It’s a truth universally acknowledged that in December, life gets in the way.
No matter your best-laid plans or your most urgent deadlines, the final month of the year swoops in in a tsunami of tinsel. And so, while I told myself I would be on top of everything this year – my deadlines, cards, baking five types of Christmas cookies, ageing my eggnog a month in advance – December had other plans.
But that’s what peppermint bark is for. If you’re not yet acquainted, peppermint bark is one of those Swiss army knives of the holiday season. It is at once simple to make, delicious to eat and pretty enough to gift (seriously - M&S and Fortnum & Mason sell tins of the stuff). Forgot to make dessert for that party? Peppermint bark. Need a last-minute gift for your neighbour? Peppermint bark. Want a festive baking project that takes 15 minutes? Peppermint bark.
This holiday treat is so simple you hardly need a recipe for it. Just buy the best-quality dark and white chocolate that you can find (a good, bitter, deeply dark chocolate is key here). Melt them separately with a dash of peppermint extract, swirl together in a baking tray and garnish with crushed candy cane pieces. Leave to chill for 20-odd minutes before breaking apart into shards. That’s it – you don’t even need to temper the chocolate.
Peppermint bark is delicious enjoyed as it is (straight out of the fridge is my preference). But to give it an adult edge, it’s even better when served with a broodingly dark beer on the side. Take Burning Sky Brewery’s new Blessed State. An export stout brewed with specialty malts, cacao nibs, and coffee beans, it’s rich and full, gesturing towards sweetness but never crossing the line into full-on pastry territory. It’s just what I want to drink at this time of year, in other words, and it adds just enough bitterness to the peppermint bark to make it easy to eat handfuls of the stuff.
I’m calling it now: This is the best festive pairing since warm cookies and glasses of milk.
Peppermint Bark
Makes several small, giftable portions
6 candy canes
300g dark chocolate (at least 70% cacao)
200g white chocolate
½ teaspoon peppermint extract, divided
1. First, line a roughly 30cm x 23cm baking tray with baking paper. Meanwhile, crush the candy canes: Place in a large Ziploc bag and seal tightly, pressing out any air. Wrap in a tea towel. Using a rolling pin, thwack the candy canes until broken into small pieces (but not too pulverised).
2. Using a bread knife, begin to chop the chocolate into thin shards. Chop the white chocolate first, transferring to a large glass bowl. Next, chop up the dark chocolate and transfer to a second large glass bowl.
3. Prepare a double boiler on the stove. Add water to a saucepan – it should be no more than one-third full – and raise heat to high. Once boiling, turn the heat down to a simmer.
4. Place the bowl containing the dark chocolate over the saucepan; it should fit the saucepan snugly, without touching the surface of the water. Stir the chocolate with a spatula continually until it is completely melted. Mix in ¼ teaspoon of peppermint extract.
5. Using oven gloves, remove the dark chocolate bowl from the saucepan and set aside; wash and dry the spatula. Next, fit the bowl containing white chocolate over the saucepan and melt in the same way. Mix in the remaining ¼ teaspoon of peppermint extract.
6. To make the peppermint bark, pour the melted dark chocolate into your lined baking tray, carefully spreading to the edges of the tray with your spatula. Dollop the white chocolate unevenly on top. Using a spatula, swirl and marble the two chocolate layers together. Immediately sprinkle over the crushed candy cane pieces, before the chocolate has hardened.
7. Transfer to the fridge and chill for at least 20 minutes, or until firm. Using your hands, break the peppermint bark into small, uneven shards. Transfer to a Tupperware or other sealed container. You don’t have to store it in the fridge, but be sure to keep the bark away from radiators or other warm areas.
Claire M Bullen is a professional food and travel writer, a beer hound and all-around lover of tasty things. You can follow her at @clairembullen. For more recipes like this, sign up to our HB&B All Killer No Filler beer subscription - you'll receive Claire's recipe and food pairings, plus expert tasting notes, with 10 world-class beers like this one every month.
