This Peppermint Bark is a great last-minute gift idea for a neighbor, teacher, or mailman. It’s easy to make with only three ingredients (and an optional fourth ingredient), and it’s budget-friendly!
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Recipe for Peppermint Bark
Peppermint Bark is one of my favorite gifts to make and give away during the holiday season, so I have to share this recipe! Wrap it up in a nice little bag, and everyone in your life will adore it. Of course, you don’t have to give it as a gift – you can make some for yourself too! I love treating myself to a bit of this bark with my coffee – with a minty creamer, especially yum!
If you’ve never had it before, Peppermint Chocolate Bark is essentially thin chocolate sprinkled with crushed candy cane on top. We’re using both white and dark chocolate in separate layers for this bark, and you can add a dash of peppermint extract, too, if you like things extra minty.
So, as you can imagine, with all that chocolate, this is a family-friendly favorite and a treat that goes over well with teachers, co-workers, neighbors, or your very best friends! It’s simple and quick to make and really gets you in the holiday spirit!
File this away in your box of quick-and-easy holiday treat recipes! (You do have one, right?! 👀)
Peppermint Bark: Ingredients & Equipment
For this Peppermint Bark recipe, you will need …
Ingredients
- good quality dark and white chocolate – a bag each. These are the base of your peppermint bark. You’ll have a layer of each.
- crushed candy canes or peppermint disks – the topping for your peppermint bark.
- peppermint extract – optional, but if you want a more minty flavor, add it to your white chocolate when it’s melted!
Equipment
- double boiler – if you don’t have one for tempering chocolate, just grab a medium-sized pot and fill it with an inch of water. Bring the water to a simmer and place a metal mixing bowl over it. There you have it! Your chocolate will go in the mixing bowl. You need that indirect heat to melt your chocolate properly!
- cookie sheet lined with waxed paper – this is where you’ll make your peppermint bark.
How to Make Peppermint Bark
This is another one of those easy and quick snack ideas you’ll love! To make peppermint bark …
First, melt your chocolate. Grab a double boiler, melt your dark chocolate, and then pour it into a cookie sheet lined with waxed paper. After, melt your white chocolate and do the same, being careful not to mix the dark and white together. You can stir in peppermint extract with your white chocolate to give it an extra holiday flavor.
Next, add the candy cane topping. Sprinkle the top of your white chocolate with crushed candy canes while it’s still soft. Gently push the candy cane bits into the chocolate, so they stick.
Then, just let it refrigerate … and serve! Throw the cookie sheet into the fridge for about two hours. When all the chocolate seems like it’s hardened, turn the cookie sheet upside down onto a towel and peel off the waxed paper. Break your new peppermint bark into pieces, and enjoy!!
Peppermint Bark: FAQs
It should take around 45 minutes and 2 hours to chill in the fridge. 15 minutes of that is hands-on prep, and 30 minutes of that is melting chocolate.
Depending on serving size, it should be enough to split up into 6-8 gift bags (or give to 6-8 people).
Yes! For instance, you can use milk or semisweet chocolate wherever you’d like. Make sure it’s good quality; spring for the decent stuff if you can. It melts better!
Other recipes you may enjoy
Peppermint Bark
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 bag good quality dark chocolate 12 oz.
- 1 bag good quality white chocolate 12 oz.
- ½ teaspoon peppermint extract optional
- crushed candy canes or peppermint disks at least 1/2 cup, up to a full cup
Instructions
- Line a cookie sheet with waxed paper and set aside.
- Melt the dark chocolate in a double boiler until smooth. Pour out onto the prepared pan.
- Melt the white chocolate in a double boiler until smooth. Stir in the extract, if desired. Carefully pour it out over the dark chocolate – leveling it out with a spatula, taking care not to mix the white and dark chocolate together. Immediately sprinkle with candy canes and gently push them into the chocolate, so they adhere.
- Refrigerate for 2 hours.
- Turn the bark upside down onto a towel and peel off the waxed paper. Break into pieces.
Notes
- Use any kind of chocolate you’d like (dark, white, semi-sweet, milk, etc). Just be sure to make sure it’s good quality – spring for the good stuff if you can. It melts better!
- If you want a softer, non-crunchy, peppermint candy, use the Andes Peppermint Baking Chips (or a similar product) in place of the candy pieces.
Nutrition
Please note that the nutritional information listed on this page is an estimation based on the products I used. Ingredients and nutritional information can vary significantly between brands. Always be sure to read labels. Please verify that a recipe fits your needs before using it. Nutrition info may contain errors, so please verify it independently. Likewise, recipes may contain errors, so please use your common sense when following them.
Originally published on December 18, 2013. Updated on November 25, 2022.
G'day! I could go for a piece of your bark right now, true!
Thanks for sharing!
Cheers! Joanne
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