Peppermint Bark Recipe

When Christmas rolls around, there's so much to think about. Of course, there are presents and family gatherings, but who could forget about great food and sweet treats? Baking and making sweets around the holidays is a tradition in many families, and we're totally here for it. While baking cookies is super fun, we like to expand our horizons and make a lot of other desserts to share as well. This peppermint bark combines smooth dark chocolate and sweet white chocolate along with the crunch of peppermint that will fill your heart with joy. 'Tis the season to be hungry, right? 

Recipe developer Jaime Bachtell-Shelbert of Wholly Nourished came up with this incredible recipe that will please a family or a crowd. It's great for people of all ages and walks of life, and it totally hits the spot. "I like how festive this is! You can even gift it for the holidays," Bachtell-Shelbert raves. "It works great to put out for holiday gatherings too."

Keep reading to find out how to make this incredible dish.

We love that this recipe requires only a few ingredients, making your trip to the store a breeze. Once you're ready to get things started, make a list of all the ingredients you need to make this wonderful dessert. To start, pick up a few peppermint candies or candy canes. You'll need roughly 24 peppermint candies or eight candy canes. In addition, get some dark chocolate and peppermint extract. Last but not least, pick up some white chocolate as well.

Once you have everything together, you can get started.

Start by taking out a rimmed baking sheet and lining it with either foil or parchment paper. If you don't have a rimmed baking sheet, no worries, there are other options. "You can use a flat one — the rimmed just makes it easier to contain the chocolate," Bachtell-Shelbert notes.

In the meantime, take out a zip-top bag and throw in the peppermint candies or candy canes — whichever you opted to buy. Using the back of a wooden spoon, break the peppermint into little pieces, and then set the bag aside.

Now, grab a microwave-safe bowl and your dark chocolate. If you prefer milk chocolate or semi-sweet, that's fine too — it's all just based on your own preferences and taste buds! "Yes, you can sub any chocolate that you like!" Bachtell-Shelbert says.

Throw the bowl in the microwave, and heat the chocolate in 30-second increments. In between each increment, take the bowl out of the microwave and stir. Repeat the same process until all of the chocolate melts. Then, add a half teaspoon of the peppermint extract to the dark chocolate and stir.

Now that your chocolate is nice and melted, pour it onto the prepared baking sheet. If you want to sneak a little taste, you can. Spread the chocolate in an even, rectangular layer across the baking sheet. Then, place it in the fridge and let it harden for about 10 minutes.

In the meantime, pour the white chocolate into a microwave-safe dish. As you did with the dark chocolate, heat it in 30-second increments, stirring it in between. Once it melts, add the remaining half teaspoon of peppermint extract and stir to combine. 

By now, the dark chocolate should be chilled enough to come out. Remove it from the fridge, and then pour the white chocolate over the top. Smooth the white chocolate out to make an even second layer. At this time, you can grab the crushed peppermint and sprinkle it on top of the white chocolate. Press the pieces of candy down into the chocolate so they stick. Since you melted the chocolate, it should still be wet enough to get the peppermint to stick. Then, pop the pan back in the fridge for another 10 minutes to harden.

We're almost to the finish line! Remove the peppermint bark from the fridge and take it off the baking sheet. Simply peel the foil or parchment paper back. Then, break the bark into pieces. Now, the only thing left to do is to enjoy this sweet treat. It's great on its own, or it would be fantastic with a glass of milk or a cup of coffee.

Any leftovers? "Store in an airtight container, away from light, at room temperature for three weeks. Alternatively, store in the refrigerator or freezer for up to three months," Bachtell-Shelbert says. 

We hope you loved this sweet and pepperminty delight!