This easy white chocolate peppermint bark is a fun twist on a classic. With only a few ingredients you can make a fun sweet holiday treat for your family, or to share as gifts with family and friends! This is also a great project to make with kids.
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Ever need a fast holiday or Christmas gift to let someone know you care? I’ve been in that spot more than a few times! I almost always find that a chocolate gift is appreciated.
This white chocolate peppermint bark makes the perfect fast and easy treat. It’s also delicious on a grazing board, so when I make batches I will often make a little extra.
Need other fun peppermint treats for the holidays? Try these Peppermint Twist Candy Cane Cookies that are shaped just like a candy cane and look so fun on cookie trays. Make the ultimate homemade peppermint patties that are rich, creamy and topped with fun sprinkles for the holidays. Or these Chocolate Andes Peppermint Cookie Cups topped with yummy frosting, delicious!
Here’s what you need for this easy version of peppermint bark.
Find the full recipe at the bottom of the page! But here are the basic ingredients you need to make this easy white chocolate peppermint bark.
How Do You Make Easy Peppermint Bark?
- Melt And Pour- Melt the candy melts in a dry bowl in short bursts, usually at half power in a microwave safe bowl
- Spread– Spread the warm chocolate evenly on a baking sheet lined with parchment
- Sprinkle– Add crushed candy canes and sprinkle to make it festive before you put it in the freezer to harden.
Then after it hardens, you crack the bark into pieces. You can use a knife or just break it with your fingers.
What kind of melting chocolate do you use?
I like using Wilton Candy Melts for making chocolate. They are really easy to melt and work with, plus they come in a lot of different colors.
For this white chocolate bark I used these white candy melts. If you want to make a chocolate layer also, you can get this great chocolate and white chocolate packs.
They also have a vanilla candy coating at most grocery stores called almond bark. It works similar to the candy melts I used. If you use almond bark, just make sure to read the melting instructions for almond bark on the package before you get started.
Why do you use candy melts instead of white chocolate chips or bars?
You can use white chocolate, but it involves a using a lot more temperature control, usually having a candy thermometer to temper the chocolate. This means you melt the white chocolate (or regular chocolate) to just the right temperature so it melts.
If you heat the chocolate too hot, the cocoa fat can separate and cause the chocolate to be waxy. If you’d like to try tempering chocolate this article is a great place to start.
What’s the difference between peppermint oil and peppermint extract?
Peppermint oil is oil-based as the name suggests. Peppermint extract has water in the mixture.
If you’re melting chocolate you need peppermint oil so your chocolate doesn’t seize. Peppermint extract is for recipes like cookies and cakes, NOT melted chocolate.
Peppermint oil can be found in most baking sections. I often find peppermint oil at craft stores that often have a larger selection of baking options or you can find it here.
You can also skip the peppermint oil if you so choose. Your bark will have a little less peppermint flavor but will still have some from the crushed candy cane on top.
Love making holiday treats? Try my stained glass sugar cookies! They are so fun for the holidays and look so pretty as a gift or on any cookie tray. Or try these fun Hot Chocolate Bombs, they make a nice treat by themselves or paired with these Hot Chocolate Peppermint Thumbprint Cookies or my creamy Andes Mint Cookie Cups.
Help, my peppermint bark turned hard and grainy!
When working with any kind of melted chocolate you need to keep all water and any other kind of liquid away from the chocolate.
If liquids of any kind are added to the chocolate or even if you use a wet utensil or wet hands, the chocolate can begin to seize. This means that the chocolate starts to harden and become grainy. Chocolate does not have any water in it so when you add just a little this is what happens.
You can sometimes salvage it by adding a little fat. Try stirring in a little oil at a time into the chocolate. I usually prefer adding coconut oil warmed just a little in the microwave. as when coconut oil cools it becomes almost like a harder shell which is perfect for a dish like peppermint bark.
Adding oil only works sometimes though, it can depend on how much water was added. Sometimes the chocolate isn’t salvageable and you’ll need to start with a fresh batch.
What’s some fun ways to give this white chocolate peppermint bark as a gift?
There are so many ways you could package this white chocolate bark that would make it a cute gift!
- Mason Jars– Add pieces of white chocolate peppermint bark to mason jars. I like to use either a 12 or a 16 ounce size depending on the size of the gift. Add a little festive ribbon around the edge
- Wax Paper Bags– These wax paper bags are similar to those that you would get at a bakery and fit just a few pieces of bark. Poke two holes in them and seal them shut with a cute ribbon or a holiday sticker. These are great for smaller gifts.
- Paper Boxes- These cute little white paper boxes with would be a super adorable way to package this bark! They have a little clear window on the top so you can see inside. This is similar to a box a bakery might use, but small for a small gift. They also come in larger sizes if you’d like to give a larger gifr
- Drawstring Bags– I like these little plastic drawstring bags they have polka dots and Christmas designs! So cute!
- Tins– Tins are so great to give treats away for the holidays! They hold all kinds of baked goods, and the user can then reuse the tin. You can find tins at most craft stores or large chain stores, but you can also find tins in all different shapes and sizes online here. Use wax paper, parchment paper or even colored tissue paper to line the tin.
I made these cute printable Holiday gift tags you can attach on your peppermint bark. While they were made for my kid’s teachers and administrators originally, there are some blank tags too for whomever you want to gift to!
Need other gift ideas? Check out this holiday gift guide for kids 6-9.
Other Recipes You Will Love
Peppermint Bark Brownies – Fudgy brownies full of chocolate chips then topped with white chocolate peppermint bark, these brownies are SO good!
Christmas Pretzels, Grinch Style! Make these easy four-ingredient caramel chocolate pretzels for all of your cookie trays and gifts. They look so cute, just like the grinch!
Hot Chocolate Peppermint Thumbprint Cookies– A hot chocolate flavored cookie with a gooey chocolate peppermint ganche center and candy canes sprinkled on top, yum! Add this to your holiday baking list!
White Chocolate Peppermint Bark
Equipment
- Cookie sheet
- parchment paper
- Ziploc bag
- Rolling pin
- Microwave safe bowl
- Microwave
- Spoon or spatula
- Piping Bag or second strong topped ziploc bag
Ingredients
- 4-5 Candy canes crushed
- 8 ounces Vanilla candy melts I prefer Wilton’s or almond bark
- 1/4 teaspoon Peppermint oil optional- found in the baking section
- 2 Ounces Candy cane sprinkles
- 2-3 Ounces Peppermint sugar or red decorating sugar
Instructions
- Line the cookie sheet with parchment paper
- In a strong ziploc bag place all the unwrapped candy canes. Gently crush them in the bag with a rolling pin.
- Place the candy wafers in a microwave safe bowl. Melt at half power in shorts bursts of 20-30 seconds, stirring in between until fully melted.
- Add peppermint oil if desired for more peppermint flavor, gently mixing it into the candy melts.
- Spread the melted vanilla chocolate out on the parchment paper in an even layer.
- Add crushed candy canes, red decorating sugar and candy cane sprinkles to the top of the white chocolate.
- Place the tray in the freezer to harden for at least 30 minutes or until firm. When ready to eat, crack the bark into pieces and enjoy.
Notes
- Adding a melted chocolate layer underneath the white chocolate can be tasty, I usually add at least two teaspoons of coconut oil to help regular chocolate harden. You’ll need to let the chocolate cool completely in the freeze before adding the second white chocolate on top.
- Adding the peppermint oil is optional, but does give this more peppermint flavor. You can pick up a food-safe peppermint oil in the baking section of the grocery or craft store. You can not substitute peppermint extract, it will cause the white chocolate to seize. The peppermint oil can be left out, as the candy cane on top does provide peppermint flavor.
Nutrition
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