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This homemade Peppermint Bark Recipe is one of my best food gift ideas. Just be sure to keep some of the chocolate candy recipe for your own cookie platter. Start a new holiday tradition with this easy chocolate bark.
Kitchen counters lined with trays of homemade Peppermint Bark instantly transport me back to childhood. To prepare for cookie exchanges, host gifts, and family celebrations, Mom would reserve a day or two each holiday season for a bake-a-palooza.
One of the first things she’d always check off the list just so happens to be one of the simplest: this easy Peppermint Bark recipe. We’d start with this before moving onto the Christmas Sugar Cookies, Gingerbread Cookies, and Thumbprint Cookies since the bark could work its magic and solidify while the rest of the holiday cookies were mixed and baked.
This Peppermint Bark recipe earns bonus points because you don’t even need to turn on the oven to master how to make Peppermint Bark. In fact, you can do all the “cooking” required in the microwave.
Now that I have kids, this no-bake Christmas candy recipe has become one of our favorite holiday traditions to share, too. My little ones especially love breaking the big pieces of bark into snackable shards.
This 5-ingredient dessert recipe is a surefire way to let anyone on your “nice” list know how much you appreciate them, and you only need 15 minutes of hands-on time to make a batch.
Can’t get enough mint and chocolate? Me neither. Try my No Bake Oreo Mint Truffles, too, then wash everything down with a cool vintage Grasshopper cocktail.
Table of Contents
Recipe ingredients
At a Glance: Here is a quick snapshot of what ingredients are in this recipe.
Please see the recipe card below for specific quantities.
Ingredient notes
- Dark chocolate: Choose whatever darkness percentage you prefer. I find that 70 percent tends to be a crowd-pleaser, but you can’t go wrong with semi-sweet chocolate either. Some of my favorite brands are Ghiradelli and Lindt.
- White chocolate: For the best flavor, look for white chocolate chips that contain real cocoa butter, not just white candy melts made with palm kernel oil and powdered dairy. (The latter is great for other uses like Ritz Cracker Cookies and Circus Cookie Balls, but since the chocolate is the flavor-driver here, you’ll want to invest in the good stuff.)
- Shortening: Adding just 1 teaspoon of fat to the chocolate will help prevent the chocolate from seizing when you incorporate the peppermint extract. If you don’t want to use the vegetable shortening, coconut oil should work, too.
- Candy canes: Or starlight peppermint candies (round, red-and-white striped mints). To crush candy canes or mint candies, place them in a sturdy, large zip-top bag, and gently press with a rolling pin to crush the candy to your desired consistency (being careful not the break the bag).
Step-by-step instructions
- Line an 8-inch by 8-inch baking pan with parchment paper or wax paper. Set dark chocolate in a bowl over a pot of simmering water (double-boiler method) or melt in the microwave at 50% power in 30-second increments until completely melted (stir well between increments).
- Pour melted dark chocolate evenly in to the bottom of prepared pan. Spread evenly with an offset spatula. Set aside (do not refrigerate).
- Set white chocolate in a bowl over a pot of simmering water (double-boiler method) or melt in microwave at 50% power in 30-second increments until completely melted (stir well between increments). Melt shortening in microwave (about 15 to 20 seconds). Add peppermint extract and stir to combine. Add peppermint mixture to white chocolate and stir to combine. Fold in half the crushed canes (about ¼ cup) until evenly distributed.
- Spread melted white chocolate carefully and evenly over dark chocolate layer (the dark chocolate layer may not have completely set yet). Immediately sprinkle with remaining candy cane pieces.
- Allow peppermint bark to harden completely at room temperature before breaking into pieces or cutting with a sharp knife (this will take several hours).
Recipe tips and variations
- Yield: My Peppermint Bark recipe makes 20 servings of chocolate candy, about 1 ounce per serving. Scale up or down as desired to enjoy with your family, package as a food gift, or share at the cookie exchange.
- Storage: Transfer Peppermint Bark to an airtight container and store at a cool room temperature or in the refrigerator for up to 2 months.
- More minty treats: Be sure to check out my No-Bake Oreo Mint Truffles and Peppermint Cookies. For the 21+ crowd, this Grasshopper Drink is a fun dessert idea, too!
No Bake OREO Mint Truffles
These no-bake OREO Mint Truffles are one of the most popular versions of the classic cookie ball; this time, they are dipped in melted Andes Candies. This cool, minty variation is sure to be a new favorite!
View Recipe
Frequently Asked Questions
Of course. Feel free to follow this same method with 16 ounces of dark chocolate, white chocolate, or milk chocolate. If you stick to one type instead of two, you can melt it all in the same bowl and bypass the layering step.
Tempering, the process of properly melting and cooling chocolate so it stays shiny and snappy when broken, is a real science. As long as you melt it properly and don’t try to rush it by placing the chocolate in the refrigerator, chocolate essentially cools (and solidifies) on its own as it returns from melted temperature to room temperature. Here are my two favorite and fairly foolproof ways to melt chocolate:
To melt chocolate in the microwave, place chopped chocolate in a microwave-safe bowl; microwave in 30-second intervals, stirring between each, until smooth and melted.
To melt chocolate on the stove, place chopped chocolate in the top of a double boiler or a heatproof bowl set over, but not in, a saucepan of simmering water. Cook, stirring occasionally, until melted, 2 to 3 minutes. When melting on a stove, you should never boil the water beneath your bowl. Aim to keep the water at a mild simmer.
If you’d like to hint at the minty flavor even more, feel free to add a drop or two of red food coloring to the white chocolate layer. To add some extra festivity to the top, crown the candy with crushed candy canes and holiday sprinkles.
More holiday candy recipes
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Christmas Crack
Candy Recipes
No Bake Peanut Butter Balls
Candy Recipes
OREO Cookie Balls
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Microwave Peanut Brittle
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Peppermint Bark Recipe
Ingredients
- 8 oz dark chocolate (see note 1)
- 8 oz white chocolate (see note 2)
- 1 teaspoon shortening (see note 3)
- 1/4 teaspoon peppermint extract
- 1/2 cup candy cane pieces crushed, divided (see note 4)
Instructions
- Line an 8-inch by 8-inch baking pan with parchment paper or wax paper. Set dark chocolate in a bowl over a pot of simmering water (double-boiler method) or melt in microwave at 50% power in 30-second increments until completely melted (stir well between increments).
- Spread melted dark chocolate evenly in bottom of prepared pan. Set aside (do not refrigerate).
- Set white chocolate in a bowl over a pot of simmering water (double-boiler method) or melt in microwave at 50% power in 30-second increments until completely melted (stir well between increments).
- Melt shortening in microwave (about 15 to 20 seconds). Add peppermint extract and stir to combine.
- Add peppermint mixture to white chocolate and stir to combine. Fold in half the crushed canes (about ¼ cup) until evenly distributed.
- Spread melted white chocolate carefully and evenly over dark chocolate layer (the dark chocolate layer may not have completely set yet). Immediately sprinkle with remaining candy cane pieces.
- Allow peppermint bark to harden completely at room temperature before cutting/breaking into pieces (this will take several hours).
Notes
- Dark chocolate: Choose whatever darkness percentage you prefer. I find that 70 percent tends to be a crowd-pleaser.
- White chocolate: For the best flavor, look for white chocolate chips that contain real cocoa butter, not just white candy melts made with palm kernel oil and powdered dairy.
- Shortening: Adding just 1 teaspoon of fat to the chocolate will help prevent the chocolate from seizing when you incorporate the peppermint extract. If you don’t want to use the vegetable shortening, coconut oil should work, too.
- Candy canes: Or starlight peppermint candies (round, red-and-white striped mints). To crush candy canes or mint candies, place them in a sturdy, large zip-top bag, and gently press with a rolling pin to crush the candy to your desired consistency (being careful not the break the bag).
- Yield: My Peppermint Bark recipe makes 20 servings of chocolate candy, about 1 ounce per serving. Scale up or down as desired to enjoy with your family, package as a food gift, or share at the cookie exchange.
- Storage: Transfer Peppermint Bark to an airtight container and store at a cool room temperature or in the refrigerator for up to 2 months.
Nutrition
Meggan Hill is a classically-trained chef and professional writer. Her meticulously-tested recipes and detailed tutorials bring confidence and success to home cooks everywhere. Meggan has been featured on NPR, HuffPost, FoxNews, LA Times, and more.
What do you use for shortening in candy bark?
Hi Karen, I use Crisco vegetable shortening usually. Take care! – Meggan
This looks great – can’t wait to try it. Also, would you please think about adding your “Tips” to the recipe print option? It is just a drag to have to type it all out myself.