Stir in the peppermint extract then spread evenly in a thin rectangle on the prepared parchment paper. Break bark into pieces then serve or package into gift bags and tie with a ribbon - keep chocolates refrigerated until eating or gifting. I would recommend sticking with Dutch-processed though over regular cocoa powder if you can swing it though. Her kitchen-tested recipes and thorough step-by-step tutorials give readers the knowledge and confidence to bake from scratch.

Christmas is the best time of the year to do fun, festive recipes and the combination of Candy Canes and Chocolate is simply irresistible! As well, it is a lovely homemade gift; simply wrap some in a cellophane bag and tie with a pretty, red ribbon. This will get sticky, so stop when your hands are coated, scrape off the candy canes, and let them dry for a few seconds then separate them with the back of a spoon and keep going. You can even switch up the type of melted chocolate you drizzle on top – it’s completely up to you and what you prefer! Sift your dry ingredients into the bowl of your stand mixer and whisk until the cocoa is evenly distributed and there are no streaks.

It would have been ideal if I’d had the foresight to do a gingerbread cookie recipe to tie in with this post, but it wasn’t in my plans (neither was the Nutcracker) so you get these Dark Chocolate Candy Cane Cookies instead!

Sprinkle with reserved crushed candy canes then refrigerate until the chocolate has set, 20 minutes. Start by unwrapping candy canes (as many as you need) and laying them out on a sheet of wax paper or parchment paper.

Scoop the dough into rounded tablespoons and lightly dip the tops of the cookies into candy cane pieces. Use a sharp knife to cut the bark into pieces, or use your hands to break it apart; taste test; taste test again. All you’re doing here is chopping up the chocolates separately, melting them separately with a little oil to thin the melted chocolate, and layering them on top of one another. Chocolate chips and white chocolate morsels are fabulous in cookies, but are not ideal for melting into bark.

Put a handful in clear cellophane treat bags, tie a festive ribbon and there you have a gorgeous gift, and a super easy solution as a ‘thank you’ gift to teachers for the end of term. You can use a knife and try and be precise or be free to break into pieces that are assorted shapes and sizes. They didn’t turn out as pretty as yours, though, because the crushed candy cane on top melted (and in some cases ran down the sides and formed puddles on the edges of the cookies).

If you have leftover frosting, spread some on the cut edge to keep it fresh (and be yummy the next day! I decided to use a basic chocolate cupcake sponge flavoured with peppermint extract – if you don’t want the sponge minty as well though, you can just leave that out! The combination of dark chocolate and crushed peppermint is meant to be, and making the bark at home is a cinch – we’re talking 3 minutes of active cooking time and just 2 ingredients!