Peppermint Bark Recipe
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Peppermint Bark is a loved classic Christmas treat made with 5 ingredients and ready in 15 minutes! The recipe has layers of rich, minty chocolate topped with crushed candy canes for a favorite homemade candy ready for gifting or nibbling in minutes!
Peppermint bark makes a much-loved addition to any Christmas cookie tray or candy platter. It also makes a thoughtful and festive gift! An impressive gift on its own, or add other favorite holiday candies like Divinity, Chocolate Truffles, and Peanut Butter Balls.
Peppermint bark is a holiday favorite around my house and something my whole family loves. When my son was just a little boy, we used to buy a festive tin of this candy on our trip to visit Santa. While that was a fun tradition, we love my homemade peppermint bark recipe much more – it’s delicious and fun to make, so we love making it at home every Christmas season!
Why You’ll Love This Peppermint Bark
Homemade – Made from scratch, so it’s fresh and delicious!
Quick and easy – Ready to enjoy in about 15 minutes since my recipe uses the freezer. And it’s simple to melt and spread the chocolates and add crushed candy canes!
Just a few ingredients – Only 5 ingredients are needed for this recipe.
Fun and festive – Colorful, delicious, and festive for the holidays for all ages!
How to Make Peppermint Bark Recipe
You can make peppermint bark with minimal ingredients and in less than 15 minutes. I love making several batches each year to enjoy with my family and friends and share with others. It’s been a favorite here with my readers as well since I originally shared it in 2010!
Here’s how you’ll make it:
Peppermint Bark Ingredients
Be sure to see the recipe card below for the full listing of ingredients, instructions, notes, and estimated nutritional information.
For this homemade recipe, you’ll need chocolate chips/wafers, coconut oil, white chocolate candy melts/melting wafers, peppermint extract, and crushed candy canes.
Step-by-Step Instructions
- Prep. Line a baking dish, leaving enough of the waxed paper to overhang the edges of the dish. This helps easily lift the finished bark from the dish when ready.
- Make the chocolate layer. Add chocolate chips and coconut oil to a microwave-safe dish, heat for about a minute, and stir until smooth. Next, I stir my peppermint extract into my melted chocolate, pour it into the prepared baking dish, and place it into the freezer to freeze the chocolate layer of the peppermint bark.
- Make the white chocolate layer. Melt white chocolate candy melts and then spread the melted white chocolate candy melts over the frozen chocolate layer. Sprinkle crushed candy canes or 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 it in a dish, tin, or cellophane bag for serving or gifting.
Tips for the Best Peppermint Bark
- Use good-quality chocolate
- The bark is quick, easy, and ready to enjoy in a snap since my recipe uses the freezer for part of the process.
- Extend the edges of the waxed paper for easy lifting and removal from the pan.
Storage Tips
Store in an airtight container at room temperature for 2 to 3 weeks.
More Favorite Christmas and Holiday Recipes
If you love homemade holiday treats, you may also enjoy these!
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/melting wafers
- 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.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Enjoy!
Robyn xo
From the Add a Pinch recipe archives. Originally published 2010.
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
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!
can you melt the coconut oil to be able to measure it right the coconut oil is very hard
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
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!
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 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!
Just curious…you have milk chocolate and the picture looks like semi-sweet or dark chocolate. Have you made it with the semi-sweet?
It is definitely a favorite of mine too! I have never made it though. I’ll need to give it a try!
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.