A Modern Holiday Tradition
Beloved by millions and especially popular during the holidays, peppermint bark can be found in a variety of flavor combinations and from many sources. But our favorite at Bake from Scratch is from Williams Sonoma. This year marks the 25th anniversary of Williams Sonoma Peppermint Bark, so we’re breaking off a few facts about this creamy-crunchy delight.
▸ Williams Sonoma debuted its Original Peppermint Bark in 1998 after a team of food merchants set out to create throwback treats that would remind founder Chuck Williams of his childhood during Christmastime. Testing took 20 rounds to make perfect!
▸ Peppermint bark is essentially tempered chocolate topped with crushed hard peppermint candies and left to solidify before breaking into pieces. The finished product resembles the craggy surface of tree bark, hence the name. It’s believed that peppermint bark was inspired by the French confection mendiant, a small chocolate disk topped with nuts and dried fruit.
▸ Williams Sonoma makes peppermint bark with Guittard chocolate (a recipe Guittard makes specifically for Williams Sonoma), triple-distilled peppermint oil, and no artificial flavors or colors. More than 1 million pounds of Guittard chocolate and 65,000 peppermint pieces are used each holiday season.
▸ Williams Sonoma’s peppermint bark is available for only 12 weeks a year, during the late fall and early
