Easy Peppermint Bark

 After Christmas every year I run into the same problem of having approximately 32 leftover candy canes that no one wants to eat.  I like candy canes, but I can usually only eat about 2 per Christmas season because I'm not a huge fan of peppermint.  So what do I decide to do with leftover candy?  Make even more candy!  Lindy logic right there. Traditional recipes for peppermint bark call for white chocolate with peppermint extract and crushed candy canes mixed in, but I decided to make this recipe using candy cane kisses.  This not only eliminates the need for extra ingredients, but it also eliminates the step of crushing the candy canes!  Let’s get started.

What you need:

About 40 candy cane kisses

6 oz dark or semi sweet chocolate chips

What you do:

Cover a cookie sheet with aluminum foil.  Melt the chocolate chips in the microwave in 30 second intervals, stirring after each interval, until melted.  Pour the melted chocolate into the prepared tray and spread evenly.  It is okay if the chocolate does not reach the edges of the cookie sheet-the pieces will just be broken anyways. 

Place the tray in the fridge until the chocolate hardens slightly.  Meanwhile, unwrap the kisses and melt them in 30 second intervals, stirring after each interval, until melted.  Take the tray out of the fridge and spread the melted kisses on top of the chocolate layer.  Top with crushed candy canes or chopped candy cane kisses, if desired.  

Place the tray back in the fridge until the chocolate hardens completely.  Remove from the fridge and break the peppermint bark into 2 inch pieces.  

Using the candy cane kisses ensures that this bark isn't too pepperminty, which I love!  That, and they make this bark a really pretty shade of pink.