Monday, December 12, 2011

Temptation - sometimes the mother of invention

Years ago when my kids were little, we happened to be passing through one of those upscale department stores in a mega-mall during the Christmas season. This particular store had a dazzling display of gourmet chocolates. The peppermint bark looked so delicious, and the tins they were packed in were spectacularly irresistible. The price tag, however, was enough to make a frugal mother faint. But I was so sorely tempted, and my kids' eyeing it up weakened my resistance all the more. Can you hear the whine in my voice? Ohhhhhhhh..... Only the lack of funds gave me the moral fortitude to walk away. But those darned things looked so delicious that I was determined to find a way to treat my family to something like it.

Well that, my friends, is the humble beginning of my invention of the no-bake peppermint bark cookie. Are you game?

You will need plain chocolate wafer cookies (or chocolate graham crackers if you can't find them), white chocolate, dark chocolate, and candy canes.

Crush the candy canes. I use my food processor on pulse to get fine chips. Melt the white chocolate. Using the back of a spoon, I spread a nice thick layer onto one side of the cookie. Then sprinkle with the crushed candy canes before the chocolate hardens.

When you're finished, they should look like this - let the chocolate dry completely. It only takes a few minutes.

Next, melt the dark chocolate, then go mad wild and drizzle it all over the cookies. I load up a whisk with the chocolate and sort of lash it on. Sprinkle with any left over crushed candy canes. If you haven't splashed yourself and your kitchen cabinets by the time you're finished, you've held back.

You can store them in your own spectacularly irresistible cookie tin. They keep well. But I doubt they'll last that long.

My son Alex called while I was making them. "Great! They're still my favorites," he said. Shortly after, while chatting on the phone with my husband, I mentioned that I made peppermint bark cookies today. "Oh, they're my favorite. They're our dentist's favorite, too." "What? I don't remember making any Christmas cookies for our dentist...oh, wait - I get it. Ha, ha, funny guy."


Disclaimer: This cookie truly did come from my own fevered imagination. Any similarity to any other cookie, living or dead, is purely coincidental.

18 comments:

Val said...

excellent I'm copying!!!!!Thanks :0)

monix said...

I hadn't decided on which cookies (or biscuits as we call them here!) to bake for Christmas this year. I'm going to try these. Thanks for the recipe, they look delightful and no-one else will have the same.

Southern Gal said...

I wish I loved peppermint and chocolate together so I could try these. These look amazing. Plus they are your very own so that makes them extra special.

Nancy said...

You and your fevered imagination :) I'm happy to know that, not only are you keeping your dentist in practice, you've managed to do it with something that looks like art.

I think what I liked best about this piece is the Ho-ho-ho candle in the background. Either that or you telling people not to hold back. Life is short! Life is hard! Splash chocolate for all you're worth!

I could just hear you saying something like that.

Niamh said...

I have to say, I find your post incredibly rude, and I am offended, and if Emily Post were alive, she too would tell you. You should not flaunt your good fortune to have chocolate wafers in your vicinity.
Those less fortunate, but nonetheless needy, are unable to find such treasures, and we must resort to either making chocolate peppermint bark, or licking all of the insides out of oreos in order to have a semblance of cookie bark.
You must understand, although the train does pass through our sweet little town, it comes to take cows out, and not to bring chocolate wafers in. As such, the town is devoid of chocolate wafers. Certainly! Not a wafer in town, not a wafer for at least an hour's drive - and that is only if there are wafers to be found in our neighboring towns.
You must, as you are obligated, make amends with your readers, and send us samples straight away!

Anonymous said...

Niamh, but you have an Izzy and a Remi!!!

These look deelish, Jodi! How do you best melt your chocolate? (microwave, double boiler?)
Do you add anything to it during the melt to make it thin enough to drizzle with such abandon?

Joan<3

Jodi said...

Niamh, dear gentle reader, perhaps you read too fast and failed to notice that I did suggest substituting graham crackers for chocolate wafers. Have they no graham crackers from that oh-so huge state from which you hale? The cookies, being heavy with chocolate, makes them too expensive to post. However, I do suggest you visit, bringing those adorables babies and that delightful husband of yours. We could make the cookies side by side--I'll even purchase the ingredients. ;)

Unknown said...

YUM! I must go forth and make these!

Misty said...

nancy, duh it looks like art: jodi made them! :)

they do look incredibly delicious!
thanks for the sweet comment at my place.

Niamh said...

Nope, did not read too fast, there are no chocolate graham crackers in town. Though, I have found Graham Flour, I suppose I could make my own chocolate graham crackers, but if you have ever had home-made graham crackers, they are simply too divine even for smores. Hence, I must make regular chocolate bark, or use oreos. I suppose oreo's dipped in white chocolate, drizzled with dark chocolate, then topped with candy cane would be lovely.

Also, I mix peppermint extract in my white chocolate when I make bark, adds a bit more of that cool mint flavor.

Leslie said...

Looks yummy, and the story is even better :)

p.s. a little bird is winging something your way. keep your eyes open...

Cheryl said...

Oh, they look so yummy and fun to make. Hmm. I think I'll have to add this to my things-to-do-with-children-over-the-holiday list. I can see a few "accidental" splashes happening.

Olivia said...

Oh I truly enjoyed that Jodi--almost as much as tasting one! And I especially loved your tin. Happy Christmas!

Julie@OnePennyJumblePacket said...

Oh! They look glorious!

Brenda@CoffeeTeaBooks said...

I love this, you are brilliant! :)

Nick said...

You have just sent Bekah off onto a 'what can we bake' tangent! Let's hope that whatever we make is a good at those bars. Can't wait to see you guys soon!

Emily said...

Peppermint bark is delicious - especially in a special tin :)

Chelsey said...

What a great recipe -- one with a joke or two! lol... Love the disclaimer!

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