Peppermint Bark
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Beyond Christmas trees and lights, what screams Christmas more than candy canes? They’re a seasonal treat that traditionally are very festive in their colors and flavor. Ah, peppermint … delicious! I won’t get into all of the new candy cane varieties out there. None top the traditional red and white peppermint variety – none!
So what’s better than candy canes? Desserts that call for crushed candy canes or splashes of peppermint flavoring. Oh my. There are so many possibilities; cakes, cupcakes, brownies, cookies, fudge and drinks. I’ve even seen breakfast items like pancakes and waffles.
In my search for new holiday items to try and share, I came across peppermint bark. It’s definitely festive so I asked the Mr if he has had it and liked it – the answer was YES! So I added it to my to do list for the season. The recipes I came across were a mix of just white chocolate or layered, meaning a split of a brown (dark, milk, semi sweet etc) chocolate and white chocolate. Some called for added peppermint flavor and others not. The one thing that was the same throughout was sprinklings of crushed candy canes or peppermint candies.
Beyond the flavor and layers I was wondering just how people were getting such clean lines for their bark. Typically bark is made in a large sheet pan and then broken once hardened. While I was on Wilton’s site one night I came across a neat little package that included everything to make peppermint bark. But their twist is to make it within cookie cutters, specifically snowflake cutters. I couldn’t bring myself to spend $10 on the package plus shipping, especially when I already had chocolate at home. I only had a few snowflake cutters and went on a search for more. My luck, I didn’t find what I wanted but what I did find turned out better. I found a multi snowflake silicone mold. It’s really meant for cupcakes, bread, muffins… that kind of stuff but I figured it was worth a shot. For those in the select few states that have a Christmas Tree Shop, that’s were I found my silicone mold… in case you’re wanting to recreate this design. Each cavity has the same pretty snowflake shape and a neat little pattern on the bottom that leaves an impression in your chocolate (or any other item you would bake or make with this).
It’s not the typical way to make bark but I think it’s so pretty and even more festive. I love snowflakes… that is of course until we have 3 or 4 feet of snow outside but that’s a complaint for another day, hopefully much much later this season. So when it comes to bark, you can go the traditional pan route or you can use cookie cutters or silicone molds. Obviously individual pieces will take slightly more time than a full sheet, but isn’t the end design worth it?
Peppermint Bark
Ingredients
- 8 oz milk or dark chocolate
- 8 oz white chocolate
- 2 tsp vegetable oil divided
- 1/2 tsp peppermint extract divided
- candy canes or peppermint candies crushed
Instructions
- If making one sheet of bark, line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. Smooth out any wrinkles. Prepare candy canes by unwrapping and tossing in a plastic bag. Smash with a meat tenderizer, rolling pin or other heavy object. Don't pulverize the candies but do make sure any huge chunks are broken down. Over a bowl, transfer contents of plastic bag to a mesh strainer. Gently tape and shake the strainer. The purpose of this is to remove any candy cane dust, only leaving the chunks to be used for the bark.
- In a heat safe bowl, add milk or dark chocolate and half of the vegetable oil. Melt chocolate at 50% power in 30 second intervals. Stir well after each heating. When fully melted, stir in half of the peppermint extract. Pour milk chocolate (or whichever variety you've chosen) onto prepared pan and spread out evenly. Alternately, divide equally among molds or cookie cutters. I used a small cookie scoop to divide among my snowflake cavities. Sprinkle with a small amount of candy cane pieces, preferably some of the smaller pieces. Transfer to the fridge for 30-60 minutes or until fully set and hardened.
- Repeat melting process with white chocolate: white chocolate plus 1 tsp vegetable oil in a heat safe bowl. Heat at 50% power in 30 second intervals, stiring well each time. Add the remaining 1/4 tsp peppermint extract, stir well. Pour over brown chocolate, or divide equally among molds or shapes. Tap tray or mold to spread chocolate out. Sprinkle with remaining candy cane pieces. Transfer to the fridge for an additional 30-60 minutes or until fully hardened.
- Break sheet bark with a heavy object or carefully remove chocolate from molds. If using silicone molds, they should easily pop out or peel away. Store in the fridge in an airtight container.
Notes
Made it earlier this week and it was so yummy and easy. Made a double batch just now to share with friends this week. Didn’t mold–just used a sheet pan. Thank you for an easy, yummy recipe, Rachel! Merry Christmas!
I found the molds at target for 2.50 today and just finished my first batch. Easy, beautiful, and delicious. Thanks for the easy gifts idea!!
Super glad I ‘stumbled’ on your site (thanks http://www.stubleupon.com !) I found the blue molds at my local dollar store (YES! Dollar store!!) and I can’t wait to start the snowflakes.
I also had a problem with my white chocolate. :(
Pity…these look delicious.
I’m sorry you had trouble. White chocolate definitely seems to be harder to work with. I’ve had my best luck with it when melting in a double boiler. Less risk of burning that way.
Hi, I just started this recipe but I mistakenly used unsweetened baking (dark) chocolate… do you think it’s salvageable given that it will be used in the cheesecake? I hate to waste the chocolate. Thanks! (Can’t wait to try the bark as gifts next year.)
It should be fine. Maybe try a taste of it before proceeding to be sure that’s the flavor you want to use.
Thanks for the quick reply. I had given it a taste, but it was too bitter – and I don’t want to ruin the cheesecake. The peppermint flavor was not even noticeable (much more flavor in the next go-round). I will try to remelt the chocolate for homemade brownies – the peppermint flavor will hopefully just make them more interesting, if it even comes through. Of note, I had no difficulty adding peppermint to the melted white chocolate.
Good luck! I hope it all turns out for you :) Keep me posted.
Extract should work fine with candy melts or chocolate since it’s alcohol based. Oil flavorings will work as well, but you just need a drop or two because it’s very strong. White chocolate melts thicker than “brown” chocolate. Be careful not to get water into chocolate or it will seize.
What type of chocolate did you use? Candy melts like from Michaels or chocolate and white chocolate chip found in the grocery store? I can’t wait to try to make these!!! Just bought a mini gingerbread man mold.
I’ve used both candy melts and chocolate bars but not chocolate chips as they don’t always melt quite as well as the other options.
Why do you add veg oil to the chocolate? I have made bark before and never have before- is it for the molding?
Professional chocolate is tempered. Most home bakers and chefs do not temper there chocolate, thus the addition of vegetable oil. It helps with ensuring a shine and crispness to the chocolate. Also, if chocolate is not tempered it should be stored in the refrigerator.
got it, thanks !
I found the exact 6 snowflake silicone mold, in pink, on Amazon. Can’t wait to make them for Christmas. I also want to try making the Buckeye – chocolate and peanut butter – recipe in this mold. Easier than rolling all those little balls and dipping them in chocolate!
Thanks for the tip! I’m glad they’re popping up in more places now! :)
For those whoe are having trouble with the white chocolate seizing when adding a water-based peppermint essence, you might have better luck with the oil-based flavourings that are made for use with chocolate and cake decorating.
For the peppermint flavoring are you using peppermint extract? I would like to make these for my husband’s family. I would need to make about 4 dozen. Can these be frozen and if so for how long?
I did use peppermint extract both years I made this. As for freezing it, while I haven’t personally done it, it does appear that you can. You should wrap each piece well prior to freezing and keep them wrapped while thawing, Homemade bark should also be stored in the fridge instead of at room temperature.
Got these very molds at christmas tree store this past week along with molds with christmas stockings and presents too
Fantastic! I had planned on checking in this week to see if my local store had any. Thanks for the heads up. :)
just found you via pinterest, and pinned/linked back here. Your photographs are beautiful, and I am pleased with the informative comments. Thanks for posting such a great article, and I will definitely be back to see what else you’ve got :-) you are credited on my pin.
Hi,
I found a mold with 12 spots so do I need to double your posted recipe?
It depends on the size of your molds. I believe mine were approximately 3-4″ across.
Found the snowflake mold at Christmas tree
Shops in florida. 11/16/12..they r a mix
Of Christmas shapes that include the
Snowflake. Thanks for tip.
I’m glad you were able to find some locally! So far this year I’ve found other shapes at my local store but not snowflakes. It’s always hit or miss! Enjoy :)
These look so cute! I can’t wait to make them for an upcoming holiday party! I bought some molds on ebay just to make these! I just want to clairfy…the above recipe only makes 6 snowflakes?
No, the recipe listed should make 12 or halve what is listed to only make 6.
Just got back from Christmas tree
Shop.. They have the snowflake
Mold in! I’m so excited! Exactly like
Yours. Six per sheet. $3.99
Has any one had in trouble getting these to pop out of cookie cutter or molds?
Using silicone molds you won’t have a problem. I have not used cookie cutters for this but imagine you would need to grease them slightly for them to release easier.
I was hoping to make these beauties and ship them to family across the states. Do you think they would make it in the mail or does this need to be refrigerated?
This particular recipe includes vegetable oil in place of tempering the chocolate, so in this case it means the chocolate should be kept chilled. However, if you’re familiar with tempering chocolate then you should be able to adapt the recipe and ship it.
For those of you looking for the mold used here, I just bought it on Amazon for 4.99. JoAnn’s didn’t have it when I checked yesterday.
I am having trouble finding snowflake molds. Where can we find them?
If you have a Christmas Tree Shop, check there. Otherwise you’ll want to search online for the molds or something similar.
I found them on ebay.
A very wonderful recipe to make with kids… and very delicious also! I made it with cookie cutters and it worked very well.
I found a snowflake mold at Joanns. Not as detailed as yours, but will do. I think its only availabe at christmas time. It is a Wilton brand. Was over 11.00 but i had a 40% off coupon.
Hi i just found this recipe, and i was lucky enough to found the molds at our local Christmas tree shop. How long will i be able to store the candy once made?
thank you
I imagine they would be good to store for quite a while, but I’m not sure of a specific time frame.
Found the same mold that you used on Amazon, it worked great. These are beautiful. Saw yesterday that Wliton has a new kit for making these at Michael’s, but they use cookie cutters. Looks nice but there is no detail on the bottom (in my opinion that is the best part). I can’t wait to give them as gifts. Thank you for this great idea.
Beautiful idea! Would love to make these for teacher gifts, but wondering if they would last all day un-refrigerated without melting?
They should be okay to keep out for a day at school, but may become slightly softer.
When I made peppermint bark the dark choc separated from the white choc when I broke them up. Any reason for that? So i tried it again and poured the white chocolate immediately on the soft dark choc and it didn’t happen. Although you have the opposite directions in the recipe. Any suggestions?
I can’t be sure what went wrong as that’s the first time I’ve heard of anyone having that issue. Perhaps there was too much condensation on your chilled chocolate that prevented the other from sticking.
great ideas and awesome recipes
Last year for gifts, I used my candy molds. Just fill 1/2 the mold with dark chocolate mixture, then cool in the fridge. Add white chocolate on top. then add finely crushed candy canes. Harden in the fridge. I put these in those cute Chinese boxes and they were a hit!
I found the molds at the Christmas Tree Shop for $3.99.
They turned out beautiful. I used the tri color candy canes, and will be serving them on the Peppermint Swirl Candy Trays. What a great holiday treat.
thanks for sharing such a wonderful idea. I found the mold on Amazon, the same one!!!
I can’t wait to make up the teacher gifts for both my girls teachers.
Thanks again!!!! Keep posting
I want to bake & ship these to some solider’s deployed. How do I temper the chocolate so I can ship them?
What a fantastic idea. I personally haven’t ever tempered chocolate, which is why I use oil in the recipe instead. Here are a few links for you to check out from allrecipes, David Lebovitz and Serious Eats. Good luck!
Just want to mention how excited I am to make these; my mold just arrived in the mail today! The one I bought is exactly the one used in this recipe but I bought it from Aliexpress.com , seller is Emma Green. I got 2 molds for about 12 dollars. Good deal.
Hi Rachel, I was wondering how high you fill the mold? About half way? I don’t want to make them too thick because I like my bark on the thin side.
How much you fill them depends on the molds you have. If you prefer thin bark, you should fill them accordingly. There is no right or wrong.
I found my molds at Target in the $2.50 bins near the front of the store. I also found snowmen. I can’t wait to try these today!
I made these and they are delicious and beautiful except for my white layer–the edges were all jagged and messy looking. How do you avoid getting chocolate on the sides of the mold and how do you get a nice smooth layer with nice edges? Thanks!
If you pour carefully into the center of the molds it’s less likely to have jagged edges. You can always pop them off after or try using a warm knife or metal spatula to melt the edges down after removing them from their molds.
Thanks so much, Rachel. This is a great idea. I found it on Pinterest. My daughter found the mold at the Christmas Tree Shop and we gave it a try. Merry Christmas.
I made these and they came out great! Also gave as gifts. I had the same issue as Kristen where my dark chocolate layer got all over the place in the mold. I was able to easily remove jagged edges, but how did you spread the chocolate into the corners of the snowflakes without making a mess?
Very carefully :) Honestly the hotter and more liquid the chocolate is, the easier it pours. But if you work with the mold on top of a cutting board or tray and tap that a bit, it will shake the chocolate around.
I just found Wilton molds @ Joanne’s (Fabric). There were also little bitty Christmas trees and gingerbread men.
I found some jello molds and got a whole bunch of them and made a huge batch. They are a little tricky to get out but still came out wonderful. And they have around 10 shapes per sheet.
Love these! Thanks for sharing! I found you via Pinterest and am including you on my Top 10 Pinterest Christmas Recipe list.
Just made some for my boyfriend! They are firming up in the fridge. I actually found tree molds instead of snowflakes. I’m also using chocolate chips, they melted really smooth and easy in the microwave. Fingers crossed that he likes them, he’s a peppermint bark fanatic! :) thanks for the recipe!!
Totally making these for christmas presents this year :) Super cute!! I’m going to hand them out with the homemade hot coco mix I’m going to put inside of clear christmas ornaments.
That sounds perfect. Enjoy! :)
I love this idea. It’s so festive and much prettier than broken up bark. Thanks
I found the mold at Christmas Tree Shop a few weeks ago, and I just made up a few batches of the bark today. I absolutely love them! They are so festive and sweet – how could you not help but smile just looking at them!?
So glad you found it and had fun making the recipe :)
Can you use chocolate chips in this recipe?
I wouldn’t personally recommend it. A good high quality chocolate will offer both a better tasting result and a smoother melted chocolate. Chocolate chips aren’t meant to melt in the same way other chocolates are.