Peppermint Bark Recipe’s like William Sonoma

As another blogger posted, things can get pretty ‘K-razy’ at a Willams-Sonoma store during the holidays.  ‘Mostly because that’s the time of the year this gourmet foodie shop rolls out their delicious peppermint bark. It can be total mayhem if you attempt to shop around while the staff hands out generous samples of the signature holiday treat as customers clammer and fall over each other just to snag a free bite. No, we’re not kidding.’

Before you head down to grab a batch of your own for the 2011 bargain price of only $26.95 or 2 for $46, be aware that it isn’t unusual for the peppermint bark to be completely sold out, seeing as it is always one of Willams-Sonoma's “Top 20 Favorite Gifts”.

In order to avoid the fuss I found 5 recipes that claim to be just like Williams Sonoma’s famous Peppermint Bark. Some folks even claim their recipe is better. Personally I haven’t tried them but I’m willing to see which one comes closest. 

FYI – almost all the recipes suggest using the finest ingredients to make this fab recipe turn out just right! Please click on each recipes link if you want to visit the individual websites. My daughter sent me the 1st recipe so unfortunately I don’t have the url. I always try my best to give credit where credit is due.

1st Recipe * What You Need:

(this recipe makes 1.5 pounds of the holiday treat)

• 12 oz. white chocolate
• 30 red-and-white candy canes (crushed)
• 12 oz. dark chocolate 1 cup whipping cream 1 tsp. peppermint extract

How the Magic Happens:

Step 1: Combine dark chocolate, whipping cream, and peppermint extract together in a bowl. Set over sauce pan of barely boiling water until chocolate is smooth and melted.

Step 2: Pour chocolate onto foil and spread evenly over the surface. Sprinkle crushed peppermints over the chocolate layer. Place in the refrigerator to chill.

Step 3: Repeat step 1 with the white chocolate.

Step 4: Pour white chocolate over the dark chocolate peppermint layer and top with more peppermints. Refrigerate for at least 25 minutes.

2nd Recipe * Peppermint Bark Recipe like William Sonoma

 

Peppermint Bark Recipe

Rita’s clone of white chocolate Peppermint Bark recipe is like Williams Sonoma's. William Sonoma is a gourmet food and cookware store found in many malls. Their peppermint bark is admittedly delicious - but this one may be even better.

Use the best chocolate you can buy, and you’ll give Williams Sonoma some stiff competition! 

Be sure and use the best quality white and semi-sweet, Belgian or bittersweet chocolate for this recipe.

New! Tips for the perfect peppermint bark below!

Peppermint Bark

12 oz. chocolate chips
1 pound white chocolate chips
1/2 teaspoon peppermint extract
1/2 cup peppermint candy, crushed

Preheat oven to 250. Line a 9x13 pan with foil, letting it hang over the sides. Spray foil. Pour the chocolate chips in an even layer on the foil. Place in oven for 5 minutes or until almost melted. Remove from oven, smooth with an offset spatula or knife. Place in refrigerator until cold and firm, about 20 minutes.

Melt white chocolate chips in a double boiler or in a metal bowl over simmering water (don’t let bottom of bowl touch water), until chocolate is almost melted. You can use your microwave for this if you’re brave! Remove bowl from water and stir until completely melted, stirring in extract. Let cool a little bit so it doesn’t melt the chocolate layer when you pour it on top. Pour this over chocolate layer, and, working quickly, spread to cover. Sprinkle with crushed candy.

Chill until both layers are firm. Lift foil out of pan and shake off excess candy. Trim edges. Cut into 2” wide strips. Peel bark from foil and cut each strip as desired. Chill in covered container. Makes about 2 pounds.

Tips from Rita's Kitchen for Perfect Bark:

1. Don't make the layers too thin as this can cause the layers to separate.
2. Take the bottom layer out of the frig a few minutes prior to spreading the top layer. Sometimes if the bottom is too cold, the top will set but may not bond completely with the bottom. 
3. If there's condensation on the bottom when you remove it from the frig, sometimes this prevents the top from sticking to it, as well.
4. I use white chocolate chips that contain cocoa butter, which are good quality chips. Read the label as the kind of white chocolate you use may affect the bonding.  I also use a good quality (Kroger brand) semisweet chocolate chips - again, read labels - the label should say they are real chocolate, not "chocolate flavored".  I have used the white and chocolate  flavored "barks"  that are sold in blocks with success when I make a one layer bark.  For multiple layer barks, I like to use real chocolate.
5. Let the bark sit out a few minutes before you try to cut or break it apart.

Click here to learn more about Rita Heienfield - ©2006-2010 Rita Heikenfeld and AboutEating.com

3rd Recipe * Help me make the yummiest peppermint bark!

The claim that it's very close to the Williams-Sonoma bark is pretty accurate. I buy Ghirardelli white and bittersweet chocolate in chunks at Trader Joe's, although the Ghirardelli chips are fine, easier to find, and slightly easier to melt (no chopping required). And I found peppermint oil at a baking supply store; I think it was $3 at most. It's a lot more flavorful than extract, which is why you use less. I also use more candy cane than is called for, and sprinkle some on top of the poured bark.

Peppermint Bark

• 1 lb. (500 g) chopped bittersweet chocolate
• 8 drops peppermint oil - Try aromatherapy peppermint oil available at health food stores. It tastes much better than peppermint extract.
• 1 lb. (500 g) chopped white chocolate
• ¾ cup (175 ml) chopped candy canes (smash 'em in a Ziploc works) (note: 1 box of 12 canes is enough)

Line an 11x17 baking sheet with parchment paper or waxed paper. Adjust amounts for different sized cookie sheets. Set aside.

Melt bittersweet chocolate in a heavy pot on low heat, stirring constantly.

Stir in four drops peppermint oil or more to taste.

Spread chocolate evenly onto the prepared cookie sheet. Chill until set, about 1 hour.

Melt white chocolate in a heavy pot on low heat, stirring constantly. Stir in remaining four drops of peppermint oil, then add candy canes.

Quickly spread white chocolate mixture over chilled dark chocolate, spreading to the edge of the pan. (note: It's best if bottom layer is very cold; it melts very quickly.)

Chill until set, about four hours or overnight. Break into pieces. Will keep in the refrigerator for 3 weeks.

4th Recipe * Peppermint Bark - Like Williams Sonoma

Peppermint Bark

12 oz. chocolate chips
1 pound white chocolate chips
1/2 teaspoon peppermint extract
1/2 cup peppermint candy, crushed

Preheat oven to 250. Line a 9x13 pan with foil, letting it hang over the sides. Spray foil. Pour the chocolate chips in an even layer on the foil. Place in oven for 5 minutes or until almost melted. Remove from oven, smooth with an offset spatula or knife. Place in refrigerator until cold and firm, about 20 minutes.

Melt white chocolate chips in a double boiler or in a metal bowl over simmering water (don’t let bottom of bowl touch water), until chocolate is almost melted. You can use your microwave for this if you’re brave! Remove bowl from water and stir until completely melted, stirring in extract. Let cool a little bit so it doesn’t melt the chocolate layer when you pour it on top. Pour this over chocolate layer, and, working quickly, spread to cover. Sprinkle with crushed candy.

Chill until both layers are firm. Lift foil out of pan and shake off excess candy. Trim edges. Cut into 2” wide strips. Peel bark from foil and cut each strip as desired. Chill in covered container. Makes about 2 pounds.

Note, I typically double the recipe and use a cookie sheet instead.

5th Recipe * Peppermint Bark Recipe from userealbutter.com

(I can’t wait to try this one…perhaps because I’m a sucker for pictures! – visit userealbutter.com to view other crafts and recipes)

Peppermint Bark

1 lb. dark chocolate, chopped
1 lb. white chocolate, chopped
12 peppermint candy canes, crushed (about 1 cup)

Melt the dark chocolate and pour onto a jelly roll pan lined with aluminum foil or a silpat. Spread evenly to desired thickness. Place in refrigerator to harden. Sift peppermint candy to separate the large chunks from the peppermint sand. Melt the white chocolate. When cooled, fold the peppermint sand into the white chocolate taking care not to over mix (and getting pink chocolate instead). Remove dark chocolate from the refrigerator and spread the white chocolate on top. Sprinkle the peppermint chunks evenly over the white chocolate and gently press the pieces into the layer. Refrigerate until hardened. Break the bark into pieces.

Candy Canes for Smashing

Sifting Smashed Bits

Peppermint bark is actually very easy to make. The reason I hate making it is because I always try to temper the chocolate only to realize after the fact that it isn’t tempered and it doesn’t matter. Instead of smashing the peppermint candy canes or peppermint starlight candies, I suggest using a food processor. I’ve tried smashing them in Ziploc bags with hammers or rolling pins, only to put dents in tables, counter tops, rolling pins, and silpats. Once the peppermint is crushed, I sift the powdery bits out from the larger pieces.

Spread Melted Dark Chocolate

Chopped White Chocolate

I used Guittard semi-sweet chocolate chips. They are my favorite chocolate chips. For peppermint bark, I don’t tend to use the best chocolate I have in my cupboard. Valrhona and Callebaut are saved for things like truffles, flourless chocolate cake, or chocolate soufflé. For the white chocolate, I had some compound Ghirardelli on hand. I am not fond of white chocolate, but of the few I’ve worked with and tasted, I like Callebaut the best.

Stirring in the Pulverized Candy Cane Dust

Layer the White Chocolate Mixture

After spreading a nice and even layer of melted dark chocolate on a silpat, I placed it in the refrigerator because I’m impatient. I then stirred the candy cane dust/sand into the melted (and cooled) white chocolate. If you stir too much, the whole thing turns pink, so a few folds should be good. Mine still turned pinkish. I suppose you could stir it into the dark chocolate, but because I hate white chocolate, the sandy bits make it more tolerable to me. I then poured and spread the mixture over the cooled dark chocolate and sprinkled the peppermint chunks over the white chocolate layer.

Almost Done

It helps to press the candy chunks into the white chocolate so that the peppermint bark doesn’t shed candy as much. Let the bark cool completely before breaking or else it won’t break cleanly. Also, I recommend wearing a glove with plastic over it when breaking up the pieces so that 1) your body heat doesn’t melt the chocolate and 2) you don’t leave your finger prints on the chocolate.

Distribute

Click the link below to see a video on how to ‘temper’ chocolate.

http://video.about.com/candy/How-to-Temper-Chocolate.htm

Happy Baking!

 

The Tennessee Ernie Ford Christmas Show

Many in "the younger generations" have no clue who Tennessee Ernie Ford was.  But we do, right? 
Watch as Ernie’s son Brian steels the show (aired Christmas 1957). Also watch Ernie as he tries his best not to laugh during the song!  Be sure to watch to the very end! It's sure to bring a smile to your face.
Most of us have forgotten what a wonderful voice he had, and, most of us have forgotten  when most television was live, in black and white, and wholesome, and if something happened, you saw it, live!   

1957 Christmas Show

Here’s another one you may enjoy. This one probably aired the year before.

Brian Ford singing Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer on his Dad’s show

Enjoy!

Christmas Trees "Round the World"

Before the ball drops in Times Square, the Big Apple turns on its holiday charm with the Christmas tree in Rockefeller Center.

The Capitol Christmas tree in Washington, DC is decorated with ornaments that are the handiwork of U.S. school children. Encircling evergreens in the Pathway of Peace represent the U.S. states. 

The world's largest Christmas tree display rises up the slopes of Monte Ingino outside of Gubbio, in Italy’s Umbria region.  Composed of about lights connected by 40,000 feet of wire the tree"is a modern marvel for an ancient city.

A Christmas tree befitting Tokyo’s night time neon display is projected onto the exterior of the Grand Prince Hotel Akasaka.

Illuminating the Gothic facades of Prague's Old Town Square, and casting its glow over the Manger display of the famous Christmas market, is a grand tree cut in the Sumava mountains in the southern Czech Republic.

Venice's Murano Island renowned throughout the world for its quality glasswork is home to the tallest glass tree in the world.Sculpted by master glass blower Simone Cenedese,the artistic Christmas tree is a modern reflection of the holiday season.

Moscow celebrates Christmas according to the Russian Orthodox calendar on Jan, 7. For weeks beforehand,

the city is alive with festivities in anticipation of Father Frost's arrival on his magical troika with the Snow Maiden.

He and his helper deliver gifts under the New Year tree, or yolka, which is traditionally a fir. 

The largest Christmas tree in Europe (more than feet tall can be found in the Praça do Comércio in Lisbon, Portugal.  Thousands of lights adorn the tree, adding to the special enchantment of the city during the holiday season.

"Oh Christmas tree,oh Christmas tree; Even in its humblest attire, aglow beside a tiny chapel in Germany’s

Karwendel mountains,a Christmas tree is a wondrous sight.

Ooh la la Galeries Lafayette! In Paris, even the Christmas trees are chic. With its monumental,baroque dome, plus 10 stories of lights and high fashion, it's no surprise this show-stopping department store draws more visitors than the Louvre and the Eiffel Tower.

In addition to the Vatican’s heavenly evergreen, St. Peter's Square in Rome hosts a larger-than-life nativity scene in front of the obelisk.

The Christmas tree that greets revelers at the Puerta del Sol is dressed for a party. Madrid’s two-week celebration makes millionaires along with merrymakers. On Dec a lucky citizen will win El Gordo the fat one the world's biggest lottery.

A token of gratitude for Britain’s aid during World War II, the Christmas tree in London’s Trafalgar Square

has been the annual gift of the people of Norway since 1947. 

Drink a glass of wine from the holiday market at the Romer?

It’s Frankfurt's city hall since and enjoy a taste of Christmas past.

Against a backdrop of tall shadowy firs, a rainbow trio of Christmas trees lights up the night (location unknown).