The Best Peppermint Bark

You only need 3 ingredients for this classic holiday treat!

Prep: 20 mins
Cook: 20 mins
Chill: 30 mins
Total: 70 mins
Servings: 20 servings
Yield: 1 1/2 pounds

Peppermint bark is a Christmastime classic. Who can resist dark chocolate, white chocolate, and crisp bites of minty candy canes? This is my favorite method for making peppermint bark—it's delicious, it's easy, it's beautiful, and everyone loves receiving it during the holidays!

What's Peppermint Bark Made Of?

This simple peppermint bark requires just three ingredients:

  • Candy canes—It's not peppermint bark without peppermint candy pieces, so the first step to making this candy bark is crushing candy canes. We like to use a food processor to crush the candy canes, but you can also put them in a plastic bag and use a rolling pin to crush them.
  • Dark chocolate—While you can use chocolate chips to form the base layer of your bark, we prefer starting with discs or bars of dark chocolate meant for melting and baking. These sorts of bars melt better than chips, which typically contain stabilizers that help them hold their shape in cookies and other treats but keep them from melting smoothly for other uses like bark. Some great brands include Valrhona, Guittard, Ghirardelli, and Scharffen Berger.
  • White chocolate—For this recipe, some of the crushed candy canes are added to melted white chocolate to form the second layer of the bark. As with the dark chocolate, we recommend starting with discs or bars and coarsely chopping them rather than using chips, though chips will definitely work in a pinch.

Do You Need to Temper the Chocolate for Bark?

For the best peppermint bark, it's a good idea to temper both the dark and white chocolate, which involves heating chocolate to break the fat bonds, then cooling it to restructure them, and heating it back up to make it workable. Tempered chocolate remains hard at room temperature once it's set; it also has a lovely glossy appearance and a nice snap when you break it or bite into it.

How Do You Break Apart Peppermint Bark?

You can simply use your hands to break your peppermint bark into pieces once it's set. Or, if you prefer a less rustic look, you can use a chef's knife to cut it into pieces. To make it easier, run the knife under hot water to warm it, then dry it before cutting the bark.

How to Keep the Layers of Your Bark From Separating

Using good quality chocolate without added ingredients like palm oil will help the dark and white chocolate layers stick together. Tempering the chocolate for both layers also helps, as does making sure the layers aren't too thick. Also, when chilling the dark chocolate layer, only leave it in the fridge for the amount of time it takes to prep the white chocolate layer—the white chocolate layer will adhere better to it if the dark chocolate is still a little soft rather than rock hard. Finally, after you've finished making the bark, allow it to chill completely in the fridge before breaking it or cutting it into pieces.

Does Peppermint Bark Need to Be Refrigerated?

As long as you temper your chocolate, peppermint bark does not need to be stored in the fridge. But if you make the bark with untempered chocolate (such as chocolate chips) and it is too soft at room temperature, you can store it in the fridge to keep it firmer. The candy cane pieces on top might sweat a bit, but the bark will be no lest delicious.

If you don't have the time or inclination to temper chocolate, you can use untempered chocolate or candy coating (also called candy melts or candy wafers), which is designed for making candy. If you use chocolate chips, don't try to temper them, simply melt them. Just be aware that untempered chocolate bark will melt easily, so if you live in a warm climate, it should be stored in the refrigerator.

Peppermint bark

The Spruce

Ingredients

  • 8 peppermint candy canes

  • 12 ounces coarsely chopped dark chocolate, or chocolate chips

  • 12 ounces coarsely chopped white chocolate, or white chocolate chips

Steps to Make It

  1. Gather the ingredients.

    Ingredients for peppermint bark
    The Spruce
  2. Unwrap 8 peppermint candy canes and place them in a food processor. Pulse on/off several times for 5 to 10 seconds each, until the canes have been crushed into small pieces.

    Candy canes in the food processor
    The Spruce
  3. Alternately, place the 8 candy canes in a large zip-close bag and seal tightly. Use a rolling pin to roll/smash the candy canes until they are the size you desire.

    Candy canes in ziploc bag
    The Spruce
  4. Prepare a cookie sheet by covering it with smooth aluminum foil.

    Put foil over cookie sheet
    The Spruce
  5. Melt or temper 12 ounces coarsely chopped dark chocolate or chocolate chips.

    Melt dark chocolate
    The Spruce 
  6. Pour the chocolate onto the prepared cookie sheet and use an offset spatula or knife to spread it to an even thickness, a little more than 1/8-inch thick. The chocolate does not have to reach all sides of the sheet, as it will be broken up later anyhow.

    Pour chocolate onto cookie sheet
    The Spruce 
  7. Place the tray in the refrigerator to firm up while you prepare the white chocolate.

    Place the tray in the fridge to firm up
    The Spruce
  8. While the dark chocolate hardens, melt or temper 12 ounces coarsely chopped white chocolate or white chocolate chips.

    Melt white chocolate
    The Spruce 
  9. Stir in most of the candy cane bits, reserving about a quarter of the mixture to put on top.

    Stir in most of candy cane bits
    The Spruce
  10. Remove the tray from the refrigerator and spread the white chocolate in an even layer over the dark chocolate.

    Remove the tray from fridge
    The Spruce
  11. While the white chocolate is still wet, sprinkle the remaining candy cane pieces over the entire surface evenly. Press down very lightly to ensure they stick.

    Put white chocolate on top
    The Spruce
  12. Place the tray back in the refrigerator to firm up for at least 30 minutes.

    Place tray in fridge
    The Spruce
  13. Once the peppermint bark is completely set, break into small, uneven pieces by hand. Serve immediately or bring to your annual holiday cookie swap and enjoy.

    Break into pieces
    The Spruce

How to Store Peppermint Bark

Store bark in an airtight container at cool room temperature for up to two weeks. If you used untempered chocolate, you may want to store the bark in the fridge to keep it firm. It will last there at least two weeks.

Nutrition Facts (per serving)
209 Calories
11g Fat
27g Carbs
2g Protein
×
Nutrition Facts
Servings: 20
Amount per serving
Calories 209
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 11g 14%
Saturated Fat 6g 32%
Cholesterol 5mg 2%
Sodium 22mg 1%
Total Carbohydrate 27g 10%
Dietary Fiber 1g 4%
Total Sugars 22g
Protein 2g
Vitamin C 0mg 0%
Calcium 44mg 3%
Iron 1mg 8%
Potassium 144mg 3%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)