Peppermint Candy (or Bark)

Of all the treats I make at Christmas time, this one is probably the most requested. The good part about that is, it's also BY FAR the easiest. It's basically a form of peppermint bark, but my mom always just called it peppermint candy. She just developed this version on her own, after trying peppermint bark somewhere once. This recipe isn't very exact; you can vary it to suit your personal taste. I also usually buy 5 lb. bags of the melting candy, and do batches of about 2 1/2 lbs. at a time. Here's the basic recipe:

Peppermint Candy

1 lb. white molding/melting candy (My favorites are from Guittard, and are called Vanilla A'ppeals. You can get them from Orson Gygi in Salt Lake. Otherwise, I'm sure they're available on the internet. Wilton brand candy melts are available at most craft stores, but I don't like them quite as well.)
1 tsp. peppermint extract (You can adjust this to your own taste.)
3-4 drops red food coloring
3-4 red and white peppermint candy canes (You can add more if you like lost of peppermint bits.)
Melted chocolate, optional

Crush candy canes in the blender. Melt molding candy in the microwave, stirring every 30 seconds. Stir in peppermint extract to taste. Stir in the red food coloring, then mix in the candy cane bits. Spread on waxed paper, about 1/8 inch thick. (My mom makes hers closer to 1/4 inch thick.) If desired, drizzle melted chocolate on the top, and swirl into the peppermint layer. Once set, break into pieces.

Here are a few tips:

• My least favorite part of making this candy is peeling the candy canes. I know that sounds silly, but I do several batches at a time, which means peeling up to 2 boxes of candy canes. The plastic creates static and the wrappers stick to everything. One year, the store was out of the regular size candy canes, but had the mini ones. They came with 2 attached together, and I could cut the tops of both off at once, and they slide right out. It was much quicker. If you can find the mini ones, go with those. (Obviously, you'll need to use more than 3 or 4...)
• If you decide to swirl chocolate in, you need to have it melted and ready to go before spreading out the peppermint layer. It sets very quickly, so you want to drizzle the chocolate on right after spreading out the candy out on the waxed paper.