Cookie Cutter Peppermint Bark

I hadn’t tried peppermint bark until this year.  I’m not sure why.  It’s delicious!  And based on the number of recipes I’ve seen for peppermint bark in magazines and blogs this holiday season, it seemed pretty easy to make.  No baking necessary.  Just melt the chocolate, spread it out, sprinkle with crushed mint candies.  I saw a particularly cute idea on Tidy Mom recently using cookie cutters to shape peppermint bark into trees.  I took that idea and ran with it, using my entire bucket of cookie cutters.  I LOVE how cute these are, and I’m looking forward to including them in this year’s Cookie Boxes.

Cookie Cutter Peppermint Bark

Adapted from Tidy Mom

Ingredients:

• 2 bars semi sweet chocolate
• 2 bars white chocolate
• 1 tsp. peppermint extract, divided
• crushed peppermint candies

Chill your cookie cutters until ready to use.  Cover a baking sheet with parchment paper, then arrange cookie cutters on the baking sheet.

Break up bars of semi sweet chocolate and place the pieces in an icing decorator bag.  Twist the end of the bag, and microwave for 30 seconds.  Knead chocolate, then microwave for another 30 seconds.  Repeat until chocolate is melted.  Add 1/2 teaspoon of peppermint extract, and knead chocolate again.  Cut the tip of the decorator bag.  Pipe into the cookie cutters (holding the cookie cutters in place).  Be sure to get chocolate in all the corners!  Place the cookie sheet into the freezer for 10 minutes to allow the chocolate to harden.

Now repeat the process with the white chocolate.  Don’t forget to add the peppermint extract!

Sprinkle with crushed peppermint candies, and lightly press down.  Freeze for 10 minutes until top layer has hardened.  Carefully pop the peppermint bark out of the cookie cutters, and keep wrapped in wax paper in the fridge until ready to serve or gift.