Peppermint Bark

Minty, creamy, and rich—that’s what this peppermint bark delivers. You get bittersweet chocolate richness (enhanced with a little mint extract), sweet, creamy, and mild white chocolate, and punchy peppermint. The optional flaky salt comes highly recommended.

With only five ingredients, this peppermint bark couldn't be easier. And amid the tall order of baking dozens of cookies, this no-bake treat gives you and your oven a bit of a rest. Better yet, you can make this bark candy up to a week in advance if you're gifting it. (Longer if you're just making it for home.)

Learn how to make peppermint bark, and get ideas for turning it into the perfect homemade food gift.

Why Is It Called Peppermint Bark?

The name "bark" or "candy bark" doesn't exactly explain itself, does it? Barks like this peppermint bark are called that because of the way the chocolate candy breaks into craggy pieces that resemble the layers and borders of tree bark. Also, many barks are made with dark chocolates, so the color is similar, too.

Ingredients for Peppermint Bark

You need five ingredients for peppermint bark; a sixth is optional. During the holiday baking season, odds are you already have all these items, so whip up this bark recipe while you're waiting on cookies to bake and cool.

• Bittersweet chocolate: The slightly bitter, more fruity flavors of bittersweet chocolate balance this treat. Milk chocolate can be used, too, but the sweetness may be a touch too much for some people. Semisweet could be a good alternative.
• Coconut oil: The coconut oil helps the chocolate melt more smoothly in the microwave—especially the white chocolate, which can be tricky.
• Mint extract: This enhances the candy's overall mint flavor, because the crushed candies on top just won't be quite enough for that full cool and refreshing flavor.
• White chocolate: The second layer of the bark and a nice sweet contrast to the bittersweet chocolate layer.
• Peppermint candies: You can use candy canes or starlight mints, whatever you have on hand. To crush peppermints, place in a ziplock freezer bag, seal the bag, and pound with a meat mallet.
• Flaky salt: This is optional, but we highly recommend you try it. As with all sweets recipes, a pinch of salt really elevates the final dish. We like that salty-sweet contrast so much, we used these same flavors with saltine crackers to make Saltine Peppermint Bark.
  

How To Make Peppermint Bark

This recipe for peppermint bark couldn't be easier. Though there are a few steps, they're also easy to accomplish. In fact, the kids can help you. Here's a brief outline, and the full recipe with a step-by-step guide is further below.

• Melt the chocolate: In a bowl, melt the bittersweet chocolate and the coconut oil until smooth. Stir in the mint extract.
• Spread the chocolate: Pour the melted chocolate into an 11- x 17-inch baking pan that's lined with storage wrap. Use a spoon or offset spatula to evenly spread the chocolate around the dish. You don't have to go all the way into the corners. Rounded edges are nice and pretty.
• Cool: Stick the pan in the freezer for a few minutes to make the chocolate layer solid enough for the next layers.
• Melt the white chocolate: In a bowl or glass measuring cup, melt the white chocolate and the remaining coconut oil.
• Add the second layer of chocolate: Spread the melted white chocolate over the bittersweet layer, and use a spoon or offset spatula to evenly spread it over the bottom layer. You need for the bittersweet chocolate layer to be hard or the two chocolate layers will blend when you add the chocolate. (Though if you like that look, totally go for it!)
• Sprinkle candies: While the white chocolate layer is still soft, sprinkle the crushed peppermint candies on top. If you're adding the optional flaky salt, do so here.
• Chill one more time: To set the bark, you need to chill it once again until hard (about 10 minutes). Then take the candy out of the freezer, break it into pieces, and package in a cookie tin, or enjoy a piece or two yourself.

Can I add layers to my peppermint bark?

Many classic peppermint bark recipes only have two layers: one white and one dark. But you can do three if you want: Sandwich a layer of dark chocolate between two white ones, or vice versa. You'll need additional ingredients, and just don't stack the bark too much. It could become difficult to break into pieces.

Tips for the Best Peppermint Bark

Though this peppermint bark is easy to make, there are a few helpful tips that will make it even easier:

• Pick a good chocolate: For best results, use premium baking chocolate (not chocolate chips). We used Ghirardelli bars to develop this recipe.
• Don't chill too long: If you leave the chocolate layer in the freezer too long, the white chocolate may not adhere to it when you add it. The result? The bark will split when you try to break it into pieces. Chill the chocolate just until set; then keep it at room temperature to fully harden.
• Spread better: Make evening out the chocolate layers a little easier with a handy offset spatula. This device gives you better control over spreading the chocolate because it has an angled blade.
• Crush harder: You want the pieces of peppermint candy to be recognizable (and not just dust), but you don't want candy chunks that are too big and difficult to eat. Use a meat mallet or rolling pin to crush the candy into pieces no bigger than the size of a pencil eraser.

Variations

You can have a little fun with peppermint bark. Because it's so easy to make—and can be multiplied endlessly for bigger and bigger batches—you can try a few different things with your candies to see what you like. Here are a few ideas:

• Layer it up: Make this a three-layer peppermint bark by adding a second layer of bittersweet chocolate under the peppermint candies. Or reverse that and have the bittersweet chocolate be the middle layer.
• Decorate: Peppermint pieces provide their own natural color palette, but you could also add to the season with colorful sprinkles or sanding sugar.
• Change chocolates: We prefer the balance of a bittersweet chocolate against the much sweeter white chocolate, but you could use a milk or semisweet chocolate.
  

How To Store Peppermint Bark

Store peppermint bark in an airtight container at in a cool, dry place at room temperature up to a week. In the fridge, it'll last several more weeks. If the temperature fluctuates a lot, however, the chocolate my sweat and the peppermints may turn turn sticky, so keep it in a cool part of the fridge, away from the door.

How To Gift Homemade Peppermint Bark

Perhaps the best part of making peppermint bark is sharing it with friends and family. After you break the bark, fill a cookie tin or other package with the pieces. Then, tie it up with ribbon and a note that instructs them to store the candy at room temperature. You could also add the bark to a larger cookie tin, a great alternative to all the baked sweets.

More No-Bake Holiday Treats

If you need to turn your oven off for a bit but still get some holiday "baking" done, try these no-bake sweets next:

• Oreo Cookie Balls
• Peanut Butter Balls
• Ambrosia Bark
• Brigadeiros
• Divinity Candy