Swirled Peppermint Bark

Here is another one of my favorite holiday recipes. I love peppermint bark, and the bark from Williams Sonoma is devine. However, the $24.50 price tag is outrageous! Who wants to pay that kind of money for bark? A few years ago, I searched for a recipe for a homemade version, and below is what I came up with. It's very simple, and the swirled, tasty treat will be a hit at any holiday party!

Ingredients:
10 oz. semisweet chocolate, finely chopped or as chips
10 oz. white chocolate, finely chopped or as chips
4 oz. candy canes, crushed

Directions:
Line a cookie sheet with two lengths of aluminum foil; there should be enough foil so that the entire inside of the pan is lined. Place the semisweet chocolate in one medium microwaveable bowl and the white chocolate in another.

Heat the semisweet chocolate in the microwave at medium (50%) power for one minute. Remove from microwave; stir thoroughly (about one minute). Microwave at 50% (medium) power for additional shorter intervals, stirring thoroughly after each, just until chocolate is melted and smooth. Set aside at room temperature. Repeat melting instructions with white chocolate.

Pour the melted semisweet chocolate in a thin stream onto the bottom of the lined pan, moving the bowl around as you do so. Try to keep the chocolate about one-half inch away from all of the edges. Repeat the pouring with the melted white chocolate, again covering as large an area as possible and trying to stay about a half-inch away from all edges.

Using a toothpick or flat knife, marble the chocolates together, trying to fill in any gaps so that you have one layer of two types of chocolate that covers the bottom of the lined pan. Sprinkle the crushed candy canes all over the layer of melted chocolate, as evenly as possible.

Tear off a single sheet of foil about the length of the pan. Place it directly on top of the candy canes you’ve sprinkled on the chocolate. Gently press down on the foil sheet to firmly embed the crushed candy canes in the chocolate layer. Leave the foil sheet on top of the bark, and refrigerate the whole thing for about 30 minutes. At the end of that time, the top sheet of foil should easily peel off the bark.

Once the top sheet of foil is peeled off, quickly break the bark into small pieces. Place the bark pieces in an airtight storage container, and refrigerate until about 10 to 15 minutes before serving. Enjoy!