Christmas Peppermint Bark

Christmas Eve is here! I can't believe how fast these few months have gone by, but I can say that I feel like a changed human. Thanks to certain events, I created this food blog! Out of the darkness, the food blog light shone its beauteous face and has been one of my favorite things to curate. While I haven't been on top of my game recently due to the fact that I still have a life outside of the Interweb, I still come back to share the cooking and baking love. Anyways, a lot of other really great opportunities, friends, experiences and whatnot came around in the past four months, which I am so grateful for. Ultimately, what better to celebrate the season of giving than with PEPPERMINT BARK. I figure it's not New Year's Eve yet — we have a week until then — so I really cut that short to limit the sap and feelings because, let me tell you, I have a lot packed away. 

So because I am absolutely addicted to peppermint bark, specifically that of Williams-Sonoma, I have been intentionally forgetting my wallet every time I walk into the store to avoid the purchase. However, the store samples are the gifts that keep on giving, so I figured I would actually try and make it myself. There I was, chocolate chips in one hand and candy canes in the other, walking out of the grocery store feeling empowered to #barkon. You might think that peppermint bark would take eons to make, but it actually goes by extremely fast, especially because of the microwave...shout out to Percy Spencer. Look that one up, kids. 

Anywho, if you are in a rush today and need to make quick little gift for a neighbor, friend, family member or that random woman who keeps circling your driveway, here it is!

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​INGREDIENTS

• 1 bag of semisweet chocolate chips
• 1 bag of white chocolate chips
• 2 tsp of coconut oil
• 2 tsp of peppermint extract
• 4-5 crushed candy canes

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INSTRUCTIONS

1. No oven preheating for this one! Pull out a cookie sheet and line with parchment.
2. Put the semisweet chocolate and white chocolate in two separate microwave-safe glass bowls.
3. Starting with the semisweet chocolate chips, pour one teaspoon of the coconut oil in the bowl and place in the microwave for 30 second increments until melted and smooth. Add one teaspoon of the peppermint extract. *Don't do the white chocolate yet, trust me.
4. Pour out the first bowl of chocolate (semisweet) onto the parchment on the cookie sheet. To avoid movement, you can put a little bit of the melted chocolate underneath the parchment so that it sticks to the tray.
5. With a heat-proof spatula, smooth out the chocolate into a thin layer so that it covers about 75% of the cookie sheet. Place in the freezer for a few minutes until fairly solid or in the fridge for ten minutes. I failed to wait because I was so excited, so I ended up with a marble effect in my white chocolate, as the dark chocolate was not solid yet *sigh*...
6. While this is cooling, you can go ahead and smash those candy canes/peppermints to have them on hand. 
7. Repeat step #3 with the white chocolate this time once the first layer is set, then pour that layer out right on top of the semisweet layer and spreeeaaaaddd the loooooveeee.
8. Sprinkle the crushed peppermint onto the white chocolate and watch them sink in a bit. 
9. Let that cool for about 30 minutes or until you feel that the bark is solid, break it up into several pieces and try not to eat it all.