Double Chocolate Peppermint Bark

By Hklbrries

The perfect recipe for holiday gift giving can be almost anything, as long as it comes from your kitchen – and from the heart. A favorite family recipe is a good place to start. A jar of jam or chutney canned when the fruits were at their peak is always welcome. A simple sugar cookie can look elegant with a dusting of sprinkles, especially if it’s tied up in a small bag with a pretty ribbon.

The treats don’t have to be expertly decorated. If you can wield a pastry bag like a pro, that’s perfect. But giving a child a zip-top sandwich bag full of frosting with a snipped corner works just as well. Let them have fun shaking seasonal nonpareils onto the cookies; they’re easy to clean up.

Include the recipe on the gift tag if you like, or at the very least, add a note about how your treat should be stored and when it’s best enjoyed.

Ingredients

• 12 (6- to 7-inch long) red and white peppermint candy canes
• 1 pound couverture bittersweet or semisweet chocolate (see note), finely chopped
• 1 pound couverture white chocolate (see note), finely chopped

Details

Servings 2

Preparation

Step 1

Line a jelly roll pan with aluminum foil, shiny side up, smoothing out any wrinkles, or line a pan with a piece of acetate.

Place candy canes in a heavy-duty zipper-lock bag, press out air, and seal bag. Crush candy canes with a rolling pin, alternately rolling and whacking candy until fairly uniformly crushed; aim for 1/4 inch pieces.

If there is a lot of powder residue, place candy in a colander and shake out and discard powdery part (or save and stir into hot chocolate).

You may also chop candy in a food processor, fitted with a metal blade, pulsing on and off. It will make a racket, however.

Temper bittersweet chocolate (see below) and spread in a thin, even layer, about 1/4 inch, all over the aluminum foil, using an offset spatula. It doesn’t have to be perfectly rectangular like the pan, as the candy will be broken up into irregular pieces.

Place in refrigerator to firm while you temper white chocolate (see note).

Spread tempered white chocolate in a thin, even layer over bittersweet chocolate. Immediately sprinkle chopped candy over white chocolate while it is still wet. Place bark in refrigerator until completely firm, about 20 minutes.

Peel off the aluminum foil. Break the bark into irregular pieces and enjoy.

Note: Couverture chocolate has a cocoa butter content of at least 32 percent. It will be very fluid when melted and it gives molded chocolates or coated chocolate and candies the thinnest, most elegant coating.

To temper chocolate: Start with desired amount of chocolate as stated in recipe and chop it very finely. Place about two-thirds of it in the top of a double boiler set over gently simmering water.

Stir gently to encourage melting, but not vigorously, which will add air.

Do not allow chocolate to heat above 115 degrees for semisweet or bittersweet chocolate and 110 for milk or white chocolate. As soon as the chocolate is melted, remove it from the heat and wipe the bottom of the pot to eliminate any chance of water droplets reaching the chocolate, which would cause it to seize. (You’ll know if it has seized because it will become overly thickened and grainy.)

Add about one-third of the remaining chopped chocolate and stir gently. The residual heat will melt it, and the mixture will start to cool down. Add the remaining chocolate, in two more stages if necessary, to cool the chocolate further, continuing to stir gently until it reaches 79 degrees. Stir until it is completely melted.

The chocolate is now ready to use. You must retain the chocolate’s temperature while you’re working with it.