Peppermint Bark

I love peppermint bark! It's my favorite treat of the holiday season. I found this recipe in an issue of Everyday Food.

Makes approximately 36 pieces

Prep time: 30 minutes
Total time: 1 hour

Nonstick cooking spray
1 pound white chocolate, chopped (do not use chips)
2 cups puffed rice cereal (rice krispies)
1 package (7.5 oz) hard peppermint candies, unwrapped

Spray a 10x15-inch rimmed baking sheet with nonstick cooking spray; line with a piece of waxed paper. Crush candies (see note below).

Place white chocolate in a heatproof bowl set over (not in) a saucepan of simmering water. Heat, stirring occasionally, until smooth, 4 to 6 minutes. Remove from heat; stir in rice cereal.

Transfer mixture to prepared pan; with a spatula, spread to edges of pan.

Sprinkle with crushed candy; with a piece of waxed paper covering the entire surface, press in gently (paper prevents hands from sticking to candy and chocolate). Chill until firm, 20 to 30 minutes (no longer, as candy will begin to soften).

Peel waxed paper off. Break bark into 2-inch pieces. Store at room temperature in an airtight container, up to 1 week.

Note: Crushing Candies: Place candy in a double resealable plastic bag (one inside the other); seal and wrap in a kitchen towel (to prevent candy from piercing the bag). Use a rolling pin or skillet to crush candy into tiny pieces. Pass through a sieve to separate crushed candy from fine powder. You can save powder to stir into hot chocolate or sprinkle on ice cream. I actually saved the powder and too-small pieces to mix into homemade ice cream.