How To Make Peppermint Bark
Peppermint bark is a sweet and delicious treat for the holiday season. It’s super easy to make and is a great gift for friends, family, and co-workers. Plus, it’s such a fun dessert because it brings excitement to the Christmas season. It’s a festive and delicious treat that’s perfect for gift-giving or enjoying yourself!
Easy Peppermint Bark Chocolate Candy
One of the great things about this candy is that it turns out wonderfully delicious, and it’s a great gift without the hefty price tag. It’s super easy to make and comes out looking like you ordered it from a catalog.
You can make the peppermint bark and have enough to give away to a couple of friends or family, and only spend about one-third of the price of store-bought candy.
Step-By-Step Instructions
Peppermint bark is truly one of the easiest candy recipes to make. It doesn’t call for a thermometer or a stovetop. You can simply use a couple of bowls, a cookie sheet, and your microwave. Plus, it only takes a few minutes to get it ready and into the fridge to set up.
Start by adding the semi-sweet chocolate chips to a microwave-safe bowl and melting in increments of 30 seconds, stirring in between each time. You shouldn’t have to microwave for more than about two minutes in total.
Add half a teaspoon of the peppermint extract to the melted chocolate and mix it in.
TIP: Stir the chocolate for a minute or so before adding it back to the microwave. The heat that builds up in the bowl and stirring can help melt the chocolate.
Line a 10 by 13-inch cookie sheet with parchment paper and spread the chocolate out. You don’t need to spread it to the edges, or it will be too thin. Just spread it out and place it in the refrigerator to cool a little before adding the white chocolate.
The parchment paper will be easy to lift out when you’re ready to cut the bark. Don’t use tin foil for this recipe because the chocolate will stick to it, and it will be a little harder to pull it off.
Now, add the white chocolate to a medium bowl and melt in the microwave in 30-second increments until melted. The white chocolate might take a little bit longer to melt, but be sure not to overcook it, or it will get hard.
Again, stirring will help melt the chocolate once you’ve microwaved it a little.
Add half a teaspoon of the peppermint extract and mix well.
Gently pour the white chocolate over the semi-sweet chocolate and spread it to the edges of the chocolate. You do want it to melt a little bit together so the semisweet chocolate layer and the top layer will stick together.
Grab a Ziplock baggie and add the candy canes to the bag. Break the candy canes up and sprinkle them over the top of the melted white chocolate so they will stick.
Place the easy peppermint bark recipe back into the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes or until the candy hardens.
Once the candy is hard, you can cut it into pieces. Store the candy in an airtight container in the refrigerator to keep the candy from melting.
The homemade peppermint bark recipe is great for gift-giving, parties, or just sitting and eating a piece…or two…or three…
Adding Some Variety
You can make the classic peppermint bark or add some variety by using different ingredients. Here are a few ideas:
- Milk chocolate chips
- Dark chocolate chips
- Peanut butter chips
- Peppermint chips
- Peppermint candies
You can switch the chocolate layers and add the white at the bottom, or stir the two chocolate layers together, giving it a swirl effect, and add the crushed candy canes on top.
Tips for Making Peppermint Bark
- Crushing Candy Canes: Use a rolling pin, food processor, or meat mallet to crush peppermint candies or mini candy canes gently. Put the candies in a zip-top bag before crushing them to keep everything contained and mess-free. Crush the candy canes right before you place them on the bark; otherwise, they will stick together.
- Setting the Bark: Let the peppermint bark set at room temperature or in the fridge. Remember, the slower the chocolate sets, the smoother it will be, so if you have time, room temperature is best.
- Cutting the Bark: Once set, use a sharp knife to cut or break the bark into pieces. For clean cuts, warm the knife slightly under hot water (wipe it dry before cutting) and wipe it clean between cuts.
- Serving Options: Serve your peppermint bark as a standalone treat, include it on your Christmas cookie tray, or use it to add a festive touch to the side of hot chocolate.
- Storage: Store your peppermint bark in an airtight container to keep it fresh. You can leave it out or keep it in the refrigerator. It can be a wonderful homemade gift or a pretty and delightful treat for a holiday party.
- First-Time Tips: If this is your first time making peppermint bark, don’t be afraid to experiment. Sometimes, the best recipes come from a bit of trial and error.
More Festive Peppermint Candy
- Creamy and festive, white chocolate peppermint fudge has the perfect balance of sweetness and minty freshness for holiday snacking.
- When you’re short on time but still want something homemade, 5-minute peppermint fudge comes to the rescue with big flavor and minimal effort.
- Packed with cocoa and a pop of mint, double chocolate peppermint cookies are rich, chewy, and full of holiday cheer.
- Smooth, sweet, and topped with crushed candy canes, peppermint white chocolate fudge is a no-bake treat that’s always a hit at Christmas gatherings.
- Made from cream cheese, peppermint extract, and powdered sugar, this peppermint candy recipe, from Food.com, is a festive, colorful treat that’s fun to shape and perfect for sharing over the holidays.
How To Make Peppermint Bark
Ingredients
- 2 – 10 ounce bags of white chocolate chips can be a 12 oz. bag
- 2 – 10 ounce bags of semi-sweet chocolate chips can be a 12 ounce bag
- 1 teaspoon peppermint extract
- 1 cup chopped candy canes
Instructions
- First, add the semi-sweet chocolate chips to a medium bowl and microwave in increments of 30 seconds, stirring in between. Most of the time, you will not need to melt more than 2 minutes in total.
- Add half a teaspoon of peppermint extract and mix well.
- Pour onto a cookie sheet covered with parchment paper and spread out.
- Place in the refrigerator while you work on the next step.
- Add the white chocolate chips to a medium bowl and microwave in 30-second intervals, stirring in between, until melted.
- Next, add half a teaspoon of the peppermint extract to the white chocolate and mix well.
- Spread the melted white chocolate over the semi-sweet chocolate.
- Sprinkle the chopped candy canes over the white chocolate and place them in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes or until the chocolate is hard.
- Allow the peppermint bark to come to room temperature before cutting or breaking it.
I have made this before and for some reason the chocolates keep separating, (by that I mean the white separates from the chocolate) How do I get it to stay together, my daughter loves this candy
Hi Penny, I have had that happen, as well. After you have poured and refrigerated the semi-sweet layer, don’t leave it in the fridge for long. Pour the white chocolate over the semi-sweet while the semi-sweet is still somewhat warm and melty. That should keep it together. Also, wait until the chocolate is at room temperature before you break it up. Hope that helps!
Could the white chocolate layer be poured over the dark chocolate layer before it’s put in the fridge? That way they would both still be warm and possibly cling together and cool down at the same time after it is all assembled?
You can do that. They might run together a little, but it will still be beautiful.
Gonna try these I don’t cook or bake
I hope you love it!
I do not have peppermint Extract. Could I use peppermint chocolate chips instead and just add white chocolate and candy canes on top of that?
I think the peppermint chocolate chips would work great with the recipe!