To Die For

As I said, I'm doing Christmas baking today.  I like to give gifts of food to people who do services for me during the year, like my hairdresser, for example.  I'm still working some cookies that have to freeze for a couple of more hours, and so I'll report back on those later.  But I was so excited about my success with Peppermint Bark that I wanted to tell you right away. 

It was so simple to make and it is absolutely delicious.  If you love white chocolate as much as I do, you really should give this a try.  It's very festive, and makes a quick and easy gift for someone special. 

A note about the recipe:  You'll see that it calls for "peppermint oil."  I've never seen that in the grocery store.  I asked about it, and the only suggestion anyone had was peppermint oil used as a topical herbal remedy.  Since I was leery about whether this was actually suitable for human consumption, I decided to stick with genuine peppermint extract instead.  I substituted an equal amount, and it was nicely pepperminty without being overwhelming.  Yum!  (Oh yes, and use the real thing.  The "flavors" are cheaper, but I go with real "extracts" when I bake.  It's such a tiny amount, and the extract will last tightly sealed for a long time.)

Also, I put the candy canes in a gallon-size zip lock bag and broke them up with my hands.  Then I used the flat side of my meat mallet to break them into smaller pieces.  It worked like a charm, and my zip lock bag remained intact.