Double Chocolate Peppermint Bark Recipe

This chocolate Peppermint Bark Recipe is an easy, festive candy featuring decadent layers of two kinds of chocolate: white chocolate and semi-sweet infused with peppermint and topped with crushed candy canes. Perfect for gifting! My family’s favorite peppermint bark!

‘Tis the Season with today’s Chocolate Peppermint Bark

Melt a couple layers of white chocolate and semi-sweet chocolate, then smash my holiday anxiety out on candy canes and use that as a topper? Easy. Welcome to the season of joy and chocolate with today’s Peppermint Bark Recipe!

Double the chocolate (and peppermint) equals double the chocolate deliciousness! Two kinds of peppermint goodness combine with two kinds of chocolate and one festive candy for the treat you’ll be making with your loved ones for years to come.

Whether you love chocolate peppermint bark or white chocolate peppermint bark, this recipe will cover it all! Let’s get to making it festive and bright. 🎄

The Ingredients You Need + 1 Secret One

Making this peppermint bark recipe is super easy, but admittedly, the “melting white chocolate” part can get a bit tricky. Make sure to use the 1 secret ingredient for the smoothest time.

• Semi-sweet chocolate chips – use your favorite quality chocolate chips
• Peppermint extract – make sure this is pure peppermint extract, not something artificial. The better the quality, the better the flavor of peppermint in your bark. Here’s mine.
• White chocolate chips – be sure to slowly melt this one—it likes to harden and get chunky quickly. See the secret ingredient for help.
• Crushed candy canes – you can use a combo of regular candy canes and crushed peppermint candies, but I like mini candy canes best (more on that later).
• Secret Ingredient: Coconut oil. Erik and I’ve been melting chocolate for years, and the one stumper: white chocolate. Without a little help, white chocolate can harden and get clumpy quickly. Coconut oil loves staying liquidy when warm, so it’ll keep your white chocolate in check!

How to Make Peppermint Bark

This photo tutorial will show you exactly how to make peppermint bark. We’ll go step by step, then you can head over the recipe card below for exact measurements.

CRUSH THE CANDY CANES

First, crush the candy using a meat mallet or rolling pin. You’ll place unwrapped candy canes (I prefer mini) into a resealable bag.

Then, wrap the bag in a large kitchen towel. Lay the wrapped bag on a sturdy, protected surface. Using the meat mallet, smash the candy into generally even pieces. Or, roll to bits with a rolling pin.

MAKE THE CHOCOLATE PEPPERMINT BARK

Now, line a medium baking sheet with parchment paper or wax paper. Then, clear some space in the freezer for this sheet—you’ll need it later.

Using the double boiler method, or the following method, melt the semi-sweet chocolate. Microwave in 15-second increments, stirring in between, until melted and smooth.

Stir in peppermint extract. Next, using a spoon or spatula, spread the peppermint chocolate in smooth, even layer on the prepared baking sheet. Freeze for about 3 minutes, until chilled and firm.

Melt the white chocolate using the same method in a clean bowl.

Then, remove the sheet of mostly solid semi-sweet chocolate and quickly spread the white chocolate on top to avoid marbling. Now, for the fun part: generously sprinkle crushed candy canes over the white chocolate. Using a finger, gently press the candy into the white chocolate.

Refrigerate until firm, about 20 minutes. Once firm, set the peppermint bark out until it reaches room temperature, then slice. Enjoy the easiest peppermint bark recipe!

How to Customize this Peppermint Bark Recipe

Customizing this white chocolate peppermint bark is super easy. You can make chocolate orange bark, or double chocolate pretzel bark…

• Swap the chocolates – you can use a combo of semi-sweet and milk chocolate. Others can do dark chocolate for one layer, and white for the next.
• Change the extract. Not a fan of peppermint? Swap with almond extract and top with chopped almonds and white chocolate chips. You can even do orange extract and top with candied orange slices!
• Sub the toppings – don’t want to spend your time unwrapping and crushing candy canes? During the holidays, stores also sell peppermint crunch bark in bags. You can also do a combo of pretzels and chopped peppermint kisses… the world is your oyster.
• Sprinkle… a little salt on the bark to make the bark a salty/sweet combo. Or, add festive sprinkles to make it cute.

Demeter’s Tips

Here are some of my favorite tips for ensuring that your peppermint bark turns out beautifully (and tastily).

• Mini Candy Canes vs. Regular: Crushed candy canes can be a bit lacking in color when crushed. Mini candy canes have the most bright red surface area—this means more colorful candy cane-looking bits on the peppermint bark!
• Use the Coconut Oil: White chocolate can quickly become clumpy and hardened—and heating it up again will only make matters worse/drier and more crumbly(!). Coconut oil keeps it smooth, melty and warm for longer so you can work with it easily.
• Quickly Spread the White Chocolate over the semi-sweet chocolate layer to avoid mixing the two, creating a messy marbling effect.
• For Better Slicing: After refrigerating to harden, allow the peppermint bark to reach room temperature—this will make for easy, non-brittle slicing.

Happy Holidays!

Thank you for stopping by and sharing in these happy holiday delights with me and your loved ones. Be sure to leave a comment and rating telling me what you think of today’s recipe. ‘Til our next sweet adventure…

Sending you all my love and maybe even a dove, xo Demeter ❤️

Print

This post may contain affiliate links, which allow me to make a small commission for my referral, at no additional cost to you.

Festive Recipe Ideas!