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One of the things I enjoy most about the holiday season is having family close and spending quality time together. There’s just something about family time around the holidays that seems more important – almost like the moments are more precious and more valuable. Every year for as long as I can remember, we have gathered for our annual Christmas candy and cookie making day with my mom the weekend before Christmas. It’s a fun time for us as we shut out the hustle and bustle of the season and just be together. Some of the recipes have changed over the years, but several always make their way to our holiday menu: Martha Washington Balls, Peanut Brittle, and this Peppermint Bark are good examples. The faces present have changed a bit over the years, too. Adding my wife and then my son to the mix has brought me even more joy. We spend the day listening to Christmas music and cooking and baking away. Food is a central theme in our family, as it is with most Southern families, and the holidays just give us the opportunity to pull out all the stops.
The holiday season is a time for traditions, much like our baking day. It might be finding the perfect evergreen for the Christmas tree or perhaps it’s loading up in the car with coffee and hot chocolate and taking a tour of the holiday light displays. Regardless, it’s a time for family.
This Christmas, my wish for you is to be able to pull your family closer, hold them longer, and squeeze them tighter. I hope you can find time in the chaos of the holiday to gather together and just be family. And no matter where it is or who you’re with, I hope you can find your way home this Christmas.
Ingredients
- 1 (12-ounce) package semi-sweet chocolate chips
- 1 (20 to 24-ounce) package vanilla almond bark
- 1 teaspoon peppermint extract
- 1 (16-ounce) package round peppermint candies
- Red and white sprinkling sugar
Method
- Line a cookie sheet with waxed paper. Melt chocolate chips in microwave using 30 second intervals. Stir frequently.
- Spread the chocolate on the waxed paper in a thin layer. Allow the chocolate to set at room temperature for about 30 minutes.
- In the meantime, unwrap the peppermint candies and place in a gallon-size zip top bag. Place the bag with candies between a dish towel and crush with a rolling pin or meat tenderizer. Be sure to break up candy, but do not completely crush.
- Once the chocolate is set, melt the vanilla almond bark in the microwave using 30 second intervals, stirring between each. Once melted, add about 1/3 of the crushed candy and the peppermint extract to the melted bark. Lightly toss to coat, but don’t overmix or your white bark will turn pink. Pour the white bark mixture over the chocolate layer and spread thin. Work quickly so the chocolate layer won’t melt through.
- Top with the remaining crushed candy, being careful to use the chunks and not the finely crushed powdery stuff. Sprinkle with red and white sugar crystals. (This step is not necessary, but it sure makes this stuff sparkle.)
- Chill in refrigerator until set. Then break into pieces.
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Stacey Little
is the author and publisher of SouthernBite.com, an award-winning Southern food blog dedicated to sharing his family’s Southern recipes.
