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Overhead view of rough broken pieces of homemade peppermint bark scattered on a red background with bits of crushed candy canes scattered around.

Homemade Peppermint Bark

You only need a few ingredients to make your own homemade peppermint bark for the holidays. This is a small batch recipe, requiring less than 12 ounces of chocolate in total to make an 8-inch square piece of bark, but it can easily be scaled up as needed.
Yield: one 8x8-inch piece (about 6-8 servings)
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour

Ingredients

  • 12 mini candy canes, crushed (1/4 cup crushed)
  • 5 oz / 145 g good quality dark chocolate, finely chopped
  • 6 oz / 170 g good quality white chocolate, finely chopped
  • ½ oz / 15 g cocoa butter, optional
  • peppermint flavoring oil or oil-based peppermint extract*

Instructions

  • Prepare an 8-by-8-inch square baking pan by lining with parchment. You can also use a sheet pan for a more freeform shape.
  • Gently crush candy canes, either coarse or fine depending on your preference. I like to do this in the plastic wrappers (it's neater that way), using the blunt back edge of a knife to gently tap and break up the candy cane into small pieces without crushing or pulverizing it. You can also sift out the larger pieces of candy cane; set aside the 'dust' leftover for another purpose.
  • Next it's time to melt and temper the chocolates. Ideally, the white chocolate will be ready about 5-10 minutes after the dark chocolate, so plan your setup accordingly. It helps to have an extra set of hands to stir and keep an eye on temperatures.
  • In a microwave, double boiler, or chocolate melter, gently melt 3/4 of dark chocolate. Use very gentle heat here, you don't want the chocolate to overheat or it will seize up; it should not exceed 120ºF/50ºC. Once it is fully melted, remove from heat and add remaining chocolate. This 'seed' method will help the chocolate form a nice snappy finish. Continue to gently stir until fully melted and temperature has lowered to about 80ºF/27ºC. Add 4-5 drops of peppermint flavoring (or to taste). You can rewarm the chocolate slightly if needed to be workable, but no higher than 86ºF/30ºC or so.
  • Pour melted chocolate into prepared pan; gently spread into an even layer. Firmly tap the pan a few times on the countertop to get rid of any air bubbles. Set aside at cool room temperature until almost (but not completely) set, which should only take about 5 minutes if properly tempered. If your chocolate has not been properly tempered, you may need to refrigerate for a few minutes it to get it to set.
  • Melt white chocolate in the same way you did the dark chocolate, by gently melting about 3/4 of it over very very low heat (it should not exceed 113ºF/45ºC, white chocolate is much more sensitive than dark). You can add about 15g of cocoa butter while it is melting to make the white chocolate more fluid. Remove from heat and stir in the remaining white chocolate, stirring until fully melted and cooled to about 80ºF/27ºC. Add 4-5 drops of peppermint flavoring (or to taste). You can rewarm the chocolate slightly if needed to be workable, but no higher than 82ºF/28ºC or so.
  • If your dark chocolate layer is completely set at this point, you can rewarm it slightly by hitting it with a heat gun or hair dryer, or putting it in a barely warm oven for just a few seconds until the top just starts to get shiny (be very careful not to warm it too much otherwise it will lose its temper).
  • Spread white chocolate on top of dark chocolate layer, spreading to the edges in an even layer. Sprinkle with crushed candy canes.
  • Let sit uncovered at cool room temperature until set, about 1 to 2 hours. Break or cut into serving size pieces. Store at room temperature, or if your chocolate isn't fully tempered, keep refrigerated to keep the bark firm.

Notes

  • Typical water/alcohol based extract may cause chocolate to seize up, so I always try to source oil-based extract. Keep in mind it is very concentrated, you'll just need a couple drops.