I made my wife peppermint bark for Christmas - so easy...

[NRaleighLiberal]

and about 1/3 the cost of the Williams Sonoma bark (30 dollars for a one pound tin!) - and better.

Ingredients - 12 oz of the Trader Joe pound plus dark chocolate (4.99 for a 17.6 ounce bar)
one 12 oz package of trader joe white chocolate pieces (2.29)
some peppermint candy canes
pure peppermint extract

Line a 9X12 baking pan with foil. Melt the dark chocolate in a double boiler - whisk in 3/4 tsp of the extract - pour into the pan and set aside until it hardens (I put mine in the fridge to solidify again - didn't have time to let it harden on the counter). Melt the white chocolate chips in a double boiler and whisk in 3/4 tsp mint extract - pour over the dark chocolate - sprinkle coarsely chopped candy canes on top. Let it harden on the shelf or fridge.

That's 1.5 pound of bark for about 5-6 dollars - and it tastes incredible. More satisfying than paying 30 dollars for an inferior product (I guess I am not much of a capitalist!)

[Warpy]

1. Buying it from Williams-Sonoma is rather akin

to buying polished apples, elaborately wrapped, in Japan. The packaging is what is the most important, the contents are nearly irrelevant.

The Williams-Sonoma stuff is likely very good, using a small company to produce it in bulk with real vanilla flavoring instead of vanillin and so forth, but the packaging is what costs the bucks.

[cbayer]

2. No trader joe's here, but I love this stuff.

Would you mind taking a quick flight down to bring me the supplies I need?

I would be ever so grateful.

[elleng]

3. NICE of you!

How's their dark chocolate? I love the stuff, shouldn't have too much of it and brand I favor (cote d'or) is difficult to find. I MIGHT (but should NOT) try Trader Joe's, if it's good enough.

THANKS!!

[NRaleighLiberal]

4. It is wonderful - it is a Belgian dark, nice and brittle and addictive!

We chop it up and put it over vanilla soy creamy for dessert quite often.

[elleng]

5. UH OH,

may have to try it! THANKS!

[grasswire]

6. they also sell this in small individually wrapped bars in a three pack.

I get those; one bar lasts me three days. They are at the checkstands.

[elleng]

8. The checkstand tactic gets me!

Haven't been to TJ's, but will persuade my friend to bring me there, I think. 'Thanks' for the info!

[Erich Bloodaxe BSN]

7. I don't think I'd ever thought about why it's called 'bark'.

But with layers of black and white chocolate, maybe the dark chocolate is 'tree bark', and the white is the 'snow' clinging to it?

[MrMickeysMom]

9. I think it's the way the candy sticks out of the otherwise smooth surface, like bark...

That's my best guess!

[Luminous Animal]

10. That is so sweet! And sounds utterly delicious.

[blackcrow]

11. no photo?

[NRaleighLiberal]

12. I should have...it's already gone! next time...