Make your own peppermint bark

Catalog shopping or mall shopping: It doesn’t matter, you see it everywhere. Peppermint bark is the big thing this year.

It’s not new and it’s not old enough to be retro, but peppermint bark seems to have surged ahead of truffles as a popular holiday treat.

And it’s not cheap. Williams-Sonoma sells theirs for about $23 a pound. That doesn’t include shipping.

If you’re looking for an idea for a homemade gift or a treat to take to work, a batch of peppermint bark might be just the ticket.

This recipe is adapted from Allrecipes.com, a Seattle-based company.

Peppermint bark

8 ounces high-quality semisweet chocolate, broken into pieces (chips are fine)

2 teaspoons canola oil, divided

½ teaspoon peppermint extract, divided

8 ounces high-quality white chocolate, broken into pieces (chips are fine)

25 peppermint candies, crushed

Lightly grease a 9-by-9-inch pan and line it with waxed paper or foil, smoothing out the wrinkles.

Place the semisweet chocolate and 1 teaspoon oil in the top of a double boiler over just barely simmering water, stirring frequently and scraping down the sides with a rubber spatula to avoid scorching. (Or melt chocolate in the microwave, following instructions for your microwave oven.) When chocolate is melted, stir in ¼ teaspoon peppermint extract.

Pour the melted chocolate into the pan and spread evenly. Sprinkle half the crushed peppermints over the chocolate. Refrigerate until completely hardened, about 1 hour.

Melt the white chocolate and the remaining 1 teaspoon canola oil as you did with the chocolate. (Or microwave.) When the white chocolate is melted, stir in the remaining ¼ teaspoon peppermint extract.

Pour the white chocolate directly over the semisweet chocolate layer; spread evenly. Sprinkle the remaining crushed candy over the top and gently press it in.

Refrigerate until completely hardened.

Remove from the pan; break into small pieces to serve.

Makes about a pound, about 20 servings. Refrigerate leftovers.