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This white chocolate peppermint bark has only 5 ingredients and takes only about 10 minutes of prep. Such an easy (and pretty) Christmas neighbor gift!
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You will love this chocolate peppermint bark swirl! Using a high-quality chocolate will help add flavor and deliciousness to the bark. We love using Ghirardelli or Guittard chocolate to enhance flavors, and the chocolate is smooth and silky, it is not waxy or have that extra film on it. This blend of melted chocolates is the perfect holiday treat for the season!
This peppermint bark recipe is always so easy to make and everyone loves it! If you love this peppermint bark, you will also love this peppermint bark brownie recipe. It is perfect for gifting during the holidays or enjoying while playing game night or at a holiday party. You can’t go wrong with this sweet dessert during Christmas!
Ingredients for Easy Peppermint Bark
White chocolate peppermint bark swirled together only takes minutes to make and it is no-bake! Use your microwave or double boiler to melt chocolate together, then blend layers of melted white chocolate, then bittersweet chocolate together on a baking sheet. You will have a magical Christmas treat that is so simple to make in no time!
- Peppermint Baking Chips – These are kind of a specialty item and can usually only be found around the holidays. I found the Andes brand ones at Target.
- 60% or above Cacao Baking Chips and White Chocolate Baking Chips. A hint of bittersweet chocolate to balance out the white chocolate.
- Peppermint candy canes – These will be crushed in a food processor.
- Coconut oil – Add this in to help melt the chocolate and give it that smooth and silky texture and appearance.
If you can’t find the White Chocolate Peppermint Chunks
Sometimes it is hard to find the white chocolate peppermint chunks in the stores. You can easily make this just using white chocolate chips and a couple drops of peppermint extract. You can add as much or as little peppermint flavor as you would like.
Keep tasting it until it gets to the flavor you want it to be. You can even add some of the crushed candy cane pieces to the white chocolate if you want the extra crunch.
Variations To Use in Peppermint Bark Swirl
Here’s the fun part, the variations! You can go wild with variations here and create your own type of bark. Simply crush the variation into smaller pieces to add to the bark recipe. The sky’s the limit!
- Go nuts! – You can try chopping up some almonds, pecans, or peanuts to add a sweet and salty combination.
- Candy – Christmas M&Ms, Kit Kats, Reese’s, and Heath bars are some that are always a favorite.
- Snacks – Pretzels, Oreos, or even cereal are a great option. You can chop these toppings or keep them chunky.
- Chocolate – You can go all white chocolate, all dark, or semi-sweet chocolate! Change the brand to Lindt, Lindor, or Guittard if you prefer.
- Food coloring – Add in drops of red food coloring to the white chocolate layer and swirl around using an offset spatula. Make this for every holiday! Change the food dye coloring to the special occasion you are celebrating.
“This stuff is irresistible. Every time I make it, my entire family can’t stop eating it.”
-Ashley
Frequently Asked Questions about Peppermint Bark
Peppermint bark is a lighter, thinner layer of chocolate that has toppings of crushed peppermint, candy, cookies, or nuts. It is known as “bark” because of the appearance as well as how thin it is compared to tree bark.
If you decide to use chocolate chips besides the Ghirardelli ones, just double check and make sure they don’t have any kind of wheat (which if you are GF you probably will anyway). I used the Brach’s peppermint candy canes and they are GF as well. I am pretty sure any regular peppermint candy cane is GF, but it never hurts to double check.
Yes! The founder of William Sonoma, Chuck Williams, came up with the confection in 1998. It took him more than 20 recipe attempts to make this peppermint bark perfect.
Yes and no! This peppermint bark recipe can be stored in an airtight container in a dark place at room temperature. It does not have to be refrigerated but can be if it has potential of melting or sticking together in a warmer area.
READ MORE: 25+ Christmas Dessert Ideas
Storing Homemade Peppermint Bark
Making this peppermint bark ahead of time works well and is so simple to store. Each option will help keep the holiday treat fresh and long lasting. This bark will last about two weeks in an airtight container. Enjoy all holiday season!
- Room temperature – Storing at room temperature works best! Make sure it is in a cool, dark place where it won’t melt or become so warm that the bark begins to stick together.
- Freezer – Peppermint bark can be stored in the freezer. I would recommend layering with parchment paper. Let it either “thaw” in the fridge or at room temperature.
- Refrigerator – Place in an airtight container and store in the refrigerator. This will prolong the bark, keeping it fresh a few extra days.
Even More Candy!
If you’re like me, you can never have too many great Christmas candy recipes. Here are a few treats to add to your sweets list.
- Chocolate Dipped Pretzel Rods
- See’s Fudge Recipe
- Homemade Almond Joys
- Homemade Caramels
- English Toffee
- Chocolate Covered Cherries
- Crockpot Peanut Clusters
- Cinnamon Almonds
- Snowball Cookies
How to Make Peppermint Bark
Peppermint Bark
Ingredients
- 12 ounces Guittard 63% Extra Dark Chocolate Baking Chips (or use a higher quality dark chocolate chips)
- 12 ounces Guittard White Chocolate Chips
- 1/4 cup Andes Peppermint Crunch Baking Chips
- 3 peppermint candy canes coarsely crushed
- 1/2 teaspoon coconut oil or as needed
- 1/2 teaspoon peppermint extract (optional)
Instructions
- Place some wax or parchment paper onto a large cookie sheet and set aside.
- Using a double boiler or a pan on VERY low heat, heat the dark chocolate chips with ¼ tsp of coconut oil until smooth and JUST melted. DO NOT OVERHEAT.
- Pour the dark chocolate onto the prepared jelly roll pan making a large rectangle in the middle of the pan. The larger the rectangle, the thinner the bark. For thicker bark, make a smaller rectangle.
- Place pan into the refrigerator to set, about 10 minutes.
- In a microwave safe bowl, add ⅓ cup of white chocolate chips and ¼ cup of peppermint baking chips. Set aside. Using the same method as the dark chocolate, melt the remaining white chocolate chips with ¼ tsp of coconut oil. Once the white chocolate is melted it is optional to add ½ teaspoon of peppermint extract.
- Melt the white chocolate and peppermint chips in the microwave on 50% power stirring every 30 seconds until melted.
- Remove the dark chocolate pan from the refrigerator and spread the melted white chocolate on top covering as close to the edge as possible.
- Drizzle the melted white chocolate peppermint chips mixture up and down on white chocolate.
- Using a knife, gently swirl side to side creating a beautiful design and sprinkle candy cane pieces on top. You want to do this quickly before the the chocolate sets.
- Allow the bark to cool completely on the counter or refrigerator. Break apart by hand or a knife. Store in an airtight container.
I truly Love this recipe!
This stuff is irresistible. Every time I make it, my entire family can’t stop eating it.
I love making and eating peppermint bark! This weekend I’ll be using your delicious recipe to make a double batch for our new neighbors!