Peppermint Bark is a yummy Christmas tradition at our house during the holidays. Crunchy, white chocolate is layered with creamy dark peppermint chocolate and crushed candy canes! We make this delicious treat for all the holiday parties and Christmas stockings.

I kid you not, I’ve made over a hundred pounds of this peppermint bark through the years. Probably more. Everyone seems to love receiving it and I love making and giving it.

My funniest memory regarding Peppermint Bark has to be with my first busy little four year old years ago. He was always aggressively pounding on something or other. I thought crushing candy canes would be the perfect job to occupy him. (Positively!)

So I sent him out to the driveway to bang on candy canes with a veggie can. He was excited. I mean, really excited. The candy was in a ziploc bag, in an old camping pan lined with a dish towel. The banging went on and on and then it got really quiet.

I went out to check on him. He’d gotten a little carried away with well doing. Half the driveway was covered in crushed peppermints. We laughed and laughed. (And thankfully I had more peppermints inside, which is probably WHY I could laugh, lol.) Then for a couple weeks we had the sparkliest driveway in the neighborhood, just in time for Christmas.

Peppermint Bark shouts “Christmas” loud and clear from snowy rooftops. This bark is extra yummy because it has whipping cream mixed in with the bittersweet chocolate. This makes the top chocolate layer creamy instead of hard. It’s also highly addictive. (I think it’s every bit as good as Williams Sonoma peppermint bark. Maybe better.)

I pack it in 1/4 lb. candy boxes for gift giving. White box. Red and white striped grosgrain ribbon. It seems that Santa himself prefers Peppermint Bark to cookies, based on an experiment we conducted one Christmas Eve. (!)

How To Make Peppermint Bark:

Crush the peppermints/candy canes and set aside. (To crush peppermints or candy canes: leave in plastic wrappers, place in a heavy duty ziploc bag and bang with the sharp edge of a veggie can. I put the ziploc bag in an old t0wel-lined camping pan. Or use a food processor. (Remove wrappers first if using the food processor!)

 Melt the vanilla candy wafers.

 Spread onto parchment paper. Cool.

Dollop the barely warm melted chocolate, peppermint extract and whipping cream mixture onto the white chocolate.

Spread chocolate mixture evenly on top of first layer, then sprinkle with crushed peppermints or candy canes.

Cool in refrigerator for 15 minutes. Then let sit out for 5 or 10 minutes. (If you cut it when it’s too cold, the hard white layer underneath doesn’t cut cleanly.)

Chop into triangles with a sharp butcher knife and quick, hard pressure.

Package into 1/4 lb. candy boxes for gift giving. Peppermint Bark: It’s how we roll for the holidays.

Keep this treat refrigerated because of the whipping cream in the dark chocolate layer.

Tips for making Peppermint Bark:

• Use a veggie can to crush peppermints or candy canes. Leave the candy in the plastic wrappers and use a veggie can to bang on them. Line an old camping pan with an old towel for the task. Do this in the basement, garage or outside because little pieces of the candy can fly and make a mess.
• I use mini candy canes. I used to use the starlite peppermint candies, but the mini candy canes work best for me.
• Chop into triangles with a sharp butcher knife and quick, hard pressure.
• Keep peppermint bark refrigerated.
• Package into 1/4 lb. candy boxes for gift giving

Other peppermint treats you my enjoy: Peppermint Stick Ice Cream, Pink Peppermint Eggnog Punch, Peppermint Fudge and Peppermint White Christmas cocktail.

Print

Peppermint Bark

Peppermint Bark is delightful any time of year, but especially at Christmas. Use good quality chocolate! This is highly addictive and makes a great gift packaged in 1/4 lb. candy boxes.

Course Candy

Prep Time 35 minutes minutes

Total Time 35 minutes minutes

Servings 1 1/2 pounds candy

Author Allie Taylor

Ingredients

• 16 ounces white vanilla candy wafer disks buy at A.C. Moore or Michael's
• 8 ounces bittersweet chocolate chopped
• 1 1/2 teaspoons peppermint extract
• 4 tablespoons whipping cream
• crushed starlite peppermint candies or candy canes

Instructions

• Melt vanilla candy wafer disks according to package directions. (I use the microwave.)
• Spread onto a 24" X 18" foil or parchment square on top of an inverted baking pan.
• Let harden.
• Slowly melt chopped chocolate over very low heat.
• Remove from heat when just melted.
• Stir in peppermint extract and whipping cream.
• Spread melted chocolate mixture evenly on top of white candy layer.
• Sprinkle with crushed peppermint candies.
• Chill until just hardened, about 15 minutes.
• Wait 10-15 minutes, then cut into triangles.
• Refrigerate!

Notes

How to crush the peppermints: leave in plastic wrappers, place in a heavy duty ziploc bag and bang with the sharp edge of a veggie can. Or use a food processor. (Please take off wrappers first if using the food processor!)

Refrigerate peppermint bark!

You may also like: Peppermint Stick Ice Cream

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