Peppermint Popcorn Bark

As I (briefly) mentioned in an earlier post, we moved early this summer into our beautiful new home. There is so much to love about it but having awesome neighbors is certainly a bonus. Everyone is very kind, outgoing, and family-friendly. They've been great and I want to make sure that they all get delicious holiday treats this season!

I've been testing out some new ideas to use on my Christmas plates that I'll hand out and this one definitely made the cut. It's sweet, minty, and salty all at the same time. Kind of like traditional almond bark, but better. Plus it's easy, cheap, and makes a ton! Bonus - all of my holiday treat trials go to work the next day, so everyone wins!

Ingredients:

• 2 bags microwave popcorn
• 1 lb Almond Bark
• 6 oz candy canes OR starlight mints, crushed. Either one works, just make sure it's roughly 1 cup of crushed candy when you're done.
• 2 tsp peppermint extract
• 3/4 cup chocolate chips

Directions:

• Pop popcorn and place in a large mixing bowl. NOTE - Pick out any unpopped kernels! A broken tooth is not the best impression to make on your neighbors ;)
• Throw your candy canes/mints in a ziplock bag and crush 'em up! You can do this a variety of ways but I threw in my mints, took them outside, and gave them a few whacks with a small hammer. You could use a heavy rolling pin, but this was more fun.
• Pour crushed mints into popcorn.
• Now it's time to melt your almond bark. Just follow the instructions on the bag. I chose to melt mine in a sauce pan on the oven.
• Once melted by your preferred method, add peppermint extract. NOTE - this causes the bark to seize and get very thick suddenly. But keep on keepin' on. All is well.
• Add almond bark to the bowl of popcorn and mints. Slowly stir and make sure that you're coating all of the popcorn and mixing the candy in well.
• Once mixed well, spread out popcorn in an even layer over parchment paper and let sit. This is the most STICKY part of the recipe.
• In a separate bowl, melt chocolate chips (again, you can do this over the stove or in the microwave. Just stir frequently so it doesn't burn!) Once melted, put into a sandwich bag, snip off a small edge, and drizzle chocolate over popcorn bark.
• Let dry completely.

Phew. Long directions, but truly easy.

Just break it up into little sections and share! I tried to put them in goodie bags for my coworkers, but they were too small. Looks like I'll have to try another treat to put in those bags next time :)

Happy Holidays!

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