The Red-White Razzle-Dazzle of Peppermint Bark

'Tis the season for festive touches.

Like stringing multi-colored lights around porches, donning itchy sweaters emblazoned with sparkling ornaments, or sprinkling crushed candy canes on chocolate.

'Tis the season for peppermint bark.

When the holidays come around, my favorite thing at Target isn't in Aisle 7 or Aisle 24. It's not Rudolph wrapping paper or inexpensive sets of a gazillion nail polishes. My favorite thing is by the cash registers, next to the latest issues of Glamour, Rachel Ray, and Star.

It's the Ghiradelli dark chocolate peppermint bark.

Peppermint bark is glorious and minty and December-y and January and February.

Heck, peppermint bark could be an all-year treat if you ask me.

The dark chocolate base layer is mouth-watering and there's a bittersweet silkiness to it. The white chocolate, which has been infused with peppermint extract, is the perfect blanket for the dark chocolate. And the crushed candy cane topping is refreshing and crunchy and cheerful.

This is chocolate at its finest.

It tastes like it came out of the kitchen of a gourmet chocolatier's house.

It looks like the star of a New York City bakery's window display. I can totally picture cameras panning out, the peppermint bark snuggled up in a diamond-encrusted silver tin, as a slim young brunette dressed in a floor-length black dress, a pearl necklace, and sunglasses, sips her coffee and stares longingly at the chocolate concoction. As she makes her way down an empty 5th Avenue, white lettering appears onscreen. Breakfast at Ghiradelli's. 

This peppermint bark totally deserves a silver screen adaptation or at least an ABC Christmas movie starring Melissa Joan Hart.

Anyhoo, this peppermint bark is cheerful and festive and just all around fun! It's a seasonal treat and I guarantee your happiness will increase when munching on a piece. Also, I think this bark has healing powers because I loathe white chocolate, I absolutely cannot stand it, except in peppermint bark. And a lot of my friends don't really like dark chocolate but love it in the bark.

It's easy to make. It's just melting chocolate and crushing candy canes. It also makes the perfect  hostess gift. Put some pieces in a tin, slip on your heels or tie your bow tie, and your ready for the holidays!

A note on the brand of chocolate: Tollhouse baking chocolate chips works best for me. I've tried a lot of other brands, and actually, Ghiradelli's chocolate chips were the worst. Believe me, I say that with a heavy heart because I adore Ghiradelli, but their chocolate chips just do not melt right. And I've done quite the bit of Google research and have found a lot of other people had this same problem.

Peppermint Bark Recipe (adapted from Food.com)

Ingredients:
- 12 oz. dark chocolate chips (see italicized note above about brands)
- 16 oz. white chocolate chips (see italicized note above about brands)
-3/4 teaspoon peppermint extract
-1/2 cup crushed candy cane

Directions:
-Preheat oven to 250 degrees.
-Line a 9x13 dish with aluminum foil, letting foil overhang sides for easy lift-up later. Spray foil with baking spray. 
-Pour an even layer of dark chocolate chips into the pan, then put in the oven for about 5 minutes. Just so it's almost melted. It should still be in its chocolate chip shape.
-When removed from oven, use a spatula butter knife to spread the melted chocolate evenly around pan. Chill for 40 minutes.

-After it's chilled, take it out of the fridge and let rest on counter top. Letting the dark chocolate layer's temperature drops ensures that the white chocolate layer will stick to it. 
-Melt white chocolate in a bowl over a saucepan of boiling water (make sure the bottom of the bowl doesn't touch water). When it's almost melted, remove from heat and stir in peppermint extract. Let it cool a bit before spreading over the dark chocolate (so the dark chocolate doesn't melt). Then sprinkle with crushed candy canes. Chill for at least 2 hours.

-Break apart with hands. (Found this easier than knives).
-Store in an airtight container in the fridge.

Happy baking! :)