There are so many holiday themed recipes to get done this year. I have a feeling I will be doing Christmas desserts into mid-January. Since Grams and I are still feeling the holiday cheer, we decided to make peppermint bark. I have had this many times at family gatherings, but this was the first time I tried to make it. When I read that there were only three ingredients, I knew that this would be my kind of recipe. I love that many of my aunts and cousins contributed “easy” recipes for beginners like me.
Grams and I got a kick out of going to the garage for our recipe. Bakers aren’t just armed with spoons and spatulas; they also need a strong hammer from time to time. In the past, I always used a rolling pin to break up things like nuts and hard candies. Now I am going to use the tool bench in the garage. We put the opened peppermints into doubled freezer size baggies and went to town. This is where the recipe can be tweaked for personal taste. I like a few larger chunks of peppermint I mine, so we left a few mints slightly bigger. Grams and I also decided to take the easy route and melt the chocolate in the microwave. We just put it in for about 30 seconds at a time and then stirred.
As usual, Grams told me that this recipe would be perfect for one of our family gatherings. This is a conversation that we have while baking no matter what the recipe is. This time, I fully agreed with her though. Grams suggested that we could change the food coloring to reflect the holiday. Maybe light blue and yellow at Easter and school colors for a graduation. She said that this stuff is so good, we shouldn’t save it for just Christmas time.
My family all agreed. This was a great munchy to have on hand while we were all lounging around the house. We decided that we liked it best when it was kept in the fridge. The bark was a little extra crunchy that way. This year, my family was blessed to have all five of us home for Christmas. Peppermint Bark was munched on while opening gifts and playing board games. I hope you all had a great Xmas!
Mom’s Pink Peppermint Candy—Kelly (Ahlden) Milk
1 bag starlight peppermints
1 pkg white chocolate (break into 4)
Red food coloring
Unwrap mints. Put them into heavy duty Ziploc bag. Break into pieces with a small hammer or rolling pin. Melt white chocolate in microwave or double broiler. Microwave 60 seconds, stir, then 30 seconds, repeat until melted. White chocolate burns easily so watch it closely.
When melted, put in a couple drops of red food coloring to make it pink. Stir in broken peppermints to taste.
Lay out a few sheets of wax paper. Spread mixture about a quarter of an inch think. Cool completely and break into pieces.
Note from Kelly: My mom has made this special pink candy every Christmas for as long as I can remember. We enjoyed it at home and it would be sent with all of the other Christmas goodies to neighbors, friends, and teachers. The day we would make the Christmas goodies was very special to all of us. Christmas music always played in the background and when the refrigerator was full, the treats were put into old special holiday tins on the front and back porch. Many memories bring a smile to my face when I think of Mom’s Pink Peppermint Candy.
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