Christmas Sweets

When AJ and I were in San Francisco, we went Ghirardelli Square almost everyday and every time we went we got a sample of their peppermint bark.

It was pretty good, but I thought I could make it better. I love trying to recreate things, but even better. And homemade stuff is always healthier (not necessarily less fattening though...).

All you need to make delicious peppermint bark is a bag of chocolate and some candy canes or peppermints. I've made peppermint bark with just white chocolate before, but I really like it even better with a layer of dark or milk chocolate. I used Ghirardelli chocolate chips, just to make it a more authentic recreation.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet or cake pan with parchment paper and spread the dark or milk chocolate chips in an even layer. Put this in the oven for 5-7 minutes.


Then use an offset spatula to spread the melted chocolate chips in an even layer. Place this in the refrigerator for about 20 minutes.


Meanwhile, put about 5 candy canes (or a large hanful of peppermints) in a ziploc bag and crush them with something heavy. Like a hammer. I used a bottle of champagne :)


When the milk/dark chocolate has hardened in the fridge, put the white chocolate chips in a microwave safe bowl. Microwave for 30 seconds at a time until melted and smooth when you stir it.


Stir in the crushed candy cane/peppermints.


Then spread the white chocolate over the milk chocolate and leave that in the fridge until it hardens. I usually leave it overnight.

Once it's hardened, you can break it into chunks and voila - you have yummy peppermint bark that will impress all your friends. Super easy and much better than the Ghirardelli kind.

My mom also made these sugar cookies. They're really good by themselves, but we added canned vanilla icing and green and red sugar to make them more festive and even yummier. I think they are pretty.

Merry Christmas!!!