How To Make Peppermint Bark – A Classic Holiday Candy!
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Step away from store-bought gifts this holiday season and show them how much you really care by making homemade edible gifts like Peppermint Bark! This classic holiday candy uses just four ingredients and is so easy to make. Wrap the finished product in pretty festive ribbons before delighting friends and family with such a unique, thoughtful ( and yummy!) gift!
This post is part of Create the Holidays (formerly Create Christmas) – a series of festive recipes, crafts, printables, and more on The Purple Pumpkin Blog!
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Peppermint Bark
The full ingredients list and instructions are found in the printable recipe card at the end of this post. I highly recommend reading the blog post all the way through so that you don’t miss any tips or substitution suggestions and ensure that you have all the ingredients and equipment required and understand the steps and timings involved.
Peppermint bark is a classic holiday candy that never goes out of style! It’s one of those seasonal treats that everyone seems to love, and if you’ve never made it before, you’re in for a delightful surprise.
This super-easy recipe comes together quickly with minimal fuss, making it perfect for busy holiday schedules.
This festive favorite combines rich, dark, and creamy white chocolate layers flavored with peppermint extract and crushed candy canes for that iconic crunch. It’s a favorite in our house!
Peppermint bark is perfect for holiday snacking, especially with a cozy drink and a festive movie night.
Store a batch in an airtight container to nibble on throughout the season, or package it up in pretty cello bags or gift boxes tied with bows. It makes a thoughtful, homemade gift everyone will love!
Looking for more holiday candy ideas? Our Rocky Road Fudge is another easy-to-make treat loaded with chocolatey goodness. For a touch of elegance, whip up our Chocolate Hazelnut Truffles.
If you want a crunchy-salty-sweet delight, try this Saltine Toffee recipe. And if you’re crafting treats for kids, our Snowman Soup or Reindeer Chocolate Bark are fun and festive options to round out your holiday candy spread.
Ingredients & Equipment Used In This Recipe
While most ingredients can be bought in grocery stores, for your convenience, any specialized or notable ingredients and equipment needed for this recipe have been listed below and linked to Amazon or other stores if available online.
It may not include staple ingredients such as oil, salt, sugar, etc., as you’re likely to have those in your kitchen. The complete list of ingredients with measurements is found in the recipe card.
- Dark Chocolate – use high-quality chocolate
- White Chocolate – use high-quality chocolate
- Peppermint Extract
- Candy Canes – or Peppermint Candies
Recipes on The Purple Pumpkin Blog use both cup measurements and/or weighted measurements. American cups and kitchen food scales are handy pieces of equipment to have in your kitchen as it means you’ll be able to make all of the different recipes on my blog. I try to give American, imperial, and metric measurements in my recipes. Please note, you can mix cup measurements with weighted measurements, but never mix imperial (pounds, ounces, pints, etc.,) with metric (kilograms, grams, litres, etc.,).
More Recipes Using Candy Canes
One of the hero ingredients in this dish is candy canes, so here are some more recipes using the same:
Recipe Tips
- Not surprisingly, the “secret” to outstanding peppermint bark is to use high-quality chocolate. If you prefer, you can use all dark or all white chocolate for this recipe.
How Do I Make Peppermint Bark?
Check out the printable recipe card below with full ingredients and instructions. Any demonstration photos do not print out to save your ink.
Peppermint Bark
Ingredients
- 1 cup crushed peppermint candy canes*
- 16 oz 450g high-quality dark chocolate, chopped into small pieces
- 16 oz 450g high-quality white chocolate, chopped into small pieces
- ½ tsp peppermint extract
SUGGESTED PRODUCTS
Instructions
- To crush the candy canes, place in a heavy-duty freezer bag and cover with a towel. Pound bag with a meat mallet or rolling pin until finely crushed. Set aside. (This can be done in a food processor if preferred).
- Line a small, rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper or a nonstick baking mat.
- In a double boiler, melt the dark chocolate until completely smooth, approximately 6-7 minutes. Pour the melted chocolate onto the center of the prepared baking sheet and spread with a plastic spatula until approximately ¼-inch thick.
Note: The chocolate will not cover the entire baking sheet, so start from the center and work out from there until the chocolate is distributed in an even layer). - Place the baking sheet in the freezer to set up while preparing the white chocolate layer.
- Thoroughly clean the double boiler before melting the white chocolate. Once smooth, stir in the peppermint extract. You can also stir in some of the crushed candy if you wish.
- Remove the baking sheet from the freezer and pour the white chocolate mixture on top of the dark chocolate layer. Carefully spread with a spatula until evenly distributed over the dark chocolate layer.
- Sprinkle over the crushed candy canes then place the baking sheet in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours.
- Once hardened, break peppermint bark into pieces before serving or storing. Enjoy!
Nutrition
Nutritional information is always approximate and will depend on the quality of ingredients used and serving sizes. If you need exact calories and macros, please do your own calculations.
Make It A Holiday Dinner!
You’ve made the dessert, but what about the rest of the courses?
Here are additional recipes to make a full meal for a holiday dinner party!
- Appetizer: Christmas Brie Crostini Appetizer with Orange-Cranberry Relish
- Soup: Gluten-Free Minestrone Soup with Cannellini Beans
- Salad: Fig and Roasted Fennel Salad with Lemon Tahini Dressing
- Main Dish: Garlic-Herb Roasted Whole Chicken
- Side Dish: Cranberry Pear Sauce with Rosemary & Ginger
- Beverage: Naughty Elf Cocktail
There are 500+ Recipes on The Purple Pumpkin Blog for you to enjoy – please feel free to check them out too.