Peppermint Bark

Last year after Christmas, I found some packages of peppermint bark that were marked way down at Loblaws. I decided to get some for my son and us to try.Never having had any of this treat I was delighted at how tasty this was! I decided to make some as part of a new thing to try this year for the holidays and if it turned out good I would perhaps give some to friends, my manicurist, my niece the candy monster etc etc. I google peppermint bark and found that you had to "temper the chocolate " and right away I went oh oh, not another complicated process where you are asuured of frustration but not assured of success, yikes, so on I went looking foran another recipe. Well lo and behold the people we make fun of, the folks at Kraft foods had the best and easiest recipe for peppermint bark ever. I tried it out yesterday. The recipe calls for microwaving the chocolate, which is great , no messing with double boilers and scorched cholcolate. I used semi sweet chocolate chips, 16 oz of them in a pyrex measuring cup and microwaved at the prescribed 2 1/2 minutes stopping every 40 seconds to check on it and stir. It took me 3 min 30 seconds to get it melted.
I then  poured it on a bake sheet covered with greased aluminium foil and spread the 9 mashed candy canes. Place in freezer for 15 min. voila! simply fantastic looking. The only problem was I used candy canes from the dollar store and they were awful. They are waxey  and hard to break and have very little mint, they tasted like crap, sorry but that just what they were..It was hard finding the actual peppermint canes that's why I had sent out my hubby to the dollar store, but no more. W ith good candy canes this will be just lovely to give as gifts to teachers and everyone on your list where a small gift is de rigeur.

Peppermint Bark
1 lb semi sweet chocolate  chips
9 peppermint candy caned broken up with tenderizer mallet or whatever works
waxed paper or aluminium greased
butter
cookie sheet
Line cookie pan with either waxed or aluminuium and grease lightly set aside
place  16oz chocolate chips in microwavable bowl, do not use plastic ( causes cancer)
microwave for 40 seconds, stir microwave another 40 or so second arriving at a total of 3 min  and 40 seconds (depending on your microwave) keep ckecking so it doesn't burn.
When it is liquid, remove and pour/spread onto baking sheet and spread with metal spatula, add the broken candy canes , place in freezer for 15-20min.
Break up into pieces .