There's a lot of articles floating around right now about Frugality at Christmas time. Well, I've got reason to be frugal around here---and it's to support my baking habit which requires um....several pounds of butter and flour a week month. Yes, a month. Mmmmhmmm. That's right. And that's my story and I'm sticking to it.
Anyhow, back to how to be frugal Vanilla Icing style. Look at mail and excitedly peruse one of favorite catalogs with the initials W.S. Gape at price of Peppermint Bark.
$26.00 a pound!!!
That's about 14 pounds of butter! 24 pounds of King Arthur Bread Flour! I'm sorry W.S., but in this particular case I'm not going to defend you.
I rummaged through the cupboards and pulled out semi-sweet chocolate chips and white chocolate chips. I snagged some candy canes off of the Christmas tree. Then, I made Peppermint Bark and it wasn't $26 a pound. And it doesn't require some fancy recipe.
Peppermint Bark Vanilla Icing Style
2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 cup white chocolate chips
2 candy canes
Using two double boilers* melt each of the chips over low heat. While they are melting, place a sheet of waxed paper on a plate or in a small pan for support. Unwrap candy canes, place in ziplock back and crush into small pieces. When the semi-sweet is melted, spread in a thin layer of desired thickness onto wax paper. Carefully spoon the melted white chocolate onto the semi-sweet and spread. Be careful not to mix the two OR go wild and swirl them together gently. Sprinkle the crushed candy canes on top. Drizzle additional semi-sweet chocolate on top if you are feeling decorative.
*I don't actually have a double boiler. I set a small bowl or pan over a pot of water. Sometimes I even put a heavy, thick bottomed small crockery bowl into a frying pan that has about two inches of water in it.
