Peppermint Bark Makes Good Use of all Those Leftover Candy Canes

I had some yummy peppermint bark at Kelly's house during the pre-holiday snow day. I'm neither a peppermint fan nor a white chocolate fan so it was surprising to me how addicting that bark was for me. I've since then discovered that you can subsitute dark chocolate (or a swirl of the white and the dark). I may eat the entire batch myself if I had that combination in front of me.

We have at least 20 extra candy canes floating around here post-holiday so my family and friends will be enjoying lots of peppermint bark a la Coles.

You know my preference is toward homemade simple foods but this one has to top the charts for simplicity. And think how much you're saving instead of buying it at a specialty store!

Simple Peppermint Bark Recipe
1 package white chocolate chips or dark chocolate chips (or half a bag of each if you want to swirl)
4 crushed candy canes
1 T. peppermint extract (not mint -PEPPERMINT - otherwise it'll taste like toothpaste)

Instructions: melt chocolate chips per package instructions. I did mine in the microwave and it took less than 2 minutes. Keep a close eye on it though as microwave temps vary. Once melted, stir in the peppermint extract. Spread it out on a cookie sheet lined with wax paper. Place (or smush would be a more descriptive term) the crushed peppermint into the peppermint chocolate mixture. Place in a freezer - or outside if it's cold enough - for about 10 minutes to harden. Then just break it apart and start eating.

Also makes a great food gift. Buy some of those tins 80% off after the holiday and plan to make this next year.