peppermint bark

a few weeks ago, i tried some peppermint bark my friend had made for her pampered chef show, and it was delicious!  so i decided that would be a great, easy thing to make for our co-workers for a little Christmas gift.  here's the finished product!

i used "candy melts" from michaels, which worked great, and put them in little to-go containers (like decorative chinese takeout boxes) for everyone at the office to enjoy. 

here's the recipe (and there's a more complete version on leslie's facebook pampered chef page :))

put 3-4 candy canes in a plastic baggie and pound with the smooth side of a meat tenderizer (this will probably make kind of a mess because as the candy canes start to break apart, they tear the bag a little bit) - set aside for later

melt one bag of white candy melt chips (or whatever color you want to use) in the microwave for around 2 minutes - stir to make the candy completely melted/smooth

melt one bag of red (or other color - leslie's recipe had used chocolate, but i thought i'd try out something different just to see how it worked) candy melt chips in the microwave for around 2 minutes - stir to completely melt candy

leslie's recipe suggested adding peppermint extract to the chocolate candy melts, but i didn't have any, so i left it out - i'm sure it would have been a nice addition though :)

line a baking sheet/pan (with edges - not the totally flat kind) with a parchment paper, allowing the paper to cover the edges

scoop alternating spoonfuls of each color on the baking sheet (so it looks kind of like a checkerboard) with a little bit of space between each spoonful

run a knife, spatula, or small spreader through the melted candy in both directions to make marbled lines

tap the baking sheet on the counter to make the candy spread out and form one solid sheet - then pour the candy cane pieces over the top and place in the fridge for at least 15 minutes to harden

break up the pieces, and it's ready to serve!

very easy and inexpensive recipe (under $15 for 2 batches, which i used for 9 people) and it looks really professional!