Weather: 21 degrees
What I’m listening to: O Come Let Us Adore Him, Hillsong
You know those chocolate and/or white chocolate dipped pretzels with peppermint on them that show up every Christmas? I like those. A few days ago, I made a beautiful batch of classic peppermint bark. It was delightful. And yet, not quite delightful enough. You know me, I love to add pretzels to things… pretzel crust? Go for it. Pretzel cookies? Yes. Pretzel Peanut Butter Cups? Definitely. Pretzel croutons? Well… maybe. I’m not gonna rule out the crouton thing. That’s how far my flights of pretzel fancy can go. I might even make a plea to Food Network to use pretzels as the secret ingredient on Iron Chef America. Just. Kidding. Sort of.
So, what did I do? I waited… about a day… and made another batch of peppermint bark with pretzels, of course. I definitely think it’s even better. More texture and that perfect hit of salt that classic peppermint bark is just crying out for. Have you heard it crying? It’s saying add pretzels. Trust me.
Oh, and a quick note about using candy canes in your Christmas baking and treat-making: buy the little ones. The little candy canes are much, much easier to unwrap than the tightly wrapped larger versions. Unwrapping a whole box of large candy canes may just be a factor in driving people toward holiday depression – I haven’t checked the data, but I’m pretty convinced it ranks in there somewhere.
Apparently someone woke up on the sassy side of the bed this morning…
p.s. If you like this, you’ll probably love my guest post over at Lil Blue Boo – Peppermint Mocha Shortbread Cookies!
Pretzel Swirl Peppermint Bark
Adapted from Better Homes and Gardens
- 6oz chocolate candy melts, chopped
- 3oz milk chocolate, chopped
- 6oz vanilla/white candy melts
- 3oz white chocolate baking squares, chopped
- 1/3c candy canes, crushed
- 1/3c pretzels, crushed
- red holiday sugar sprinkles (optional)
Line a baking sheet with foil.
In a dry* saucepan over very low heat (you can also use a double-boiler or your microwave in 30 second increments, stirring in between), melt the chocolate candy melts and the milk chocolate, stirring frequently until smooth. Pour the chocolate onto the foil and spread out into a large rectangle using an offset spatula.
In another dry saucepan over very low heat, melt together the white candy melts and the white chocolate, stirring often, until smooth. Pour the white chocolate over the chocolate and spread carefully with an offset spatula to cover the chocolate layer. Then, using the tip of the spatula, swirl the white chocolate and the chocolate together, making a pretty design in the chocolates.
Sprinkle the swirled chocolate with peppermints and pretzels, followed by sugar sprinkles. Place the pan into the refrigerator for 30 minutes until firm. Break the bark into pieces and store in an airtight container. This makes a lovely holiday food gift.
