HotmailSweet gift! Classic peppermint bark
Whip up this holiday treat quickly and without spending too much
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With Christmas just around the corner, it's crunch time to get your sweet treats baked for holiday gifts and gatherings. Chef Kathleen Daelemans, author of “Getting Thin and Loving Food,” says hosting a cookie swap could be a stress-free ticket to getting your baking done on time. Whether you're invited to a cookie swap or you're planning one of your own, here's a classic recipe for peppermint bark that you can bring to the table.
Peppermint bark has long been associated with the Christmas holidays. This show-stopping treat is one of the easiest desserts to make and requires little more than melting chocolate and breaking up a few candy canes.
If you’re too busy to whip up a batch yourself, peppermint bark and all of its incarnations (peppermint crunch, peppermint hot chocolate and peppermint bark brownies among them) are widely available for sale almost everywhere this time of year.
INGREDIENTS
1. Preheat oven to 250 degrees. Line a 9x13 pan with parchment paper, letting it hang over the sides.
2. Pour the semi or bittersweet chocolate chips in an even layer on the foil. Place in oven for 5 minutes or until almost melted.
3. Immediately remove chocolate from oven, even if it appears to still be holding its shape (it will most likely be ready to spread smooth). Using an offset spatula, rubber spatula or knife, spread chocolate evenly in the pan bottom. Place in refrigerator until cold and firm, about 20 minutes.
4. While the dark chocolate is cooling, melt white chocolate chips in a double boiler or in a metal bowl over simmering water (don’t let bottom of bowl touch water), until chocolate is almost melted.
5. Remove bowl from water and stir until completely melted, stirring in extract and canola oil. Let cool a little bit so it doesn’t melt the chocolate layer when you pour it on top.
6. Pour white chocolate over the dark chocolate layer, and, working quickly, spread to cover. The dark chocolate may melt a little but don’t worry. Have fun with this! You’re making something delicious for those you love! Gourmet magazine isn’t sending photographers to shoot your peppermint bark for a holiday photo spread on desserts!
7. Immediately after spreading the white chocolate over the dark, sprinkle crushed candy canes over the entire surface. Cool in the refrigerator for an hour or overnight. Break pieces into “bark” and enjoy!
Kathleen Daelemans is the author of “Cooking Thin with Chef Kathleen, 200 Easy Recipes for Healthy Weight Loss.”
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