My Peppermint Bark Recipe

A couple years ago I tried peppermint bark for the first time. I've found that you can not find it in the stores very cheap. As I ate these yummy pieces of candy, I figured this could not be something hard to make.

Sure enough - I was able to figure out an easy way to make it. (I was very proud of myself as my hubby is usually the one to figure things like this out. He is a great cook!)

I make this every year now and I always get tons of compliments and everyone thinks I must have slaved over it. They can't believe how easy it is to do. My 6 year old daughter helped me to make it this year.

Here is my recipe:

3 bags of white chocolate chips (just pick your favorite brand or what is on sale)
1 box of candy canes (the cheaper ones are best because they are usually more brittle and easier to crush)
Food coloring (red & green)


If you want a stronger peppermint taste you can use a couple drops of peppermint flavoring as well. I started out doing this but have realized that it is not actually necessary.

I start by unwrapping and breaking up the candy canes. I then crush most of them in a coffee bean grinder. You can also use a food processor or even a blender. If you don't have this to use, you can put them in a ziploc bag and then between a couple pieces of wax paper and then crush them with a rolling pin. Be careful though because sometimes the broken pieces will poke through the bag. I've found using the grinder or food processor tends to turn them to a peppermint powder which mixes very well with the chocolate and is probably why the flavoring is not needed. It is all dependent upon your preferences though. I tend to keep a few larger pieces out of the grinder so there is some crunchy bigger pieces in mine.

I then dump the bags of chocolate in a microwave safe bowl and heat it on HIGH for a minute at a time, stirring it between the minutes. Note, the chocolate chips will not appear to be melted if you do not stir them. Therefore make sure you stir it up periodically to get the chips to melt evenly and to avoid burning them. It will take about 5 - 6 minutes total to melt the chips so they have a smooth consistency.

Pour in your crushed candy canes and mix well.

Lay waxed paper in a cookie sheet and pour the chocolate unto the waxed paper. Smooth out the chocolate evenly on the sheet.

Drop two to three drops of green and red food coloring on the chocolate. Use a fork to swirl the food coloring into the chocolate. This is just to give it color and make it a bit more festive.

Put the cookie sheet in the refrigerator for 1-2 hours. Once the chocolate hardens you can either break it up into pieces or cut it with a knife.

Enjoy!!!