This homemade peppermint bark recipe is even more delicious than store bought varieties. It's easy to make with only 6 ingredients and is a delicious treat to give as gifts for the holidays.
Line an 8x8” pan with wax paper (or foil), or put a silicone baking mat on a baking sheet. Do not grease.
Make the Semisweet Chocolate Layer
In a double boiler, melt semisweet chocolate and ½ TBS butter until smooth.
Remove from heat and add ¼ tsp peppermint extract and ⅛ tsp vanilla extract, stir to combine. The mixture will begin to thicken when the extracts are added, so work quickly.
Spread mixture into the bottom of the prepared baking dish in an even layer or spread the mixture in an 8” square onto a silicone baking mat (do not cover the entire baking mat with chocolate - it should be about ½ inch thick).
Place in the freezer to harden for at least 15 minutes. It’s important that this layer is hardened so it does not mix in with the top layer of white chocolate.
Make the White Chocolate Layer
Once the dark chocolate is hardened, melt the white chocolate and ½ TBS butter in a double boiler until smooth.
Stir in ¼ tsp peppermint extract and ⅛ tsp vanilla extract.
Assemble
Quickly spread the white chocolate over the hardened semisweet chocolate. Do this carefully, you want to try to spread it evenly on the first try, because the warm white chocolate will cause the semisweet chocolate underneath to melt and it will mix into the white chocolate if you’re not careful.
Sprinkle with crushed candy canes and gently press them into the top so they stick.
Return to freezer until hardened.
Break into pieces by hand or use a knife to cut more uniform pieces.
Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator or freezer.
Video
Notes
Ingredient Substitutions
Semisweet chocolate. Use your favorite chocolate variety - semisweet, dark, milk, etc. I prefer to use bars of chocolate since they're already in 4 oz portions - so you need two for this recipe. To use chocolate chips instead measure by weight (you 226 g (or 8 oz) of chocolate, which is just less than a 10 oz bag of chocolate chips).
Salted butter. you can substitute unsalted butter.
Peppermint Extract. I've had readers use peppermint essential oil instead of extract with great results.
Vanilla Extract. Use pure vanilla extract (not imitation).
Candy Canes. I like to use these crushed candy cane pieces because it omits the step of crushing them, but my kids do like to help crush the candy canes too - so keep that in mind if you have little helpers.
StoreStore in an airtight container in the refrigerator with wax paper between the layers for up to 2 week or in the freezer for up to 2 months.