Lauren Chattman’s White Chocolate, Pistachio, and Peppermint Bark
Giving homemade gifts during the holidays is a wonderful way to show that you care, but it can also add a whole lot of work to your load at a time when you are already overwhelmed with other holiday-related chores. One year I nearly had a nervous breakdown, staying up past midnight four nights in a row to make hundreds of pecan squares for my daughters’ teachers. Unwilling to go the soap or coffee mug route the next year, I was determined to find an easier recipe for holiday giving. When I hit upon the idea of chocolate bark, I got really excited. Three ingredients and about 15 minutes of work will produce a festive white chocolate confection studded with bright green pistachios and chopped peppermint sticks that you can break up and pack in pretty cellophane bags. Yes, it’s expensive when made in large quantities, but think of it as a once-a-year indulgence for the special people in your life who really deserve something luxurious and who wouldn’t want you to stay up all night making it. The recipe can be doubled if you have a 9-by-15-inch baking pan, or even quadrupled if you have two of them.
White Chocolate, Pistachio, and Peppermint Bark
Adapted from Dessert Express: 100 Sweet Treats You Can Make in 30 Minutes or Less
Makes about 12 ounces
8 ounces white chocolate, finely chopped
1/3 cup shelled pistachios, chopped
1/3 cup chopped peppermint candies or candy canes
1. Line an 8-inch-square baking pan with heavy-duty aluminum foil. Put it in the freezer while you prepare the bark.
2. In a medium-size saucepan, bring 2 inches of water to a bare simmer. Put the chocolate in a stainless-steel bowl big enough to rest on top of the saucepan and set it over the pan, making sure it doesn’t touch the water. Heat, whisking a few times, until the chocolate is completely melted. Scrape the chocolate into the prepared pan and smooth into a thin layer with a metal spatula.
3. Sprinkle the pistachios and peppermint candy on top of the chocolate and put the pan back in the freezer for 10 minutes.
4. Lift the bark from the pan, pulling up on the foil, place it on a cutting board, and cut the bark into pieces before serving. The bark will keep in an airtight container for 1 week.
© Lauren Chattman, The Taunton Press, Inc., 2008
Robin on December 01, 2008 at 12:20 PM
Hi Lauren. This is just the recipe I was looking for for neighbor gifts! However, I didn't know if you noticed in the directions it says, "Sprinkle the pistachios and CHERRIES on top of the chocolate," when I think it's supposed to say pistachios and PEPPERMINT, right? I'm a girl who needs to follow a recipe so I just wanted to clarify! Thanks.
Harsh Ranjan on February 26, 2009 at 09:49 PM
Dark chocolate is produced by adding fat and sugar to cacao. It is chocolate without milk as an additive. It is sometimes called "plain chocolate". The U.S.
Government has no definition for dark chocolate, only "sweet chocolate", which requires a 15% concentration of chocolate liquor. Sweet chocolate is not
necessarily dark chocolate as there is no restriction of milk in it. European rules specify a minimum of 35% cocoa solids
Chocolates on July 07, 2009 at 02:37 AM
Hi,
Dark chocolate is produced by adding fat and sugar to cacao. It is chocolate without milk as an additive. It is sometimes called "plain chocolate". The U.S.
Thanks