Christmas Treats - Double Chocolate Peppermint Bark

I don't think this is front page news, but I will share it anyways. Christmas is my most favorite time of the year.  I love every single thing it brings, especially the holiday treats. Traditionally, the weeks leading up to Christmas have always been filled with cooking candies, cookies, and mixes that fill our stomaches…until we commit to our new year’s resolutions.  This treat is an old classic that is pretty enough to share as gifts. I hope you enjoy!  

Ingredients

- 8 oz. high-quality semi-sweet chocolate
- 8 oz. high-quality white chocolate
- 25 peppermint candies, crushed
- ½ tsp. peppermint extract, divided
- 2 tsp. canola oil, divided

Steps

1. Lightly grease a 9x9 inch pan and line with waxed paper, smoothing out wrinkles; set aside.

2. Place the semisweet chocolate and 1 teaspoon of the canola oil in the top of a double boiler over just barely simmering water, stirring frequently and scraping down the sides with a rubber spatula to avoid scorching. When the chocolate is melted, stir in 1/4 teaspoon of the peppermint extract. Pour the melted chocolate into the prepared pan, and spread evenly over the bottom of the pan. Sprinkle half of the crushed peppermints over the chocolate layer. Refrigerate until completely hardened, about 1 hour.

TIP: If you don’t have a double-boiler don’t worry – I just used a non-stick sauce pan and cooked over low heat.  If you stir consistently, you won’t burn it.  Also, I put mine in the freezer to cool and it hardened in 30-40 minutes.

3. Place the white chocolate and the remaining 1 teaspoon canola oil in the top of a double boiler over just barely simmering water, stirring frequently and scraping down the sides with a rubber spatula to avoid scorching. When the chocolate is melted, stir in the remaining 1/4 teaspoon peppermint extract. Pour the white chocolate directly over the semisweet chocolate layer; spread evenly. Sprinkle the remaining crushed candy over the top and gently press in. Refrigerate until completely hardened. Remove from pan; break into small pieces to serve.

What are your favorite holiday barks?