Peppermint Bark is an easy and elegant Christmas gift. It’s a cinch to make with only four ingredients and contains layers of semi-sweet and white chocolate. It’s topped with crushed peppermint candy for a festive appearance.
I lived through the era of those aluminum Christmas trees that looked nothing like Christmas trees. They had a center pole, covered in strips of aluminum into which you’d insert these things that were supposed to represent tree limbs. The limbs were as straight as a poker, covered in aluminum strips that dangled, and had ridiculous looking pom-poms on the end. We even had the color wheel that shone on the aluminum tree making it look even less like a Christmas tree as it changed to every color in the rainbow. My mother loved this tree, however. After it was set up in front of the picture window, she would make us all stand on the sidewalk and look at it. All her ooo-ing and ahh-ing didn’t do a thing to convince me it was beautiful. To my eyes, it flat out didn’t look like a Christmas tree. And, it was strange looking, to boot.
We’d ride around to look at Christmas lights and she’d always delight each time she saw a similar tree in other people’s picture windows. Perhaps she felt validated. I, on the other hand, felt disappointed. Is it too much to ask for a green Christmas tree?
Finally, after what seemed like a lifetime, we ditched the aluminum tree for a real tree. It not only looked like a Christmas tree, it smelled like one, too! This was long before Hallmark’s cable channel that shows non-stop Christmas movies, but I could have written a script for them. I was in Heaven!
My heavenly jubilation was short lived, unfortunately. My mother decided this beautiful live, green, perfectly shaped Christmas tree with the perfect evergreen bouquet, would be decorated all in blue.
BLUE!?
Talk about an emotional roller coaster. I go from disappointed, to disappointed, and back to disappointed. Suddenly, I’m ecstatic and then BOOM! Disappointed, again.
So, on to the blue decorations: blue lights, blue ornaments, and blue garland. All that blue sufficiently snuffed the life out of the beautiful green Christmas tree.
But, we weren’t done yet.
Back then , silver tinsel was a popular Christmas tree decoration.. I suppose it could add some magic and beauty to a tree if applied correctly which entailed adding them one by one to the tree. But that’s not how we rolled. We grabbed handfuls, stood back, and threw them on the tree.
Between the non-Christmasy blue decorations and the abundance of sloppily placed silver tinsel, the beauty of the tree underneath no longer matter. At that moment, I felt a kinship with Charlie Brown.
My mother did bend a little and let us put candy canes on the tree. Real candy canes that were red and white striped just as candy canes should be. The candy canes brought just enough tradition amidst the sea of contemporary blue ornaments and artificial, poorly applied, silver tinsel to give the tree a real Christmas feel. For that, I’m eternally grateful to peppermint’s red and white stripes.
I still love red and white stripes at Christmas. Whether not that has anything to do with the real candy canes that made our unfortunate tree decorations tolerable, I’ll never know. What I do know, is that our decorations were a recipe headed for disaster until we were saved by the stripes.
Peppermint Bark
Inspired by Food Network
You can’t have too much red and white striped peppermint at Christmas. Peppermint and chocolate is a great flavor combination. Peppermint Bark has the visual appeal of red and white stripes and the palate appeal of chocolate and mint. Score!!
Deceptively easy, this gorgeous candy makes wonderful gifts. Line the baking dish with aluminum foil with sides that hang over. Spray with non-stick spray. When the bark is finished and hardened, use the sides of the foil to lift the candy out of the baking dish. You can easily separate the foil from the candy. Either break or cut into sections. If the candy has been in the fridge, let it come to room temperature before cutting or breaking
12 ounces Baker’s semi-sweet chocolate baking squares
3/4 teaspoon peppermint extract
16 ounces Baker’s Premium white chocolate baking squares
20 round peppermint candies (or an equal amount of candy canes), crushed
Line a 9×13 inch baking dish with foil. Spray with nonstick spray.
Place semi-sweet chocolate in a microwave safe bowl. Microwave until chocolate is 75% melted, stirring 30 seconds. Remove from microwave and continue stirring until completely melted. Stir in peppermint extract. Pour into prepared dish. Let sit until chocolate starts to harden.
Place white chocolate in microwave safe bowl. Microwave until 75% melted, stirring after each 30 seconds. Remove from microwave and stir until white chocolate is melted. Pour over semi-sweet chocolate.
Sprinkle crushed peppermint candies on top of white chocolate. Press candy gently into the chocolate.
Let sit at room temperature until firm, at least one hour.
Remove from baking dish by grabbing the foil.
Break into pieces. Store in airtight container.
You might also enjoy:
Peppermint Bark
Ingredients
- 12 ounces premium semi-sweet chocolate baking squares
- 3/4 teaspoon peppermint extract
- 16 ounces premium white chocolate baking squares
- 20 round peppermint candies or an equal amount of candy canes, crushed
Instructions
- Line a 9x13 inch baking dish with foil. Spray with nonstick spray.
- Place semi-sweet chocolate in a microwave safe bowl. Microwave until chocolate is 75% melted, stirring after 30 seconds. Remove from microwave and continue stirring until completely melted. Stir in peppermint extract. Pour into prepared dish. Let sit until chocolate starts to harden.
- Place white chocolate in microwave safe bowl. Microwave until 75% melted, stirring after each 30 seconds .. Remove from microwave and stir until white chocolate is melted. Pour over semi-sweet chocolate.
- Sprinkle crushed peppermint candies on top of white chocolate. Press candy gently into the chocolate.
- Let sit at room temperature until firm, at least one hour. I let it sit overnight.
- Remove from baking dish by grabbing the foil.
- Break into pieces. Store in airtight container.
nettiemoore says
Looks amazing! I bet your Christmas tree is incredible now! Nettie <3
Jackie Garvin says
Thanks, Nettie! I will say my Christmas tree looks like a Christmas tree. No aluminum trees here. 🙂
Maureen | Orgasmic Chef says
This bark makes me feel all Christmasy and I’m feeling a need to put up a tree. 🙂
Jackie Garvin says
Maureen,
Have you adjusted to having Christmas in the summer?
Heather says
We had an aluminum tree for years on our front porch as well, along with the colored light. Boy what memories that brings back for me.
Jackie Garvin says
Heather,
Those trees were so popular in the day! 🙂
Mary Ann says
Oh yummy! I usually make just the white bark but this year I am going to try your approach for a fancy touch!
Jackie Garvin says
Mary Ann,
The chocolate layer does add a bit of panauch, doesn’t it?
Jean says
We too had a silver Christmas tree. I thought that was the prettiest thing I had ever seen. It must have been the designer in me then! Cedar…is what smells like Christmas to me and is what Daddy used to cut and that’s what we had until the new fangled tree. Never take me with you to cut or pick out a tree. It’s never big enough even when you cant get it in the house! I just might make some of that peppermint yummy stuff!!
Jackie Garvin says
Jean,
There was a house that was on our local Holiday Home Tour one year that had their entire house decorated in 60’s theme. They had silver trees of every size all throughout the house. You would have loved it!
Jenni says
I love your story! My mother always had a white tree and blue ornaments. Look more like a Hannukah tree than Christmas to me! We love peppermint bark around here! Thanks for sharing.
Jackie Garvin says
Jenni,
I love traditional Christmas trees so much I really can’t relate to someone wanting to get so far away from that. 🙂
Food Stories says
Aluminum and color wheel, that’s been a while. the peppermint bark looks very good.
Jackie Garvin says
It brings back memories, doesn’t it? 🙂
A Homestead Heart says
Had to pop back over after you visited my blog … peppermint bark sounds YUMMY (I may live to regret my visit … I saw at the bottom a link to … divinity! Then … Pralines!!! And finally …. Peanut Brittle!!! I can get into a LOT of trouble visiting your blog, lol, but they all sound yummy!!!
My grandma had a tiny aluminum tree. It was ok …. but I’m with you. I want to see real green and LOTS of colors! Not just blue. If I ever have a bunch of trees maybe I’ll do a themed one in just a few colors, but I like my country tree with a huge variety of handmade ornaments, added over the years. 🙂 Merry Christmas, y’all! 🙂
Jackie Garvin says
I’m delighted you came back for a visit. We love having you and hope you come to see us often!
I wish you and your family and loved ones a very Merry Christmas. May God richly bless. 🙂
grace says
i can’t understand why we only really eat peppermint goodies around christmas. they’re delicious! we should eat them every day! year round! 🙂
Jackie Garvin says
Grace,
I keep peppermint candy in my candy jar year round. It’s too good to be seasonal! 🙂
Stacy Adkins says
I had the same tree and color light growing up, hated it ! Now that I’m older I wish I had one again , as a second tree !! It brings back so many
good memories.
Jackie Garvin says
For a touch of nostalgia, an aluminum tree would be great. But when you replace a real Christmas tree with one made out of tin foil, it causes psychological trauma. 🙂
Rebecca Kaltsukis-Hayes says
I remember Dad bringing home the aluminum tree with the color wheel. boy, were us kids mad at him for doing that!
Jackie Garvin says
HA! I don’t know how those trees ever became popular.
Bertrude Smith says
I aM absolutely In lOVe weith these they amazinbg for me to make during family with my little bun buns. they love eating these while I do thEir cjhores. my grandchildern never come over to visit to i love making thses so thaT They come to see me. i greww up in a massachusets with my loving husband who left me for my grandchildrens college age nany! he is so wonderfful and i just want him to leave her for me. i lovce him so much. my favorite actress is cherly t3emple ansd ilove her new cinaMA fiLm im so glad they finnaly have television in color! #yolo #christimaswitfam #familychristmas #livelaughlove #familyisimportant #proudmemaw #memawsfirsthashteg #imlovingthseshashtags #ilovemyhusband #grandkiddos #laughingthroughthepain