Holiday dessert season has begun. It’s a fact of life. You’ve just got to have sweets around for the Holidays, even if for the rest of the year you generally don’t bother with them. We’re no exception here and we’re kicking off the sweetest season of the year with something that’s not only sinfully delicious, but amazingly simple to make. One of my wife’s personal favorites, Peppermint Bark, but with a little twist.
Peppermint bark is usually made in bars, or simply shattered off of a large sheet like a brittle. This version is a bit more… Structured. The bark is poured between a pair of tiny candy canes shaped into a heart. Cute, yes? We thought so too. Unfortunately I can’t claim the idea as my own, we saw it in the Pillsbury circular. It just looked like a really fun thing to do.
These peppermint bark hearts take nearly no time to make, but they definitely don’t suffer in appeal. The kids can help put them together, though I’d leave the chocolate depositing to either an older child or an adult, but as far as decorating goes, let the little ones at it. They’ll have a blast, and you get help with the candy making.
Peppermint bark hearts all sprinkled and waiting to cool. Perfect little gifts, if they last that long.
Peppermint Bark Hearts Recipe
Peppermint Bark Hearts, A stunning and simple Holiday Recipe
Ingredients
- 26 peppermint candy canes (2 1/2 inch)
- 6oz. vanilla flavored candy coating (Bark Bars), chopped
- 2 tsp. peppermint candies or candy canes, crushed
Instructions
- Line cookie sheet with waxed paper. Arrange candy canes on paper in groups of 2 in a heart shape.
- NOTE: We noticed that in every group of two candy canes, one was longer than the other. This pattern seemed to repeat, so a little mixing and matching of canes may be required.
- In a 2 cup or larger microwave safe bowl, microwave candy coating uncovered on Medium (50% power) for 2 to 3 minutes, stirring once halfway through cooking time, until softened. Stir until smooth and completely melted.
- Spoon or pipe candy coating into centers of hearts to fill spaces. Smooth with a toothpick or bamboo skewer. Sprinkle with crushed candy canes. Cool at room temperature for 30 minutes or until set.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
13Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 63Total Fat: 0gSaturated Fat: 0gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 0gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 4mgCarbohydrates: 8gFiber: 0gSugar: 6gProtein: 0g
What I would have done differently had I thought of it at the time:
I would suggest adding a little peppermint extract to the candy coating and maybe skipping the crushed candy. They’re messy and can easily get stuck in teeth.
According to my wife, we’re going to give this a go with chocolate candy coating as well, since she likes chocolate and peppermint together. I’ll have to get back to you on that one.
Links to other recipes like this one:
- Peppermint Bark Recipe, from Simply Recipes Guest Author Garret McCord
- Layered Peppermint Bark, from Gluten Free Gobsmacked
- Dark Peppermint Bark, from Just Braise
Very cute idea!!!
how pretty! great idea Jerry… I might have the kids make these for Teacher gifts! Thanks :)
Wow, those look delicious! This is the first time on your blog. It’s great. Love the layout.
What a great idea! It looks like it took more thought, too.
Thanks for passing along the idea. I hadn’t seen it yet! I’ll also be on the look out for your post on the chocolate ones!
Happy Thanksgiving!
~ingrid
This is a wonderful idea. I think the “kids” in my family would love them. I’m positive my daughter will love helping create the heart shapes too. I love a chunk of candy cane in my hot chocolate, and dunking this in to melt would make it even more creamy. Yummmmmm.
Great idea, this would be a great homemade present my 13 year old could make and give to her friends and it wont break the bank. Thanks for the bright idea!
this is the cuuuttesst idea everr!! thank you so much i made it for christmas present! i love the design so much i cant believe i didn’t think of it myself! awesomely creative =]
THANKS JERRY, ITS REFRESHING TO SEE A MAN TRY HIS HANDS WITH PLEASING HIS WIFE AND FAMILY WITH
GOURMET STYLE GOODIES.
THIS RECIPE IS PERFECT FOR VALENTINES DAY, OR ANYTIME YOU AND YOUR HONEY CAN HAVE SOME SPECIAL
TIME. DO YOU HAVE MORE OF THESE GREAT IDEAS THAT YOU CAN SURE?
IF YOU WANT TO TRY THIS RECIPE DURING THE YEAR, YOU CAN GET CANDY CANES ON THE BULK CANDY WEB
SITES.
THANKS
ROZ
I just made these for decorations for my daughters birthday cake. They were sooo easy to make. I used chocolate candy and they came out great. I agree with using the peppermint extract over the crushed candy.
Glad they were a hit! it’s been ages since I made these. I think it’s time to fire them up again!
I would think the chocolate with a hint of raspberry would be perfect for Valentines as well.
CJS
Love it, could be used 4 Valentine’s Day too
What a fun project for kids. My favorite-4-year-old is going to love this. :-)
Lucky for me I have a stash of candy canes on hand. Perfect for Valentine’s Day!
These are so cute!
Super-cute idea! Easy to take these for a bunch of different holidays! :)
These are adorable!!! Perfect for classroom Christmas parties.