Holiday Chocolate Peppermint Bark

Yesterday I took some time off of the computer to spend with my two boys. After the horrible tragedy that occurred in Connecticut I decided that I needed to reevaluate the how I used my extra time with my children. 

That night as they were taking a bath, I realized that my floor was completely flooded and seeping into the hallway. Before I opened my mouth, I thought, Melissa, your children are at home, safe, laughing and flooding the bathroom. You are so lucky that you have your children at home with you tonight. So I cleaned that floor with a smile on my face as they were laughing and jumping on the beds in their bedroom.

When we woke up that morning, I decided that we were going to have a day all about them. Whatever they wanted to do we did. It was cool and drizzly outside but they wanted to go walk on the beach. That night was freezing but instead of sitting inside they wanted to get hot chocolate, drive and look at the Christmas lights and then go and walk through the streets at the beach which are decorated with such splendor. 

Of course, like any children, they wanted something sweet to eat. So I propped both of them on the kitchen counters and we had the best time making Cream Cheese Blueberry muffins and one of our favorites...Chocolate Peppermint Bark. Who could resist the creamy chocolate, infused with peppermint and finished off with a snowfall of crushed candy canes. Not only is this a breeze to make, your kids can help too! So grab their little hands, throw some flour at each other and have some fun cooking tonight. 

Ingredients

8oz of semisweet chocolate, broken into pieces

8oz of white chocolate, broken into pieces

2 tbsp of olive oil

1/2 tsp of peppermint extract, or to taste

8 crushed full-sized candy canes

Directions

1. Lightly grease a 9x9 inch pan and line with waxed paper
2. Place the semisweet chocolate and 1 teaspoon of the olive oil in the top of a double boiler over just barely simmering water, stirring frequently and scraping down the sides with a rubber spatula to avoid scorching. When the chocolate is melted, stir in 1/4 teaspoon of the peppermint extract. 
3. Pour the melted chocolate into the prepared pan, and spread evenly over the bottom of the pan. Refrigerate until completely hardened, about 1 hour.
4. Place the white chocolate and the remaining 1 teaspoon olive oil in the top of a double boiler over just barely simmering water, stirring frequently and scraping down the sides with a rubber spatula to avoid scorching. When the chocolate is melted, stir in the remaining 1/4 teaspoon peppermint extract. Pour the white chocolate directly over the semisweet chocolate layer; spread evenly. Sprinkle with the crushed candy over the top and gently press in. Refrigerate until completely hardened. Remove from pan; break into small pieces to serve.