The holiday countdown is on! This, for most people, is the last week of work or school. Shopping is (almost) done, the tree is up and the house is decorated! I’m ready for the holidays!
Candy canes always remind me of the holidays. Candy Canes scream Christmas, whether it’s hanging them on the tree or using them as decorations in the yard or house, and of course the fact that they are only available in December. A popular grocery store (I’m looking at you, Loblaws) used to release Candy Cane Ice Cream only in December. It was so good that it would get stockpiled so that it could be eaten when it was no longer available for sale. After many a dinner, I would hear the chant “CCIC, CCIC” (you know who you are, Alexis, Geoff, Eliza and Rachel).
Peppermint bark is another treat that only comes around after US Thanksgiving. The mix of milk (or dark) chocolate and white chocolate topped with crushed candy canes is such a delicious combination. Every year, you can see red and white striped tins of pepppermint bark piled up in stores. It’s definitely starting to look a lot like Christmas when the candy canes show up!
Readers of this blog will know that I have a serious crush on Giffard products. I’ve written quite a bit about the Creme de Violette (Violette lava cake, anyone – and more than a few cocktails) and the Ginger of the Indies (main course or side or cocktails), so when I tasted the Menthe Pastille in Calgary, I knew I wanted to make Candy Cane Bark with it. (Big shoutout to my friends at BoldWorks for getting me a bottle in Toronto!)
My Candy Cane Bark took a bit of trial and error. In fact, the “bonus” Boozy Buttons came about because one too many experiments failed, and I thought “Hey, I can turn this into something else”.
I hope you enjoy these as much as you’re going to enjoy your time off work!
Candy Cane Bark
What you need:
- 6 oz milk chocolate chips
- 1 tbsp vegetable oil
- 2 tsp Giffard Menthe Pastille (or peppermint extract)
- 6 oz white chocolate chips
- 1 tbsp vegetable oil
- 6 candy canes, crushed into pieces and dust (you can crush with a meat tenderizer or rolling pin – put them in a ziplock bag and pound them. Warning: if you do this, put the bag into a bowl or you will get candy cane pieces and dust all over your floor as the candy cane pieces are sharp and will puncture little holes in the bag, and if it’s late at night you will be annoyed….just saying)
What you do:
- Line a 9” x 9” square baking pan with aluminum foil (so it hangs over the edge)
- Line the aluminum foil pan with parchment paper big enough that it hangs over the sides
- In a microwaveable bowl, add the milk chocolate chips and vegetable oil
- Microwave for approximately 60 – 90 seconds until chips are melted
- Stir
- Add 1 tsp Giffard Menthe Pastille and mix
- Pour onto parchment paper
- Spread to cover bottom
- Place in fridge or freezer until firm (about 1/2 hour in fridge)
- In a microwaveable bowl, add the milk chocolate chips and vegetable oil
- Microwave for approximately 60 – 90 seconds until chips are melted
- Stir
- Add the remaining 1 tsp Giffard Menthe Pastille, mix (if at this point the white chocolate starts to get too firm to stir, don’t panic, this happened to me – either add butter (1 tbsp) or more oil and stir)
- Pour onto milk chocolate layer
- Spread to cover
- Add crushed candy canes pieces and dust to white chocolate layer
- Press into white chocolate layer with your hands
- Place in fridge or freezer until firm (about 4 hours to overnight in fridge)
- Break into pieces
- Serve
- Enjoy
Boozy Buttons (the bonus recipe):
What you need:
- 6 oz milk chocolate chips
- 2 tsp + 1 tsp vegetable oil
- 2 tsp Giffard Menthe Pastille
- 2 candy canes crushed into pieces and dust (see above note on crushing candy canes)
What you do:
- Place a sheet of parchment paper on a baking sheet and another to the side
- In a microwaveable bowl, add the milk chocolate chips and 2 tsp vegetable oil
- Microwave for 60 – 90 seconds until melted
- Stir
- Add 2 tsp Giffard Menthe Pastille and mix
- At this point the chocolate will get very firm, almost too firm
- Add the last tsp of vegetable oil and stir
- Pour onto parchment paper on the side (this will be almost like a lump)
- Using teaspons, take spoonfuls and roll into balls
- Place chocolate balls on the parchment paper that is on the baking sheet
- Contintue until all the chocolate is rolled into balls (approximately 12 – 14)
- Take the back of the spoon and push a “thumbprint type of dent” into the chocolate
- Sprinkle with candy cane pieces and dust
- Press candy cane pieces and dust into the chocolate causing the chocolate to flatten
- Refridgerate until firm (about 2-3 hours or overnight)
- Enjoy!
- Happy accidents!
- Boozy Buttons!
- Bonus!
- Happy Holidays!
