Peppermint Bark Sighting!

[mamamia]

Just in time for the holidays. I snagged a tin of peppermint bark at Target this weekend for $9.99. I tried it last year and can attest that it's on par with the $25 version at Williams Sonoma.

[ArikaDawn]

I saw the peppermint bark at Target today for $8 in Fort Myers. They also had these amazing little peppermint bark bites made by Andes. Only $2.50 for a bag, super cute and embossed with candy canes, AND they're portion controlled in perfect little 50 cal. pieces. Yum! They also have my favorite candy cane tootsie pops.

[wleatherette]

tj maxx in nyc has it in stock. it's around $10 for a large box, iirc. i was interested but ultimately too scared to eat something that came from one of those stores. i wouldn't be surprised if they were trying to unload last year's bark.

[alkapal]

target in falls church virginia today had "no idea" what i was talking about when i asked for peppermint bark. they only had the little ghiradelli squares of it. is it target's "archer farms" brand? and it is in a tin? how large?

maybe all their christmas holiday stuff isn't in yet...

[rworange]

It is in the section with the holiday foods. Maybe only the super Targets with grocery stores carry it. It is in a tin around the size of a Russel Stover candy box ... not that exact size, but about.

Though it was just in the section with all the Christmas stuff and not the grocery section which was a few aisles down. I'm just thinking maybe only the larger stores might carry it.

[jlafler]

Our local Target (Mountain View, CA) has a 12 ounce tin on sale for $8 through Saturday, I think.

And such a nice, reusable tin!

[ceekskat]

Only a couple of years ago I discovered peppermint bark at WS. $25 price tag kept me from buying it though. Target & Cost Plus eh? Amen to chowhound:-)

[sallyb]

In the twin cities can also get this at lunds/byerlys. They have it packaged in the bakery dept. It does seem a bit pricey.

[toodie jane]

My local Calif Trader Joe's is featuring this--I think it came out in the latest 'Flyer'--in a nice, giftable tin for the same price, I think. They also were displaying a "holiday" Peppermint "Oreo" cookie--anybody try these last year?

WS is overpriced on most everything. I think Cost Plus (World Market) carries the same package of peppermint bark as WS, although I don't recall their asking price. Less, I'm sure!

[mamamia]

ToodieJane - I tried TJ's bark last year and was disappointed. The chocolate layer was very cookie-like. I much prefer Target's, it reminds me of a beautiful little Andes chocolate mint..a little goes a long way.

In the name of good scientific research, I will have to seek it out at Cost Plus and conduct a blind taste test. :)

[lamster]

Cost Plus has it but I didn't check the price either. I saw it on Friday last week.

[coney with everything]

I gotta say...I liked the TJ bark's cookiness. I'm still waiting to see it and the JoJo's here--they haven't stocked the seasonal stuff as of 2 days ago.

[roma_girl]

OMG the candy cane Joe-Joes are EVIL! They are so yummy and they have them now in Seattle. The stock is already getting low. If you like peppermint, and you like oreos (joe joes are better--they don't have trans fats or HFCS) you will LOVE these. They actually have wee bits of crunchy candy cane pieces inside the frosting.

[Peg]

OK, I had to Google 'peppermint bark' as I had no idea what it was... surely it's something that's simple to make yourself? That way you could control the quality of the chocolate and crushed mints.
Why buy something that looks so easy to make?

[rworange]

It's sort of like saying why not make your own Hershey bar (or chocolate bar of choice). Sure, it can be done, but most of us wouldn't bother. Anyway sometimes you just want a small piece of bark to celebrate the season.

If you google without the quotes, there are tons of hits, including recipes. Here's some links with pictures
http://www.thenibble.com/reviews/main/candy/mints/best-peppermint-bark.asp
http://www.mennonitepantry.com/candy%...

From the first link ...

"For the unacquainted, peppermint bark is basically a thin bar of chocolate with broken pieces of peppermint candy mixed in or sprinkled on top. "

[jlafler]

Plus, candy-making is tougher than it looks, especially when it involves tempering chocolate -- and you would definitely need to temper the chocolate to make a good peppermint bark, otherwise it wouldn't break into pieces neatly.

[MollyGee]

Peppermint bark is *so* easy to make and just as tasty or tastier than store bought. I used this recipe from Epicurious last year for my Christmas candy box and I had people calling me late at night to tell me they loved me:

http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/foo...

Of the store-bought barks, Williams Sonoma is the best, but homemade is better, cheaper and, yep, you're in charge!

[sandrina]

Thanks for the heads up. I absolutely love this stuff, and can practically eat an entire tin of it by myself in one day! I got lucky at the end of last holiday season and was able to pick-up a few tins that had been 75% discounted at Bed Bath & Beyond. Got them dirt cheap!

[alkapal]

that needs a "BOLO" alert for post-Christmas sales. thanks, sandrina.