Easy Peppermint Bark – Lexi’s Clean Kitchen

Using only 5 ingredients, this Peppermint Bark is simple to prepare and perfect for giving away to friends and family as holiday gifts. It’s as easy as melting and spreading chocolate, but truly looks fancy. Top it with candy canes for that super festive look (and taste)!

Easy Peppermint Bark Recipe

This Peppermint Bark recipe is the most festive (and simple) holiday gift idea or addition to the dessert table.  It is not only delicious, but it looks stunning too. Making bark at home requires nothing more than melting and spreading chocolate, then topping it with the different flavor additions. This easy bark recipe is flavored with peppermint extract and topped it with crushed candy canes. You could spend a ton of money on store-bought or mail-ordered bark with unknown ingredients OR you can make your own at home in well under 20 minutes.

Peppermint Bark Ingredients

• Dark Chocolate
• White Chocolate
• Peppermint Extract
• Candy Canes 
• Flaky Sea Salt (optional)

Tips for Working with Chocolate

• Use a medium to good quality chocolate, especially if you are using chocolate chips. While we love that this is an affordable gift option, using low quality chocolate with a lot of additives, will negatively impact the final product. This is especially true if you are using chocolate chips, which are manufactured to hold their shape. Look for chocolate or chocolate chips with only a few ingredients for the best bark taste and texture. It doesn’t have to be the most expensive chocolate, but shoot for the mid range brands such as Ghiradelli, Trader Joe’s, 365 Brand, or Guittard, at a minimum. We also love Enjoy Life for dairy free chocolate. We also found a few brands of candy canes that didn’t use chemical food dyes including 365 Brand, Wholesome Organic and Yum Earth.
• Make sure all utensils are clean and dry.Water and chocolate do not mix! Even a small addition of chocolate to water can make it break, which would mean gritty chocolate. Make sure your bowls and utensils are clean and dry.
• Melt chocolate in a double boiler. We suggest melting chocolate over a double-boiler because it’s the most gentle way to melt it. Most people don’t have a double boiler at home, so make up your own by placing a heat proof bowl over a simmering pot of water. Just make sure that the bowl is not touching the water. Using this method to melt the chocolate is an easy way to melt it, while making sure you don’t over cook the chocolate. Alternatively you could melt the chocolate in the microwave at 20 second intervals, whisking in between until it’s fully melted.

How to Make Peppermint Bark

1. First line a sheet pan with parchment paper so the bark comes off easily.
2. Then, melt the dark chocolate and white chocolate (with added peppermint extract) separately. We prefer to use a double-boiler method, but you can use the microwave if you really want to, just make sure not to overheat the chocolate.
3. Next pour out the dark chocolate and lightly spread to a rough 11″ x 16″ rectangle. Place in the freezer for 5-10 minutes to harden. Next spread out the white chocolate on top of the dark chocolate.
4. Then, add your crushed candy canes.  After you’ve topped it, let it sit at room temperature for a few hours or place in the freezer for about 5 minutes until bark hardens.

Break into pieces and either wrap up to give away as gifts, or store for serving later.

Storing Peppermint Bark

Peppermint Bark can be stored at room temperature, just so long as the room temperature isn’t above 70 degrees. If you need to store in the refrigerator make sure it is is in an air-tight container to avoid the chocolate pick up any smells or moisture.

If you like this holiday dessert recipe, check out these others:

If you need other edible gift recipes, check out these:

Easy Peppermint Bark Recipe

Directions

1. Line a 13″x 18″ baking sheet (or similar size) with parchment paper and set aside.
2. Melt dark chocolate using a double-boiler method: Bring a small saucepan of water to a boil with heatproof bowl over the top. Add the chocolate to the bowl and slowly melt and stir the chocolate until almost all of it has melted. Remove from heat, let sit a few minutes and then whisk it all together. Alternatively you could melt the chocolate in the microwave at 20 second intervals, whisking in between until it’s fully melted.
3. Pour out chocolate and lightly spread into a rectangle onto parchment lined baking sheet. Set in the freezer for 5-10 minutes until set.
4. Meanwhile, melt white chocolate and extract together. Once dark chocolate is chilled, pour the white chocolate on top and carefully spread it over.
5. Sprinkle crushed candy canes and sea salt (if using) and let sit at room temperature for a few hours or place in the freezer for about 5 minutes until bark hardens.
6. Break into pieces and wrap up to give away as gifts, or store for serving later.

Recipe Notes

1. Bark will keep stored, at cool room temperature for about 2-3 weeks, depending on the ingredients added to the bark. A good rule of thumb to note is that if you add ingredients that keep well at room temperature for a while, the bark will keep well.
2. This is roughly 8-12 servings but will make about 4 gift bags of bark, depending on how much you are placing in a package.

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