Peppermint Bark Recipe

A stack of peppermint bark surrounded by candy canes and bits of crushed candy canes.

This delightful peppermint bark recipe only needs four simple ingredients and minimal effort! Add it to your cookie tins for gifting, or serve it at a holiday party.

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 5

Chill Time 1 20

Total Time 1 35

Servings pieces

Calories 184kcal

Author John Kanell

Equipment

8” baking pan
Mixing Bowls
Offset spatula

Ingredients

12 ounces semisweet chocolate chopped (375g)
16 ounces white chocolate chopped (450g)
½ teaspoon peppermint extract
7 candy canes crushed

Instructions

Line an 8x8-inch baking dish with parchment paper or wax paper. (For thinner bark, use a large baking sheet.)
Place the semisweet chocolate in a medium heat-proof bowl. You can melt the chocolate by setting it over pot of shallow simmering water or using a double boiler, stirring until smooth. Or, microwave the chocolate in 30-second intervals at 50% power, stirring between each, until smooth and fully melted.
Pour the melted chocolate into the pan and spread it into an even layerwith a spatula. Chill until partially set or firm to the touch on top, about 20 minutes.
Place the white chocolate in a separate bowl, and melt it as you did the semisweet chocolate, then stir in the peppermint extract. Sprinkle in about ⅓ cup of crushed candy cane and fold into the white chocolate.
Pour the white chocolate onto the set semisweet chocolate layer and smooth out with a spatula. Sprinkle the remaining crushed candy cane on top. Regrierate until completely set, about 1 hour.
Remove the bark form the pan using the parchment paper, and cut or break it into pieces. Store leftover peppermint bark in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 week or refrigerated for up to 3 weeks.

Video

Notes

Melt the chocolate slowly. Don’t rush this step! I prefer to set my glass bowl on a pot of gently simmering water on low heat and stir the chocolate often for the best peppermint bark. The chocolate is less likely to seize up if melted this way. If using the microwave method, heat on 50% power for short 30-second intervals and stir between each interval.
If you use chocolate chips instead of chopped bars, add a teaspoon of coconut oil to the melted chocolate (both semi-sweet and white) after melting it. Chocolate chips can melt differently than chocolate bars, and the coconut oil will make them easier to spread and less hard once they set, making them easier to eat.
Best white chocolate to use: Choose a white chocolate that contains real cocoa butter for easy melting. Avoid products labeled “morsels” for this recipe, as they will not melt smoothly.
Crush the candy by hand. Crush unwrapped candy canes by placing them in a zip-top bag, folding a dish towel on top, and lightly rolling over it or banging it with a rolling pin or meat mallet until crushed. Doing this process by hand gives you more control over the size of the pieces than using a food processor would.
Make a custom-sized pan. If you only have a large pan, you can use aluminum foil to create a custom-sized pan by folding the edges to make a wall to stop the chocolate from spreading further.
Topping and mix-in options. If candy canes aren’t your favorite or if they are out of season, try topping the white chocolate layer with crushed pretzels, chopped toasted pecans, a sweet cereal, sea salt, toffee pieces, chocolate candies, or chopped candy bars.

Nutrition