Making Peppermint Bark Yourself Is Incredibly Easy
The vibrant chocolate crust sprinkled with delicacies is a festive treat that always inspires a lot of enthusiasm. (Williams Sonoma may charge $ 30 a pound for their peppermint variant , which makes it more expensive than organic ribeye.) There’s no reason to spend a ton of money on crust, however, as it can be cooked in your kitchen with very little effort.
You will need chocolate first. I’m talking about bars , people, not chips. The chocolate chips are designed to hold their shape when exposed to heat, making them difficult to flow and pour, even when melted, and we don’t need that bullshit here. You can make the crust from milk, dark, or white chocolate, or you can layer them for a variety of flavors.
After collecting the chocolate, you will need to collect the rest of the equipment and materials. You will need:
- At least 16 ounces of chocolate if you are making a single layer crust from one chocolate; 32 ounces (16 of each flavor) if laying out layers of two different chocolates
- Bits and chunks such as chopped peppermint, pretzels, dried cranberries, candy chunks, mini peanut butter cups, bacon bits, flaked salt, etc.
- Fragrant extracts such as peppermint if you prefer
- Microwave-safe bowls or steamers.
- Baking tray
- Parchment, wax paper, or silicone baking mat.
- Silicone spatula
Now, before unwrapping the chocolate bar, make sure that your equipment – especially the bowl in which you are going to melt the chocolate – is completely dry. Water is the enemy here, and even a small amount of it can cause confectionery to get stuck.
After making sure there is no water in everything, line the baking sheet with your favorite non-stick paper or silicone mat, chop up the chocolate (starting with dark chocolate if you layer a layer) and melt it in the microwave, stirring in between, or in a double boiler in 30 seconds. Once it has completely melted, add 3-5 drops of whatever extract you like, then pour it onto a lined baking sheet and spread out to form an 8 x 12 ”rectangular mass.
If you are making a single layer bark, go ahead and supplement it with your add-ons of your choice, adding as much or less as you like; it is very difficult to overload the bark. If you are making two-layer bark, let the first layer cure until it is opaque but completely solid. Melt the next layer and repeat the steps above, remembering that chocolate with a higher fat content (such as white) melts and burns faster than dark chocolate. Pour the freshly melted chocolate on top of the unmelted chocolate, place any chunks and nuggets you want on top, and let them set until completely solid. Break them apart, eat many of them yourself, and donate the rest in a variety of fancy-looking pouches.