Peppermint and Rum Chocolate Bark

One thing I love about the holiday season is making homemade treats to share with family and friends. This was my first time making Christmas bark, and I love that it is so fun and simple, and even the kids can help out (of course you can skip the rum extract!).  The one thing to watch out for is to make sure you don’t burn the chocolate. Melting chocolate is somewhat of an art, but anyone can do it as long as you don’t overheat it.

So, grab some chocolate and candy canes and try this simple but fun holiday recipe!

Ingredients

16 ounces (divided) 60% cacao bittersweet chocolate, chopped
1 teaspoon peppermint extract
16 ounces white chocolate, chopped
3/4 teaspoon rum extract (optional)
6 candy canes, crushed
Additional melted dark chocolate for drizzling

Method

Prepare a 9×13 inch baking pan by lining it with parchment paper. Allow some to hang over the edges, which will facilitate removing it.

Melt 12 ounces of the bittersweet chocolate in the top of a double boiler or in the microwave.  (Reserve the remaining four ounces.) Be careful not to overheat. As a “makeshift” double boiler, I place a medium pot on top of a small pot. The small pot has just one inch of water and the heat is on low. Add the chocolate to the medium pot and stir constantly, until almost melted. Remove the pot and continue stirring until all of the chocolate melts. Stir in the peppermint extract.

Quickly pour the chocolate into the prepared pan and spread it in an even layer using a spatula.

Melt 16 ounces of white chocolate in the same method as outlined above. Stir in the rum extract. Carefully pour the white chocolate on top of the dark chocolate and spread it around without mixing the two chocolates. Spread the white chocolate in an even layer.

Sprinkle the crushed candy canes on top of the white chocolate.  Refrigerate for 10 minutes. Remove from the refrigerator and lightly press the crushed candy canes into the chocolate.

Melt the remaining dark chocolate and drizzle over the top.  Allow to cool at room temperature until the chocolate has completely solidified. Once the chocolate bark has solidified, remove it from the pan and break it into pieces. It can be stored at room temperature in an airtight container for up to two weeks.