Peppermint Bark Snowflakes

I saw these on Pinterest and really wanted to try them about because they seemed to easy to make and, well, who doesn’t like some peppermint bark this time of year?  They were easy to make – although I could have been a bit more patient and these would have been much better looking.  There’s always next time…

INGREDIENTS

• 8 oz. bag good quality semisweet chocolate (you could also use milk chocolate or dark chocolate)
• 8 oz. bag good quality white chocolate
• 2 tsp vegetable shortening, divided
• 1/2 tsp peppermint extract, divided
• 3 candy canes, crushed
• If you’re using the silicone snowflake molds, this recipe will make 12 snowflakes
• If you want to make a sheet of bark, you’ll need a baking tray lined with parchment paper

HOW TO MAKE IT

• Using the microwave, melt the semisweet/milk/dark chocolate chips and 1 tsp vegetable shortening in 30 second intervals (stir the chocolate after each interval – you shouldn’t need to exceed 1 minute 30 seconds)
• Once the chocolate is melted, add in 1/4 tsp peppermint extract
• Carefully spoon the mixture into each snowflake mold (I used a 1″ ice cream scooper) – then use a small spatula and toothpick to carefully spread the mixture into each crevice
• Alternatively, spread the chocolate into a thin, even layer on the parchment lined baking sheet
• Sprinkle a small amount of crushed candy canes on top of the chocolate
• Put the molds in the fridge until the chocolate has fully set – 30-60 minutes
• Repeat the same process again with the white chocolate and put back in the fridge until the white chocolate is fully hardened
• Once the chocolate is fully set you can either pop the bark out of the silicone molds or use your hands to break the bark up into irregular pieces