Easy Peppermint Bark Recipe

Name: Easy Peppermint Bark
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 5 min
Total time: 50 min
Ingredients: 8 oz dark chocolate (chopped); 8 oz white chocolate (chopped); 1 teaspoon vegetable oil OR shortening OR coconut oil (divided); 1/4 teaspoon peppermint extract (not essential oil, not "mint"; can use more to taste but be careful not to overdo it!); 4 large candy canes (crushed; or more to taste)

This Easy Peppermint Bark Recipe is a great no bake treat to make for Christmas. Give it away as a DIY gift – or keep it all to yourself!

overhead view of pile of peppermint bark

Chocolate Bark will always remind me of Christmas. We had this shop where I grew up, and around Christmas time they would fill their shop windows will all kinds of different chocolate barks – the peppermint was my favorite treat.

This Easy Peppermint Bark Recipe is my way of making it at home for gift giving and munching on. There’s just nothing like chocolate and peppermint together for the holiday season!

Ingredients you’ll need

Here is a visual overview of the ingredients in the recipe. Scroll down to the printable recipe card at the bottom of this post for quantities!

ingredients for peppermint bark with text labels — Ingredients for Peppermint Bark: Dark chocolate, white chocolate, peppermint candies, peppermint extract and oil.

Ingredient notes

Chocolate: You need melting chocolate for this recipe, NOT heat-stable baking chips! Melting chocolate chips or just regular chocolate bars will work just fine. Buy a premium bar like Lindt if you want to be all fancy. Do not use candy melts.
Peppermint extract: Use less or more, just make sure you don’t add too much. You can leave it out entirely if the flavor from the peppermint candies is enough for you!
Oil: It’s best to use neutral vegetable oil, melted shortening or melted coconut oil.

How to make Peppermint Bark

First, you’ll need to make the dark chocolate layer. Melt the dark chocolate (either in a double boiler or in the microwave – see the tips below for instructions for either method) until smooth (1), then stir in peppermint extract and oil (2).

collage to show steps of making dark chocolate layer of peppermint bark

Spread the melted chocolate in a lined pan (see notes below for pan size). Freeze the pan for 10-15 minutes, until the chocolate is solid.

Once the dark chocolate is frozen solid, melt the white chocolate (4) and stir in oil and peppermint extract (5).

collage to show steps of making white chocolate layer of peppermint bark

Pour the melted white chocolate over the dark chocolate (6) and VERY careful spread (7) – you do not want to disturb the dark chocolate with your spatula, or you could end up with mixed chocolate layers.

Finally, sprinkle with crushed peppermint candies (8) and freeze again until solid.

You can either break or slice the bark once it’s solid. I like to slice it with a large knife, and it usually breaks in a few spots as well. Makes it look really pretty!

Recipe notes

Troubleshooting advice

A few readers mentioned their chocolate layers separating. This has never happened to me when I follow this recipe correctly, so please note the following:

Make sure you use the correct amount of chocolate and the correct pan size, as directed in the recipe.
Freeze the chocolate bark just until it’s solid (takes 10 minutes for me), not for hours and hours.
Make sure you let the dark chocolate part sit at room temperature for 10 minutes before adding the white chocolate.
Make sure the white chocolate is very hot when you pour it over the dark chocolate. They mustn’t mix together, but the dark chocolate part should get the chance to slightly melt on top after adding the white chocolate for them to combine.
Absolutely make sure you let the bark come to room temperature for 10-20 minutes before slicing it.
Also, if you didn’t follow the instructions and the layers completely separate, try slightly melting the top of the dark chocolate layer with a hair dryer (be careful, don’t hold the hair dryer too close and stay away from water sources when you do this). Then press on the white layer and leave them to sit.

What size pan should I use?

Use an 8×8 inch pan for a thicker bark, or a 7×11 OR 9×9 inch pan for a thinner bark. You could also use a 9×13 inch pan, but the bark gets too thin for my liking in a baking sheet. I used an 8×8 inch pan for the bark in the photos.

How do I melt the chocolate?

Microwave: Place the chocolate chips (or cut up bar) in a large microwave-safe bowl and microwave on low, 15 seconds at a time. Remove from the microwave and stir well after each increment. Make sure the chocolate at the bottom of the bowl doesn’t burn!

Stovetop: You can melt chocolate without a microwave in a double boiler on the stove. Just bring a pot of water to a boil, then reduce the heat to a low simmer. Place the chocolate in a heat-safe bowl on top of the pan (many people use glass, I use stainless steel because I once experienced a burst glass bowl when melting chocolate, NOT fun). Stir well until the chocolate is melted – make sure you do not get any water into the bowl!

Do I have to use peppermint extract?

If you want the bark to be as pepperminty as the store-bought bark, then yes, you have to use peppermint extract.

If you don’t care about the peppermint taste and just want to make some festive treats with what you have on hand? The recipe works just fine without the extract, the taste is just different.

Storage tips

Homemade Peppermint Bark lasts for about 2 weeks in an airtight container on the counter.

I actually prefer to store it in the fridge because I love it chilled, and there’s no chance of it getting soft!

More no bake Christmas treats

PS If you try this recipe, please leave a review in the comment section and add a star rating in the recipe card – I appreciate your feedback! Follow along on Pinterest, Facebook or Instagram.

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