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Peppermint Bark makes a favorite holiday treat! This homemade peppermint bark recipe is made with layers of peppermint filled milk chocolate and white chocolate and then topped with peppermint candy.
Peppermint bark is a holiday favorite around my house. My entire family loves it – especially Sam. We always loved to buy a tin on our trip to see Santa. It’s one of those traditions we had when Sam was just a little boy.
Even though we bought that tin when we visited Santa, I love to make it at home. My homemade peppermint bark recipe is just as delicious as any I’ve ever purchased – and I enjoy making it each year. With minimal ingredients, for just a few dollars, and in less than 15 minutes, you can make peppermint bark to enjoy and share!
Peppermint Bark Recipe
It’s one of those delicious nibbles that is perfect with hot chocolate.
And as much as we love it at my house, I’ve learned that others love it just as much! It makes a great addition to any Christmas cookie tray or candy platter. I also think it makes a thoughtful gift along with some other favorite holiday candies like Divinity, Chocolate Truffles, and Peanut Butter Balls.
How to Make Peppermint Bark
Ingredients: To make it, you’ll need your favorite chocolate chips (milk, semi-sweet, or dark chocolate), coconut oil, white chocolate candy melts, peppermint extract, and crushed peppermint candy.
Step-by-Step Instructions
Prep. Line a 9×13 baking dish with waxed paper, making sure to leave enough of the waxed paper to overhang the edges of the dish. This helps to easily lift the finished bark from the dish when it is ready.
Make chocolate layer. Add chocolate chips and coconut oil to a microwave-safe dish and heat for about a minute, and stir until smooth. Next, I stir my peppermint extract into my melted chocolate and pour it into the prepared baking dish and place the dish into the freezer to freeze the chocolate layer of the peppermint bark.
Make white chocolate layer. Melt white chocolate candy melts and then spread the melted white chocolate candy melts over the frozen chocolate layer. Sprinkle crushed peppermint candies over the top of the melted white chocolate candy melts and return the baking dish to the freezer for the peppermint bark to freeze.
Break apart your peppermint bark. Once frozen, remove the baking dish from the freezer and lift the peppermint bark from the baking dish using the extended edges of the waxed paper. Break the bark into pieces and store in a dish, tin, or cellophane bag for serving or gifting.
More Favorite Christmas and Holiday Recipes
And be sure to see Make Ahead Christmas Cookies for many cookie recipes I make for the season – and I how it make it easier by making them ahead!
Here’s how I make my peppermint bark recipe. I hope you love it as much as we do!
Peppermint Bark Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups chocolate chips milk, semi-sweet, or dark
- 2 teaspoons coconut oil divided
- 1 1/2 cups white chocolate candy melts
- 4 teaspoons peppermint extract
- 1/2 cup crushed peppermint candy
Instructions
- Place waxed paper in a 13×9 baking dish. Leave enough waxed paper along edges to lift peppermint bark from baking dish later.
- Add chocolate chips and 1 teaspoon coconut oil to a medium glass bowl. Heat in microwave for about 1 minute. If not melted, heat in 30 second increments until it is melted. Remove from microwave and stir until smooth. Add 2 teaspoons peppermint extract to melted milk chocolate and stir until well-combined. Pour chocolate into the prepared baking dish and place in the freezer until hardened, approximately 3 minutes.
- Repeat the same process with the white chocolate candy melts. Remove baking dish from freezer and spread white chocolate over frozen chocolate. Sprinkle crushed peppermint candies over white chocolate and return to the freezer until firm, approximately 3 minutes.
- Remove from freezer and pull waxed paper from baking dish. Break peppermint bark into pieces. Place on a dish, in a tin, or in cellophane bags for gift giving.
Nutritional Information
Enjoy!
Robyn xo
From the Add a Pinch recipe archives. Originally published 2010.
I adore peppermint bark! YUM
Does y’all’s santa area sell it? I’ve never heard of that.
The pics are gorgeous, as always.
I’ll have to make it this year! I’m sure it’s great and I think it’s even greater because it’s quick to make!
This is the one treat requested by almost all my children! I just wish I didn’t have to share it! 🙂
I love William Sonoma’s Peppermint Bark and your’s looks just like it! I can’t wait to try it!
Peppermint Bark is one of my favorites! I never make it because my husband hates mint and I love it so much that I’d eat the whole darn thing myself!
How can someone hate mint? I would do the same. No one can ew your yum!!!!!
One of my absolute favorite things! Love this.
It looks wonderful… and lip smackin!! Sorry. I dont normally say that, but this post totally inspired me to say, LIP SMACKIN GOOD!! 🙂
Blessings!
Amanda
I love me some peppermint bark, LOL!!! 😉
This bark is pretty as a picture, looks super-easy, and would be such a crowd pleaser this time of year. I always decorate my Christmas tree with candy canes and plan to buy an extra box of them this year to make this excellent looking treat!
I LOVE peppermint bark and yours looks stunning!!! So festive, it makes me smile.
The boys love to make peppermint bark each year. It’s one of those holiday recipes that they can almost do all by them selves. Minus the melting of the chocolate of course. 🙂 I bet your little buddy just loves making this with you as well.
It is definitely a favorite of mine too! I have never made it though. I’ll need to give it a try!
Just curious…you have milk chocolate and the picture looks like semi-sweet or dark chocolate. Have you made it with the semi-sweet?
I put peppermint essence in chocolate last week and it started to harden, as if water was added. How do I prevent that with this recipe.? Thank you
Hi Sue, I’ve never made this with peppermint essence so I’m not sure how it will react. I use peppermint extract and have not had any problems. Thanks so much!
Hi Laura,
I’m sorry that happened. I know that must be frustrating but I’ve not had that happen.
Chocolate can seize for many reasons. It could have been that the chocolate had either cooked too long or was too hot when the peppermint extract was added. If the chocolate came in contact with even a few drops of water, that will make it seize as well. If you made more than one batch at a time (you said you spent $20) and melted more chocolate in the same bowl and added multiple recipe amounts of extract, that could have also caused it to seize.
But you should be able to recover your chocolate mixture if it seizes: Add 1 teaspoon of coconut oil to each chocolate – one teaspoon to white chocolate and one teaspoon to milk chocolate – and mix it in well. Reheat for 30 second increments.
I hope that helps.
Thanks so much, Laura! Have a happy holiday!
I made it! It was delicious! But started to get warm after assembly. I stored it in the fridge.
That’s great! So glad you liked it, Christine! Thanks so much for letting me know! Happy Holidays!
Just made this and my white chocolate turned into marbled chocolate! I did a second batch and let the milk chocolate sit longer in the freezer and did less time on white to make sure it wasn’t too hot and it still melted while spreading! It still tastes good. How do I prevent the white from melting into marble?
Hi Donna,
I think you may want get the milk chocolate even longer in the freezer to make sure it is firm throughout before spreading on the melted white chocolate. Working quickly, you’ll also want to make sure that when you are spreading, the back of the spoon or other utensil you are using to spread the white chocolate doesn’t go too deep into the white chocolate so as to pick up any of the milk chocolate. I hope that helps! xo
can you melt the coconut oil to be able to measure it right the coconut oil is very hard
Hi Ruby, I am sorry that happened – I know it must be frustrating. Did you add coconut oil to your chocolate mixture in the beginning? I’ve found that helps to keep it from seizing. I also immediately begin stirring my mixture as soon as I add the extract to the chocolate.
I’ve not had it happen with this recipe to me, but chocolate can seize for many reasons. It could have been that the chocolate had either cooked too long or was too hot when the peppermint extract was added. If the chocolate came in contact with even a few drops of water, that can make it seize as well.
You can probably recover that hardened chocolate though – add a teaspoon of coconut oil and reheat for 30 second increments, stirring each time, until it is smooth.
I hope this helps! Thanks so much! Happy holidays!
Well, the same thing happened to me. The white chocolate turned into a grout like substance. I tried adding coconut oil and reheating 3 Times – it never re-melted.
Btw – it froze after I added the peppermint extract to the white chocolate. It was smooth and creamy before that.
Hi Barb,
I’m sorry your bark seized. I’ve not had it happen to me, but chocolate can seize for many reasons.
Did you add coconut oil to your chocolate mixture in the beginning? I’ve found that helps to keep it from seizing. I also immediately begin stirring my mixture as soon as I add the extract to the chocolate.
Sometimes it can happen if the chocolate had either cooked too long or was too hot when the peppermint extract was added. If the chocolate came in contact with even a few drops of water, that can make it seize as well.
Sometimes you can recover the seized chocolate though, and sometimes you can’t. You can try adding a teaspoon of coconut oil and reheat for 30 second increments, stirring each time, until it is smooth.
I hope this helps! Thanks!
Yes, I did update the recipe to include it. The recipe should work fine without the coconut oil, but that little bit of fat may help some to make it mix better. I’ve made it for years with no problems, but someone had theirs seize so I was trying to make it easier for some that may have not made it before.
That is a great tip about the glass dish!
I’m so happy you enjoy it! Happy Holidays! Thanks so much! xo
This recipe worked great for me. I made 5 batches for holiday gifts and it all turned out perfect. Everyone loves peppermint bark.
What a great gift! I’m so happy you enjoy this – it’s my son’s very favorite too! Thanks so much, Jenna! Have a wonderful holiday! xo
Just made the bark. I had trouble finding white choc candy melts. I did find Ghiradelli white chocolate baking bars that contained cocoa butter.
Where did you find the chips?
Thanks! Donna
Hi Donna,
I’ve found them at my local Publix and Kroger grocery stores.
I made these last year and they came out so delicious i decided I am starting a new tradition and making this every year. Thank you for this wonderful recipe! : )
It’s a wonderful tradition, Danielle! It’s one in our home too because my son (and the rest of us) love it so much! I’m so glad you enjoy it! Thanks! xo
I just tried this recipe for the first time. My house smells of peppermint and I love it. I just wanted to comment about seized chocolate as both my milk chocolate and white chocolate seized when I added the extract. Admittedly my milk chocolate was way too hot when I added the extract. I’ve never known how to recover seized chocolate before but I tried Robyn’s suggestion from other reviewers comments about it and low and behold it worked! I did have to add 2 tsp of coconut oil in the end to each chocolate (1 tsp + heat then stir and repeat until recovered) but it did indeed recover it. I’m here to say all was not lost. Thank you so much for this very simple recovery tip.
So glad it helped you! Thanks so much Monique! xo
Sometimes, when I make peppermint bark, my white chocolate and milk chocolate layers separate. It happens when I “break” it apart to serve. Any suggestions or know why this happens? Thanks!
Hi Fran,
This has never happened to me, but maybe this will help.
Let the peppermint bark come to room temperature before breaking apart. Make sure white chocolate contains cocoa butter and not oils which will cause it to separate from the chocolate layer when breaking. Thanks!
I can’t wait to make your Peppermint Bark I fell in love with peppermint bark coffee creamer last year and went to store and bought 7 bottles of it in Jan so I would have some all year now it looks like I will be saving money making my own and I’m sure taste much better also Thank You
When you find a good thing, you have to stock up! 🙂 I hope you love my peppermint bark recipe as much as the creamer! It is a family favorite recipe for sure!