I’m totally a thumbs-up person now. Eric and I were chatting the other day and realized we’ve both started doing it more and more. I feel a little 1950s! Like maybe I should have a sparkle on my teeth and a twinkle in my eye too. With masks these days it’s hard to communicate even simple yes or no’s when you’re out and about! Anyone else?? I never realized how much I rely on lip reading! The other day I was at the grocery store and started talking with the bagger dude. I found out he’s from Vietnam. His English is good, but you can tell he’s still learning. And now everyone has their faces covered up all the time! I can’t imagine how much harder it is. Props to all the language learners out there. English is hard enough! I was at the store buying butter. Are you surprised? Eric calculated on the day before Thanksgiving that we had 164 sticks of butter in the house. I think we’re almost out by now (kidding). But guess what, I’ve finally found a new favorite Christmas treat that uses no butter! It’s a miracle! This Peppermint Bark is a classic, am I right? You can buy it for an arm and a leg at Williams Sonoma or a number of knock off places, or you can follow this recipe at home and save that arm and leg for another day. I love all my arms and legs and I’m sure you do too, so let’s get to it!
You will love this Recipe for Peppermint Bark
Did your friend just text you that she’s dropping by with a Christmas treat, and she’s going to be there in an hour? Did you get too busy to bake and now you’re going to be empty handed?? Peppermint bark to the rescue, my fellow procrastinator. 15 minutes to make, 30 minutes to chill. It doesn’t get much easier than that.Of course if you’re the kind of person who’s finished wrapping Christmas presents in September and you’ve just got oodles of time on your hands (I admire you but I don’t understand you), you can make this part of a beautiful cookie and candy plate. Check out my cookies archive for more ideas (many, many more ideas…cookies might be my favorite child). Today, we are making AMAZING Peppermint Bark. Not subpar or fake peppermint bark. There are some rules.
Homemade Peppermint Bark ingredients
First, let’s talk chocolate. There are only a few ingredients in this recipe:
high quality dark or semi sweet chocolate, totally up to you peppermint extract vegetable oil, to help the chocolate melt smoothly and make it a little easier to bite into once it’s hardened high quality white chocolate with cocoa butter in the ingredient list candy canes
You NEED high quality chocolate for peppermint bark! It’s not optional! Bad chocolate=bad peppermint bark. Simple as that.
Chocolate for Homemade Peppermint Bark
For the Dark or semi sweet chocolate: I recommend only buying name-brand chocolate. I like to use Guittard, Ghirardelli (those are my preference), Nestle is fine, Lindt, etc. You can use chocolate chips as long as they are name brand. (A bar of chocolate is fine too!) Cheap, generic brands will not melt properly a lot of the time. Go for the gold. (hint: if it’s really cheap, it’s probably not high quality!) White chocolate: There are a lot of sneaky products out there claiming to be white chocolate. But most of them are made with palm kernel oil and they taste like garbage. Just tellin it to you straight here. You need white chocolate that has cocoa butter high on the ingredient list. This is the only way to know if it is real white chocolate! The higher up on the ingredient list, the better. I do not recommend white chocolate chips. White chocolate chips almost never have real cocoa butter in them. Buy a bar of real white chocolate and chop it up. I recently found that Guittard white chocolate chips have cocoa butter in them, but the ingredient list is as follows: Sugar, palm kernel oil, cocoa butter, etc. The bar of Ghirardelli chocolate that I used for this recipe starts with these ingredients: Sugar, cocoa butter, etc. THAT is the quality of white chocolate you are looking for! If palm oil is high up on the ingredient list (especially if it’s before cocoa butter) it’s not going to be as high quality. Okay, now that we’ve got our chocolate situation all cleared up!
How to make Peppermint Bark Candy
How to melt chocolate in the microwave for Peppermint Bark
How to temper chocolate for this Easy Peppermint Bark
If you do not have a microwave, you can temper chocolate on the stove. You can use a double boiler if you have one, but you probably don’t. To make a homemade version, put a bowl over a pan of boiling water. This will achieve the same effect. It’s as simple as that. There are a few important tips to know when making peppermint bark, but once you have the right ingredients and learn how to be careful melting your chocolate, it’s really so easy.
How to store Homemade Peppermint Bark
Peppermint bark can be stored at room temperature (covered, of course). You can also freeze it for later, for up to 3 months, but just be aware that you might see white spots on your chocolate caused by condensation. This is called “bloom” and there’s nothing wrong with it, it’s just not as pretty. To avoid this, thaw your frozen peppermint bark in the fridge instead of on the counter.
Does peppermint bark need to be refrigerated?
No, peppermint bark doesn’t need to be refrigerated. In fact, keeping it in the fridge can cause it to get sticky as moisture collects on the peppermint candy. Remember, this is just candy. You don’t normally keep your candy in the fridge, so no need to do it here. I hope you get to make this soon! Spoil all your neighbors!!
More peppermint recipes you will love!
Dipped Chocolate Peppermint Cookies « these cookies are a favorite of mine! Candy Cane Brownie Trifle « my favorite dessert to serve on Christmas day. Nana’s Famous Homemade Peppermint Ice Cream « I’m not saying we’ve had huge family fights about who steals the last bowlful…ok we definitely have Peppermint Ganache Icebox Cake « it’s so pretty!
More Christmas candy and treats to make for the neighbors!
My Mom’s Fudge « Absolutely, 100% my top Christmas recipe. For both me and my readers! The Best Homemade English Toffee Recipe « this one is so easy. No thermometer required! Oreo Truffles « if you haven’t tried these, you are seriously missing out! Caramel Nougat Pecan Rolls « I make these for my neighbors every year! A huge hit! Penuche Fudge Recipe » the brown sugar version of my favorite fudge! Candy Bar Pretzel Bites from Like Mother Like Daughter Raspberry Chocolate Truffles from Wild Wild Whisk Christmas Candy Crunch from Hoosier Homemade
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