White Chocolate Peppermint Bark

As a part of my usual Christmas baking routine, I always make White Chocolate Peppermint Bark and send it to my best friend.  We both love the combination of peppermint and white chocolate and it's become one of my favourite parts of the Christmas season.

Since my friend lives far away in another province, I send my Christmas presents for her and her family through the mail.  Therefore, it can be difficult to find recipes that transport well - not an issue with my chocolate bark recipe.

As with most recipes that call for white chocolate, I find using better quality chocolate really makes a huge difference to the end result of the bark.  I like to use Lindt white chocolate in my baking because the quality and flavour is very good.  I find lesser quality white chocolate doesn't melt very well and tends to have a strange aftertaste that is un-pleasant on the palette.  I also do not recommend using white chocolate chips as they usually contain vegetable oil and soy lecithin to help the chips keep their shape when baked in cookies.  However, these additives cause the chocolate not to set very firm after melting which isn't ideal for chocolate bark.

The peppermint component of the bark comes in the form of peppermint candy canes.  I use regular peppermint candy canes for this recipe, but avoid the small individually wrapped brands.  I find over time, they lose crunch and become soft and sticky, which doesn't work well for this recipe.

Once the chocolate bark is made and broken apart, it stores very well in a Christmas cookie tin or any food storage container.  I love using decorative cookie tins this time of year since they look lovely and festive.  As well, when I sent my bark to my best friend, I shipped it to her in a decorative tin which works really well.

Here's the recipe:

5 Lindt white chocolate bars (broken into pieces)
Few drops of vanilla bean paste
6 standard sized peppermint candy canes

Cover a baking tray with aluminium foil and set aside.

Put the candy canes into a large Ziploc bag or food storage bag and using a rolling pin, bash the candy canes in the bag until nicely ground up - some larger bits and some powdery.  Separate the larger pieces of candy cane from the powdery stuff and set aside.

In a heat proof bowl set over a pot of gently simmering water, add all but a handful of the white chocolate setting aside the excess.  Let the chocolate sit in the bowl gently melting until almost fully melted.  Then using a rubber spatula, stir the chocolate a little to aid in fully melting.  Once the chocolate is completely melted, add the remaining white chocolate stirring to melt.  This tempers the chocolate helping to stabilise the chocolate and preventing it from seizing.  Not to mention, tempering the chocolate this way provides an ultra smooth texture to the finished bark.  Add the vanilla bean paste and the candy cane powder to the melted chocolate and stir to combine.

Pour the chocolate onto the prepared baking tray and spread out evenly with a spatula.  Sprinkle the larger pieces of candy cane evenly over the chocolate and set the baking tray in the fridge for 3 to 4 hours to set up.  Once set, break the bark into pieces and store in the container of your choice.

Merry Christmas and bon appetit!