Peppermint Bark
This classic peppermint bark has layers of dark chocolate, white chocolate and crushed candy canes.
Peppermint bark is quite possible my favorite treat to make for the holidays. Yes, I love buckeyes and peanut butter blossoms, but peppermint bark, more than anything, just screams Christmas to me. I make it ridiculously early (like, as soon as the Thanksgiving leftovers have been packed away in the fridge) and enjoy it every single day until New Year’s.
I first became enamored with peppermint bark when a boss at my first post-college job gifted a Williams-Sonoma tin to team members for the holidays. I was pretty much obsessed from the start.
I’ve been making it for nearly 10 years now and it was in desperate need of being resurrected from the depths of the archives!
Save This Recipe
Enter your email address, and we'll send it straight to your inbox!
This peppermint bark is an insanely simple candy to make – just melt dark chocolate, slather it on a baking sheet and let it set in the refrigerator. Top it with melted white chocolate, then crushed candy canes. The contrast of the dark and white chocolate and the pop of peppermint from the candy canes are the perfect combination.
When I originally wrote the recipe, I put the chocolate layer in the freezer to set and many readers noted that they had issues with the layers separating once cool. While I never had that issue, I’ve tried making it in the refrigerator and that works just fine, so I have amended the recipe to use the refrigerator to set the layers instead of the freezer, hoping that it alleviates any separation issues.
I recommend using a high quality white chocolate (dark chocolate, too, but it’s super important for the meltability of the white chocolate) – something like Ghirardelli, Lindt, Callebaut, Valrhona… I do not advise using white chocolate chips.
Whip up a batch of this peppermint bark immediately and keep it topped off until you ring in the New Year!
Peppermint Bark
Ingredients
- 16 ounces (453.59 g) dark chocolate, finely chopped
- 16 ounces (453.59 g) white chocolate, finely chopped
- 6 ounces (170.1 g) candy canes, unwrapped and crushed
Instructions
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper; set aside.
- Place the dark chocolate in a medium heatproof bowl and set it over a small saucepan of barely simmering water over low heat. Melt the chocolate, stirring occasionally, until completely smooth. (You could also microwave on 50% power in 30-second increments, stirring after each, until completely melted.) Using an offset spatula, spread the melted chocolate in an even layer on the prepared cookie sheet. (The melted chocolate doesn't need to cover the entire pan - mine typically covers an area of about a 9x13-inch rectangle.) Place the cookie sheet in the refrigerator while you prepare the white chocolate.
- Place the white chocolate in a clean medium heatproof bowl and set it over a small saucepan of barely simmering water over low heat. Melt the chocolate, stirring occasionally, until completely smooth. (Again, you could also microwave on 50% power in 30-second increments, stirring after each, until completely melted.) Remove the cookie sheet from the refrigerator and, using an offset spatula, spread the melted white chocolate in an even layer on top of the dark chocolate layer. Immediately sprinkle the crushed candy canes on top of the melted white chocolate and gently press into the chocolate to adhere. Refrigerate until complete hard and set, at least 30 minutes. Store the bark in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 month.
- Using a large sharp knife, break into pieces and enjoy!
Notes
Did you make this recipe?
Leave a review below, then snap a picture and tag @thebrowneyedbaker on Instagram so I can see it!
[This recipe was originally published on December 18, 2007.]
I really would consider myself a great cook and baker but this bark has me completely frustrated. I have made 4 batches of this bark with different variations and recipes from the internet. The taste is unmatchable ….the process frustrating. MY bark always separates. I just read through all the comments. I am going to try a quick refrigeration of the white and then put chocolate on pull it out and score it and then use only the knife to break apart. I use Ghiradelli etc..but still having issues Michelle…I feel like such an amatuer w/ this bark :( Why can’t it just “work”
I just glued a batch together…ugh….. trying again in about an hour. Montra…never give up….lol
I too had the problem of the layers separating. I used Ghirardelli white chocolate chips and Bakers Dark Chocolate. I did have a thinner layer of dark chocolate than the white, maybe that was the issue. I let the dark chocolate sit on the counter for about 15 minutes, then put it in the fridge for another 15 before adding the white on top.
I am going to try this again with blocks of chocolate that I bought from whole foods after this batch is gone.
Does adding oil help these fuse together?
Hi GM, I have never added oil, so I’m not sure what this would do, although I feel like it would cause the chocolate to separate, not fuse. I still haven’t had this separation problem after almost 7 years of making it. Instead of using chips, I would recommend actual chocolate bars (Ghiradelli sells them in 4 oz sizes), they may melt and fuse together better.
I had this separation issue when I 1st tried this, did some research on the internet and found out a couple of things – the chocolate layer should just be cool not cold, you barely want it set up. White chocolate in particular is pretty finicky so dont use chips use bars, my white chocolate chips seized up on me and were useless now I use bars and it works much better. I can still use chips for my dark layer. Peppermint oil works great use it in the dark chocolate layer. Good luck! Im still working to perfect this but after reading several blogs and cooking answers on this question, its a common issue when making bark!
This bark looks wonderful. I was wondering what size cookie sheet do you use?
Hi Carla, I think my cookie sheet is something like 10×15, although I don’t spread the chocolate over the entire sheet, I keep a good border around the edges so the chocolate doesn’t melt off the sides ;-)
I have a question, I made the bark today but when I went to break it apart the white layer completely separated from the dark. Any idea how to prevent this? Id like to use this recipe for Christmas presents this year!
Hi Wendie, A number of people have mentioned this as a problem, but I’ve never experienced it. I would try putting the dark chocolate layer in the fridge for just 15 minutes or so, and then pour the white on, this might keep it from getting too hard and separating.
I was wondering, instead of pouring everything into a sheet, could I pour them into cookie cutters for decoration? Would that work, or would they stick?
Hi Angie, That sounds like such a cute idea! I would probably put down a sheet of parchment, then spray the insides of your cookie cutters, and pour the chocolate in. I think you would be okay doing it that way.
I tried this receipe but used rum extract and cherry candies instead of peppermint. Tastes like a choclate covered cherry. Delicious!
I made this TWICE this Christmas! I added a teaspoon of peppermint extract to the dark chocolate when it was melting, and the result was ABSOLUTELY delicious. I would recommend that you try it!! I also layered coarsely crushed up peppermints between the chocolate and white layers, in addition to the sprinkling on top of the white layer. It resulted in beautifully layered pieces!!
I made this last night and while it tastes good, your peppermint bark looks so much better than mine. I used Ghirardelli white chocolate chips in a double boiler and while the consistency was smooth it was thicker than the bittersweet/semisweet layer. I went ahead with it any way but was wondering if I should have added a few drops of oil to it to thin it out. Do you think that might have helped? I know you have to work quickly because too much spreading around causes the chocolate layer to melt and show through. Also this might be a dumb question: How did you crush your candy canes? I used my food processor but I think I might have over processed them a little too much. Any guidance you can give would be appreciated.
Hi Lori, I never add any oil. I do find that the white chocolate cools and gets thicker faster than regular chocolate, so working quickly is key. I put my candy canes in a gallon-size ziploc bag and roll over it with a rolling pin to crush them :)
This is great, thanks! I had the opposite problem to those with separating layers. My white chocolate was a little too hot and melted the dark chocolate a bit when I poured it on top. For the second batch, I let the white chocolate sit for a few minutes off the oven to cool off a bit.
I also don’t have a double boiler – I just used two pans inside each other, works great.
Turned out perfect! I will never buy peppermint bark again. Thanks!
I had the same issue with the layers separating, so I’m going to try again, this time letting the dark chocolate come to room temperature first. I used the candy melts for my white chocolate since I dont have a double boiler and have to microwave my chocolate – for the white chocolate they just melt easier that way. Maybe that is the problem?
Thanks for everyone’s help! I do think my problem was I didn’t let the chocolate sit, once taken out of the freezer. I am going to try again this week. I’ll let you guys know how it goes.
Michelle, I love peppermint bark and look forward to making it myself!
I read the comments about the layers separating and wonder if the white chocolate brand has anything to do with this. Will you share with us which brand of white chocolate you use?
Thanks in advance!
Hi Kathleen, Sure! I’ve always used Ghiradelli chocolate (both the dark and white) for my peppermint bark. I buy the baking bars, not the chips.
Hi Guys! I made the peppermint bark yesterday but when I go to cut it … the dark chocolate layer didn’t stick to the white. Any ideas? Did I keep the dark layer in the freezer for too long? Too thick of a layer of white? Wrong chocolate?
Help!
-Steph
Hi Steph, I have never had the chocolate separate on me (and I’ve made this countless times) but some other readers have mentioned a similar problem. Maybe try popping the first layer in the refrigerator (instead of the freezer) for about 15 minutes to set and then pouring the white layer on top.
It’s that you can’t use Palm or cocOnut based white chocolate with the coco butter based brown chocolate. I am posting this a million time on this site. I wish the owner would clarify this in the recipe. “Not recommending” is not strong enough. How about a way to glue our failed bark together.
Another good way to break it is to slam the pan on the counter. I usually start with that and then stab it with a knife to get the breaking started for smaller pieces. It sounds violent, but it works really well.
I’ve also done it where I put foil down on the pan before adding the first layer of chocolate…that way I can just pick up the foil and slam that on the counter instead.
Lindsay, I also sometimes “stab” the bark with the tip of a sharp chef’s knife to get it to break into shards. I like the look of randomly-shaped pieces :)
Hi Tiffany,
I am so sorry to hear that your layers separated! I just made two batches of bark in the last week and didn’t have any issues. Since others have mentioned it, you may want to try setting the chocolate layer in the refrigerator instead of the freezer or letting it sit out for a bit before pouring on the white chocolate layer. Please let me know if you try it again – I hope you have better luck!
I had an issue with the layers separating when I made my first pan last year.
I had the dark chocolate in the freezer to set-up and took it out only right before I needed it to spread the white chocolate. It was rock hard, super cold and didn’t melt at all when I started to pour the white chocolate on to spread…
After that first pan, I started letting the dark chocolate sit on the counter at room temp as I melted the white chocolate. It wasn’t nearly as rock-hard or cold when it came time to spread the white chocolate on top.
I don’t know if that really helped or not, but it seemed like the bottom (dark chocolate) layer “fused” better with the top (white chocolate) layer when it had a chance to “warm up” a little bit.
my layers separated too! so sad
Hi Laurel – Hmmm, that’s odd that the layers didn’t stay together. I’ve made this recipe countless times, and that has never happened. Did you do anything differently by chance?
I made this tonight and my layers separated as well and researching the issue I found that you need to use a high quality white chocolate and dark chocolate and the butters in the chocolate need to be the same or they will separate. Does that sound right to you?
Hi Ann, That does make sense. If it helps, I’ve always used Ghirardelli 60% bittersweet chocolate for the bottom layer and Ghirardelli white chocolate (the bars that you can find in the baking aisle at the supermarket).
I made this yesterday, and while it is wonderfully delicious, the layers did not stay together at all. Any tips? thanks for the terrific idea!
You can’t use the dark chocolate with white chocolate containing coconut or Palm oil. They won’t adhere – it’s chemistry. It took me two fails before I finally found out why.
Looks delicious. I LOVE peppermint bark and it is so expensive to purchase so making it is a great option. If you are looking for a new way to use the bark try it in place of chocolate chips in a chocolate chip cookie recipe. Check out the one on my blog: http://hiphostess.wordpress.com/2008/12/23/peppermint-bark-chocolate-chip-cookies/
Thanks for the post!
I’ve wanted to try this since I stumbled on your blog several weeks ago. I figured that since tomorrow is December 1, tonight would be a great night to try it out! Here’s a picture of the finished product:
http://i38.tinypic.com/juk6d1.jpg
I think it came out beautifully! I’ve seen other barks in stores and online that are solid white chocolate with candy cane mixed in… nowhere near as pretty or festive, in my opinion. I can’t wait to take this in to work tomorrow for everyone to enjoy! Thanks for such a simple and wonderful idea/recipe! Happy holidays!!
I tried the recipe and the dark and white chocolate layers didn’t stick to each other, so when I broke it apart the layers seperated, any suggestions?
mine did this too! :(
mine too! Did you figure anything out?
Mine did too…I was so bummed because it looked so beautiful.
Try scoring the darker chocolate with a fork before pouring on white chiocolate layer
You can’t use chocolate with white chocolate containing coconut or palm oil. I did that too ?
HANNAH–Oh I hope you enjoy it! I love this stuff, I go nuts on it at Christmas! Your pumpkin variation sounds just fantastic, I’d love to see if/when you do it!
Mmmm…. I’m just now whipping up a batch of these and my apartment smells great. While getting chocolate blocks at the grocery I noticed butterscotch ones as well. I think I’ll try making a pumpkin batch – first layer of butterscotch, topped with a caramel drizzle, and some kind of pumpkin candy…. now just to figure out the candy! Thanks for the spectacular post!
I love the two colors of chocolate together with the peppermint pieces on top. It looks so perfect and professional.
With white and dark chocolate, who can resist? :)
your peppermint bark is beautiful!
so pretty! i was planning on making chocolate/peanut bark today, but this looks so festive. i might just have to pick up some candy canes and give this one a shot! yummm!
Wow your bark came out MUCH prettier than mine! Nice job!
I made this and added a pretzel layer underneath as well – was a huge hit!