Homemade Peppermint Bark

5 from 1 vote

A simple layered holiday bark made with white and semi-sweet chocolates, flavored with peppermint, and garnished with crushed candy canes.

Prep Time1 30

Total Time1 30

Recipe Author Lynn April

Servings: 12 servings

Ingredients

▢ 8 ounces (227g) high quality semi-sweet chocolate¹ coarsely chopped
▢ ¼ teaspoon peppermint extract
▢ 8 ounces (227g) high quality white chocolate² coarsely chopped
▢ 3 to 4 large candy canes³ crushed

Instructions

Line an 8" baking pan with aluminum foil, parchment paper, or wax paper, allowing lining to come up and hang off the sides of the pan. Smooth out any wrinkles and set aside.
In a medium saucepan over low-medium heat, melt the semi-sweet chocolate, stirring constantly, until smooth. You may also do this in the microwave, melting chocolate in 15 second intervals and stirring thoroughly with a spatula between each interval.
8 ounces (227g) high quality semi-sweet chocolate1
Once chocolate is completely melted, add the peppermint extract. Mixture may bubble a little bit, but this is ok. Stir to thoroughly combine
¼ teaspoon peppermint extract
Pour melted semi-sweet chocolate into prepared baking pan, spreading with a spatula into an even layer (it will be very thin-- this is ok). Rap pan on counter top several times to settle chocolate and remove any air bubbles. Place pan in the refrigerator for 20 minutes or until completely set.
When semi-sweet chocolate is completely set, melt the white chocolate, again in a medium saucepan over low-medium heat, stirring constantly, until smooth. You may also do this in the microwave, melting chocolate in 15 second intervals and stirring thoroughly with a spatula between each interval.
8 ounces (227g) high quality white chocolate2
Pour melted white chocolate directly and evenly on top of semi-sweet layer, gently spreading with a spatula into an even layer. Be careful not to disturb the semi-sweet layer on the bottom, as it will melt a bit once the hot white chocolate hits it. Rap pan on counter top several times to settle chocolate and remove any air bubbles.
While white chocolate is still wet, sprinkle crushed candy canes on top and tap pan on counter again to settle everything. Place pan in the refrigerator or at room temperature until completely set.
3 to 4 large candy canes3
Once entire pan is completely hardened, remove bark from the pan using the overhang as handles and peel off the lining. Break into desired size pieces or cut⁴ into squares. Bark should be stored in the refrigerator and will keep for up to 3 weeks.

Notes

Semi-sweet chocolate: it is very important that you use high-quality chocolate for this peppermint bark. Do not use chips.
White chocolate: check the ingredients on your white chocolate to make sure it contains cocoa butter and not palm kernel oil, which will inhibit your chocolate layers from bonding. Candy melts or white melting wafers will not work here. It's best to stick with white bar chocolate to be safe.
Candy canes: you can use mini candy canes, if you prefer. Use 6-8. You can also use peppermint candies. Use 8-10. Crush candy canes by putting in a zip top bag and smashing with a spoon or a rolling pin.
Cutting into squares: if you choose to cut into squares rather than break apart with your hands, allow pan to sit at room temperature for about 10 minutes, then cut using a very sharp knife.
This recipe makes 1 pound of peppermint bark. Broken up, it can be between 12 and 18 servings.

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Nutrition Disclosure

All nutritional values are approximate and provided to the reader as a courtesy. Changing ingredients and/or quantities will alter the estimated nutritional calculations.