8 medium-sized candy canes
12 oz (about 2 cups) good quality semisweet chocolate (bars or chips)
12 oz (about 2 cups) white chocolate (bars or chips). Choose the ones made with cocoa butter.
Finely crush the candy canes, using a plastic bag and rolling pin or a food processor.
Cover a cookie sheet with aluminum foil. Gently melt the semisweet chocolate in a double boiler or in a bowl in the microwave on 50 percent power. Begin with 1 minute at 50 percent power, stir, and follow by repeat cycles of 30 seconds at 50 percent power—stirring between cycles—as often as needed until melted and smooth. Gentle melting prevents burning and helps preserve the tempering of the chocolate.
Pour the melted semisweet chocolate onto the aluminum foil and spread it to a size of about 8” × 10”. The sizing isn’t etched in stone. You can make the bark thicker or thinner, depending on what you prefer. Refrigerate the semisweet chocolate layer while you’re preparing the white chocolate/peppermint layer.
Melt the white chocolate using the same melting method as for the semisweet. Once it’s melted, stir in about ¾ of the crushed peppermint candy. Set the mixture aside at room temperature (to cool a little) until the semisweet layer is ready. The chocolate should still be a little soft, a little sticky, but not at all liquid.
Pour the white chocolate onto the semisweet chocolate layer and gently spread it evenly toward the edges. Sprinkle the remainder of the crushed peppermint on top, then refrigerate until the chocolate is hardened. You can then break it by hand, or score it and break it.
The peppermint bark refrigerates well, freezes well, ships well, and tastes quite wonderful at room temperature … ideally with a cup of coffee or tea and a good book.