Peppermint Bark

A traditional and quintessential holiday treat, peppermint bark is really easy to prepare and can be done in a few minutes. I prefer to use the bitter dark chocolate instead of sweet white chocolate because of it's health benefits. I recommend using dark chocolate with a higher percentage of cocoa in the bar (I used a bar from Trader Joe's with 72% cocoa), it's a high-quality source of bioflavanoids and antioxidants, while white chocolate has the lowest nutritional value of all chocolate types because it is processed with milk and has large qualities of sugar thus making it higher in fat and calories. This holiday treat is "skinny" and gluten-free! 

ingredients 

2- 3 bar packages of Trader Joe's 72% cacao dark chocolate bars 
1 bag of Trader Joe's peppermint candies or 10 regular sized candy canes, crushed 
Freshly ground or grated Himalayan Pink salt or rock salt  (optional)

preparation 

Break up the peppermint candy into crushed pieces. Prepare a cookie sheet lined with wax or parchment paper. Melt the chocolate in a double boiler. Once melted, stir in about 2-4 handfuls of crushed peppermint. 

Pour the melted chocolate onto the lined cookie sheet and spread out with a spatula. Sprinkle the candy chucks on the chocolate. I like to sprinkle a little bit of rock salt on bark.

  
For faster preparation, place in the freezer for about 5 minutes or until hardened. You can set in the refrigerator for an hour or so. Break it into pieces and serve! Enjoy! 

Happy Holidays!