Really Easy Peppermint Bark

Friends have given me Peppermint Bark at the holidays, but I had never made it myself. It’s something I’d been wanting to try, but I was actually a little intimidated by it. For some reason, I thought Peppermint Bark was hard to make. Well, after searching for some recipes on the web, I found a really easy recipe at AllRecipes. It’s unbelievably easy…even for a novice candy-maker like me! I added some peppermint extract to give the bark a little more peppermint flavor and used crushed candy canes instead of peppermint candies. I was really happy with how it turned out, and received good reviews from my friends who taste-tested it! This recipe uses an 11 x 7″ pan and makes about 1 pound of bark. If you want to make a larger batch, you can double the recipe and use a 9 x 13″ pan.

Here’s the recipe…happy candy-making!

REALLY EASY PEPPERMINT BARK (adapted from AllRecipes and Nestle®)

Line an 11 x 7″ baking sheet with waxed paper or parchment paper; set aside.

Place candy canes (or peppermint candies) in a heavy-duty plastic bag (I used a gallon-size Ziploc® freezer bag). Crush candy canes or candies using a rolling pin; set aside.

Microwave morsels in a medium-size microwave-safe bowl on MEDIUM-HIGH (70 percent) power for 1 minute; stir. Continue to microwave and stir morsels at 10- to 20-second intervals until morsels are melted; stir until smooth (be careful not to overheat the morsels). Add peppermint extract to the melted morsels and blend well.

While holding a strainer over the bowl of melted morsels, pour crushed candy into strainer. Shake strainer to release all small candy pieces, letting them fall into the bowl of melted morsels, and blend the candy-morsel mixture well. (Reserve the larger candy pieces for the top of the bark).

Spread the mixture in your wax paper-lined 11 x 7″ pan. Sprinkle with reserved larger candy pieces, pressing in lightly.

Let stand for about 1 hour or until firm. Peel off the wax paper from the bottom side of the bark and break into pieces. Store in an airtight container at room temperature.

Now that I’ve been successful at making Peppermint Bark, I’m ready to take on more candy recipes!

Linked to Sunday Showcase, Sundae Scoop, Potluck Sunday, Motivate Me Monday, Made by You Monday, Made With Love Monday, Mouthwatering Monday, Tasty Tuesday, Rednesday, Make It Yours Day, Show and Tell, White Wednesday, Holiday Recipe Week, Show Off Your Stuff, Favorite Things Friday, Foodie Friday, I’m Lovin’ It! Fridays, Food Fight Friday, Favorite Things Saturday.