Blind Melon-No Rain.Williams Sonoma makes the very best peppermint bark in the world. Make sure to tell them cookiedog sent ya'! This is one of my favorite music videos that always makes me smile. come on down to the beverage forum and join us. and I still can't believe we came in first thanks to our fearless leader Charmie. My first time taking the World Tour and we had a blast. They also enjoy stealing cubes of butter off the counter and chasing cats. In the photos below they are playing fetch with my DBF. We were only going to get one but couldn't resist thier cute little faces. Photos above are of Nico and Bella when they were puppies. It's delicious! Hope my trial and error helps you make some of your own! I made three batches using 12 oz of semi sweet chips and 24 oz of white in each batch, and about 8-10 candy canes on each (depending on how much you crush them), and that made enough to make 30 little candy bags with 10-12 pieces each, with the pieces being cut all crazy shapes, however I can get it to break! Overall, I had big improvements over last year's methods, and everyone loves getting this stuff for Christmas. So it was just barely there, and not enough to show up on the candy, but I had no sticking whatsoever. I sprayed the edges with a tiny bit of cooking spray, which I then rubbed all over the parchment with a paper towel. This time I used parchment, cut to fit the bottom of the pan, no overhang. Oh, I will also say that last year I used foil to line my pan and had trouble with it sticking to the chocolate. I would like to try using peppermint oil instead of extract to see if that makes a difference, but the extract worked just fine. I don't have a preference for using that method over using the extract both batches were good. I took some more internet advice and tried mixing in the dusty over-crushed bits of candy cane into the white chocolate of one batch, in lieu of using the peppermint extract, and the results were good. I used Kroger's private selection semi sweet chips for the bottom on all layers, and regular old candy canes for the tops. I did use the chips and not the baking squares, so that could make a difference. It's not that the Ghiradelli pieces taste bad, they're just not as nice as the others. I thought the recipients would taste the difference as they ate their way through the bag. I'll put it this way, I thought the difference in the Ghiradelli quality and flavor was enough that I didn't mix the different batches when bundling these up for gifts. They did not melt smoothly, and their flavor was nowhere near as nice as the cheaper chocolates, surprisingly enough. Also tried Tollhouse white chips, which were second best, and the worst was Ghiradelli. The smoothest melt with the best flavor was regular old Kroger brand "private selection" white chocolate chips-I'd read someone else mention those, but was skeptical. I also experimented with chocolate to see which I liked best. Everything stuck, no problems at all with layers separating. I split the difference and refrigerated my bottom layer for about an hour, then let it sit on the counter while I melted the white. Some said room temp is the best for the bottom layer before pouring the white, some said ice cold. I had trouble with the layers not sticking together last year, and found mixed advice on the internet about how to fix that problem. This is the second year I've made this, so here's what I've learned. Peel bark from foil and cut each strip as desired. Lift foil out of pan and shake off excess candy. Sprinkle with crushed candy (I pressed the candy in just a bit). Pour this over chocolate layer, and, working quickly, spread to cover. Let cool a little bit so it doesn’t melt the chocolate layer when you pour it on top. Remove bowl from water and stir until completely melted, stirring in extract. If you are daring, you can use your microwave. Melt white chocolate chips in a double boiler or in a metal bowl over simmering water (don’t let bottom of bowl touch water), until chocolate is almost melted.Place in refrigerator until cold and firm, about 20 minutes. Remove from oven, smooth with an offset spatula or knife. Place in oven for 5 minutes or until almost melted. Pour the chocolate chips in an even layer on the foil. Line a 9x13 pan with foil, letting it hang over the sides.
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