chocolate the way some others fear working with yeast.

Chocolate?! I’ve never had a problem with chocolate. Every chocolate [fill in the blank] I’ve ever made has always turned out.

Lucky you 🙂

After losing more white chocolate to seizing than I care to admit, I almost completely stopped using it. And I’m not talking almond bark here… I’m talking pricey, that’s-what-I-get-for-spending-that-much-on-a-glorified-candy-bar white chocolate. It’s a depressing thought, really. And I should have just used candy bark.

My favorite Christmas cookies use lots and lost of white chocolate so to prepare for the big baking marathon that is the week before Christmas, I ordered a 10lb bar of white chocolate. My brother works for a bakery supply company so I take every opportunity to seize on the “big sister” at-cost discount.

The “big sister” discount does not come free of problems – I have to temper the chocolate which I find to be a total pain. You won’t have this problem if you’re getting chocolate from a “normal” source (confectionary, grocery, or fancy food store). Whether you have to temper the chocolate or not, you’ll end up with a very pretty chocolate bark that will disappear very quickly, one shard at a time.

Swirled Peppermint Bark

White and dark chocolates swirled together make the perfect addition to your holiday gift baskets. If it makes it there.

Ingredients

  • 1.5 lbs white chocolate
  • 1.5 lbs of semi-sweet chocolate
  • 24 peppermint candies

Instructions

  1. Set up two double boilers (a simmering pot of water with a glass bowl sitting over top, not touching the water - I find it's easier than trying to use the microwave in this instance).
  2. Unwrap 24 peppermints and put them in a 1-qt ziploc baggie. Crush with a rolling pin or mallet.
  3. Let the chocolate melt mostly on it's own, giving it a nudge every once in a while with a rubber spatula. When it's mostly melted, remove it from the heat, being careful to make sure water doesn't get into the chocolate. Stir until completely smooth and then spoon each chocolate in random blobs on a wax paper-lined 11x17, filling most of the surface.
  4. Using the end of a small knife held vertically, swirl the chocolate until you're happy with the presentation. Pick up the pan a few inches off the counter and let it fall back, to evenly distribute the chocolate and get rid of any air bubbles. Scatter the peppermint pieces over the top. Let sit at room temperature until completely hardened. Break the bark into pieces and enjoy! Store at room temperature in a covered container.

Notes

Yields: ~20 medium pieces

Source: Confections of a Foodie Bride

Estimated time: 3 hours

The 12 Days of Homemade Christmas 2010
Swirly Chocolate-Peppermint Bark Fleur de Sel Caramels Chocolate Crackles Tahitian Vanilla Beans Peppermint Chunk Cookies Red, White, and Green Biscotti
Cranberry Pecan Bread Salted Vanilla Bean Caramel Sauce Homemade Hot Chocolate Mix Homemade Red Wine Vinegar Homemade Granola Homemade Marshmallows

21 comments… add one
  • BEYOND decadence – love it.

  • I’m about to play a melting game with white chocolate I am not looking forward to.

  • Oh wow. I see the layered version of this all over the place, but this marbled version is gorgeous.

  • Ooh, it’s so pretty. Love all the swirls.

  • I am about to make my peppermint bark this weekend. Yours looks so pretty.

  • Beautiful bark!!!

  • Excuse me… how do I get such perfect swirls and marbling? You did a fantastic job!

  • This turned out so beautifully!

  • i love the swirls!! so pretty.

  • You may fear chocolate, but you shouldn’t be! Those are gorgeous. I love the swirls, it looks perfect!

  • ingrid

    Your bark came out fabulous! Good for you that you were able to conquer your fear. I too fear melting white chocolate or anything white that needs melting really but I’m getting over it!
    ~ingrid

  • Looks soo good, great job! I might try and squeeze this in as an addition to my Christmas cookies.

  • Heather

    yum! this looks so good – and so pretty!!

  • Jennie @ Oh, Sweet Day!

    One of my favorites around the holidays for sure! Your’s looks perfect! 🙂

  • Absolutely beautiful!

  • That looks delicious. I love the combination of chocolate and peppermint.

  • Pam @ Kitchen Cookware

    Wow, I simply love the marble, swirl look! It looks so yummy! Peppermint reminds me always xmas!

  • Absolutely gorgeous! Lovely idea!

  • it is so simple and so beautiful !!! thank you for sharing

  • Wow, talk about a lot of cooking! 12 days in a row? Yikes! 🙂

    Anyway, if you want to try some different Christmas treat ideas, I am currently running sweepstakes on my site, slovakcooking.com, for home-made Slovak Christmas cookies. There will be some 5 or 6 different kinds, dozen in total. If you would like to enter, the url is http://www.slovakcooking.com/2010/blog/xmas-cookies/

  • Every. single. time I see these photos I fall back in love with those gorgeous swirls. So beautiful.

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