Layered Chocolate Peppermint Bark Recipe

This peppermint bark is something that my family looks forward to every year. The best part is, along with how good it tastes, it also happens to be pretty easy to make. Most recipes for layered bark call for semi-sweet chocolate, but I prefer unsweetened chocolate instead. Since white chocolate is basically pure sugar, and there is even more sugar added with the candy canes on top, I find it provides a nice contrast between the super sweet white chocolate/candy-cane layer and the bitter dark chocolate underneath. Whether you make this for yourself, or as a gift for others, it will definitely be a big hit!

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Layered Chocolate Peppermint Bark

Ingredients

12 oz unsweetened(100% cacao) baking chocolate

12 oz white chocolate

8 natural/organic candy canes

Directions

1. Melt the dark chocolate in a double boiler or in the microwave until smooth.
2. Poor the melted chocolate onto a parchment lined baking sheet and use a spatula to spread it into a thin layer. Refrigerate until solid.
3. Melt the white chocolate in a double boiler or microwave until smooth. Allow it to cool as much as possible, while still remaining melted. This will ensure the dark chocolate layer doesn't soften and mix with the white chocolate.
4. While the white chocolate is cooling, place candy canes in a plastic bag and crush into pieces using a mallet or rolling pin. Sift the crushed candy canes through a strainer to separate the very fine, sugar-like pieces from the larger chunks.
5. Mix the fine candy-cane pieces into the white chocolate.
6. Pour the white chocolate and candy cane mixture over the dark chocolate and use a spatula to spread the white chocolate as close to the edges of the dark chocolate layer as possible.
7. Sprinkle the large candy cane pieces over the white chocolate and lightly press the pieces in with your fingers to help them better adhere.
8. Return the bark to the refrigerator and allow the white chocolate layer to harden.
9. Break the bark into pieces and store in the refrigerator.

Recipe: Peppermint Sugar

Candy canes are a staple for many this time of year. They make festive coffee and hot chocolate stirrers and are a favorite addition to holiday treats. However, it can be challenging to find candy canes that aren't full of corn syrup, artificial dyes, artificial flavors, and other nasty chemicals. While I prefer a natural candy cane because of the iconic shape and colors, you can make a substitute yourself if you can't get your hands on a high quality candy cane.

Peppermint Sugar

makes approximately 1 cup

Ingredients

1 cup Sucanat/Rapadura sugar

1/4 cup water

1/2 - 1 teaspoon peppermint extract (depending on how minty you like it)

Directions

1. Line a metal baking sheet with parchment paper and place in the refrigerator to chill.
2. Meanwhile, add the sugar and water to a medium sauce pan and heat over medium low heat. Stir water and sugar mixture with a spatula as it heats to dissolve the sugar.
3. Continue stirring and heating until the sugar starts to bubble. Then, continue to stir the sugar frequently as it cooks for 15 minutes.
4. Remove sugar from the heat and stir in the peppermint extract. Make sure to stand away from the pot as your do this, because the peppermint extract hitting the hot sugar can take your breath away if you're not careful.
5. Stir the sugar to ensure the peppermint extract is incorporated and poor it out onto your chilled, parchment-lined baking sheet.
6. Use your spatula to spread the sugar into a thin (but not transparent) layer. Allow the sugar to cool until it is hard and does not bend. You can place it in the refrigerator to speed up the process if you like.
7. Now it's time for the fun part: Breaking up your sugar! Cover the sugar with another piece of parchment and then use a mallet or rolling pick to break the sugar into pieces of your desired size. Use immediately or store in a thin layer to prevent the pieces from sticking together into a big mass. You can also put the pieces into a small blender and make a finely ground sugar for your coffee.

Recipe: Layered Melon Popsicles

Since I purchased the popsicle mold I mentioned here, I've been enjoying my healthy frozen treats often, as a snack or after-dinner dessert. This recipe uses one of my favorite fruits, the watermelon. I can eat and eat and never get tired of it. In college, my roommate once said "You know you live with a dietetics major when you find watermelon seeds in the couch cushions." It's just soooo gooood! In addition to highlighting this beloved food, I'll teach you how to make layered popsicles. They look super fancy and really aren't all that difficult to make. It takes a little more time and patience, but you're already in for some waiting if you're making popsicles anyways. Mine ended up a little uneven on this batch, but I like to just call that "rustic." The amounts in this recipe are specific to my mold, but you can easily adapt it to whatever mold you have, even if that's just an ice cube tray.

My mold. It makes 10 pops and has a handy lid to keep the sticks in place. You can learn more about it here. The great thing about melon is they liquefy easily. No worries about having to get in a fight with your blender. The key to these is freezing the layers separately so they don't mix. Into the freezer we go! This is the other melon I used. I got it at the market, but I don't know what it's called. Let me know if you have any guesses! I love the contrast between pink and green melon. Cantaloupe would be nice too if you're a fan of the pink/orange combo. I added the final layer and this is the result! These look so pretty I almost don't want to eat them. Almost. Check out the recipe below.

Layered Melon Popsicles

makes 10 servings

Ingredients

3 cups cubed watermelon, seeded 1.5 cups cubed honeydew or other similar melon

Directions

1. Put your watermelon in a blender and process until liquefied. Transfer liquid to a measuring cup.
2. Pour watermelon liquid into molds until 1/3 full.
3. Place lid on mold and insert popsicle sticks. Freeze until solid, approximately 6 hours.
4. When ready to add next layer, repeat steps 1-3 with honeydew, minus the part about the popsicle sticks because they're already in place.
5. Once honeydew layer is frozen, finish off your pops with the rest of the watermelon liquid and freeze in the same fashion.
6. Once pops are frozen, remove from mold and enjoy!