Peppermint Bark

 

When I used to work as a barista in a coffee shop at the Pike Place Market, we sold peppermint bark as a seasonal holiday treat. As an employee, I got a significant discount on these gift-type items and so I bought some of the peppermint bark to take home to Pittsburgh for my aunt and uncle and my grandmother for Christmas one year. It was a big hit. This year, I decided to try making it. Sometimes, I think, peppermint bark has a layer of white chocolate on top. I was unable to find vegan white chocolate at the grocery store–though you can easily order it online (like these from Vegan Essentials). To make this vegan peppermint bark, I used vegan chocolate chips (you can use semi-sweet or bittersweet) and Tru Sweets Organic Vegan Candy Canes. These candy canes are great (sweetened with brown rice syrup and dyed with beet juice), but they are not very pepperminty. As such, I added some peppermint extract to the chocolate portion of the bark.

The Recipe

1 12oz bag of vegan chocolate chips (semi-sweet or bittersweet) 

1 tsp peppermint extract

10 vegan candy canes, crushed

parchment paper or flexible non-stick surface

Unwrap and crush the candy canes. We used the food processor for this in short bursts. Tish and I first tried to crush them in a bag with a hammer. This was disastrous and made a big mess (read: the bag burst and candy cane shards went everywhere!). It’s just fine if the sizes of the candy cane are varied:

Melt the chocolate very slowly over low heat in a double boiler, stirring constantly:

When the chocolate is melted, mix in the peppermint extract and pour the chocolate mixture onto your flat non-stick surface (either a piece of parchment on a cutting board or counter, or a silicone baking mat). Use a spatula to spread the melted chocolate out evenly (about 1/4 inch thick):

Immediately spread the crushed candy cane on top, pressing down gently to embed the candy cane pieces into the warm chocolate:

Let cool. When completely cool, peel the parchment or silicone away from the bark. Break the bark into pieces. The more irregular the better!

You can wrap this up in compostable cellophane bags as gifts, or serve it up at a party, or simply toss it in a container and keep around for when your sweet tooth is humming.