Chocolate Peppermint Bark (Video)

One layer of naughty and two layers of nice make this nutty chocolate peppermint bark the perfect sweet, holiday inspired treat. It also makes a great homemade gift!

As the holiday season approaches, I put my thinking cap on. In years past, I’ve spent all sorts of brain power and money on figuring out gifts for everyone on my list.

Sure, it’s easy to click around on Amazon and get it all done with a few keystrokes.

But this year, in an effort to show my family and friends how much they mean to me (and in an effort to not have a mild heart attack when the Amex statement shows up in January), I’m trying to make some of those gifts from scratch.

The way I figure it, nothing says you mean a lot to me like a receiving a ribbon wrapped bag of delicious, chocolaty homemade goodies! This sweet, salty and super nutty chocolate peppermint bark is one layer of naughty and two layers of nice. Oh – and aside from tasting out of this world – it makes one heck of a holiday gift.

One Layer Naughty

Toffee forms the hard and sweet bottom layer of this chocolate bark recipe. Butter and sugar (kinda naughty) are the main components – with some vanilla added at the end for good measure.

Before I made toffee in my own kitchen, I thought it was probably a laborious task with a ton of ingredients. But it was a total breeze!

The result is a gorgeous, dark brown paste that hardens quickly and has flavor notes of caramel and butterscotch. Btw… It’s super important that you use a candy thermometer when executing this step.

If the mixture goes over 300ºF it’ll burn. So bring the heat up slowly – and keep an eye on it. Hey, don’t worry – you’ve got this!

Two Layers Nice

You can probably guess the nice ingredients just based on the title of this sweet recipe. If you said chocolate and nuts – yep, you win!

I used a dark, bittersweet chocolate for two reasons:

1. 1. It’s less sweet than milk chocolate, and the slight bitterness really plays nicely with the sweetness coming from the toffee
2. 2. Dark chocolate is absolutely loaded with flavinols and antioxidants.

Heck there are even studies that suggest that dark chocolate can help you beat that sleepy, mid-day slump! A mix of mix of pecans, almonds, cashews and pumpkin seeds also bring an element of healthy and crunchy deliciousness to this indulgent chocolate bark dessert recipe.

A light sprinkling of salt is the final flavor touch. Salty and sweet is where it’s at!

Gift it, or Eat it All

The finished product is absolutely gorgeous!

This super nutty chocolate peppermint bark has the looks and the flavor to win this holiday gift-giving season. It looks and tastes like a gift you spent a ton of money on at a great store like Williams-Sonoma – but costs way less and comes from the heart!

Tossing your peppermint bark in a clear gift bag and tying it off with ribbon is awesome for presentation. Hey, once you’ve tried it, you may just keep it all for yourself. I’ll never tell! What’s the best homemade gift you’ve ever given? I’d love to hear about it in the comments!

Other simple, delicious dessert recipes:

• Apple Crumble Mug Cake
• Healthier Chocolate Espresso Cookies
• Sweet Potato Croquettes
• Olive Oil, Honey and Apple Cake
• Dutch Apple Pie Recipe

Did you like this Super Nutty Chocolate Bark Recipe? Are there changes you made that you would like to share? Share your tips and recommendations in the comments section below!

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