‘Quick ‘n Easy’ White Chocolate Peppermint Bark with Pecans

      This is a great recipe for those times when you want to share a homemade treat but have very little time to prepare something!

You may know I call myself “Organized/Disorganized”…  Example – I have a folder in a closet full of Christmas ideas/recipes and another folder for Thanksgiving, which is the ‘organized’ part of my personality.  But because my kitchen is my office, my workstation and basically where I spend much of my time, it’s usually a mess.  Which is the shows the ‘disorganized’ part of my personality.

I couldn’t sleep last night, so I reorganized my Christmas folder and found my recipe for White Chocolate Peppermint Bark with Pecans – which I had totally forgotten about.  Making candy doesn’t get much easier than this – just a few ingredients, a bit of time cooking in the microwave, a bit of stirring et voila –  CANDY!

++  For a delicious change-of-pace, use two (12 oz.) bags of semi-sweet choc.!

INGREDIENTS

• 4 cups white chocolate morsels – divided      ++  Two (12 0z.) bags of morsels
  
• 2 Tbs. shortening – divided
• 1/3 cup finely chopped salted pecans
• 1/3 cup “smashed up” candy canes or peppermint candies

++  To break up candy canes, place several in a plastic zip lock bag and smack with a hammer, a can or a rolling pin.  (Of course, if you have a high-powered food processor you can chop them up in that… I think!)

++  Leftover candy canes can – like any type of hard peppermint candy – be saved for later use.  

METHOD

1.  Place 2 cups (1 bag) white chocolate morsels in a medium-size microwavable bowl.  Add 1 Tbs. shortening.

2.  Microwave – on high – for 2 minutes.     ++ This is only half of the white chocolate morsels – 2 cups (one bag) at a time are melted in 2 batches.  This ensures the chocolate doesn’t seize, meaning it won’t thicken or harden during melting

3.  Remove chocolate from microwave and mix well with a large spoon.

4.  Return to microwave for 30 – 40 seconds. Remove and stir well – ‘smooshing’ any chocolate morsels which may remain a bit unmelted. 

5. Spoon melted chocolate into another bowl & repeat the process of melting 2 cups of white chocolate morsels with 1 Tbs. Crisco.

6.  Stir in 1/3 cup “smashed up” candy canes or peppermint pieces and 1/3 cup finely chopped pecans.

7.  Drop by large tablespoons onto a cookie sheet which has been lined with waxed paper, parchment paper or plastic wrap.

8.  When candies are cooled and hardened, which won’t take long, they’re ready.  Enjoy !