Use this Homemade Peppermint Bark recipe to save money this year! This tastes just as fabulous as the famous store-bought variety. 

As soon as the calendar said December, my daughter Meghan asked me, “When are we going to do some Christmas baking?!”

Both of my kids love baking. They watch Kids’ Baking Championship on TV and they dream of tall, beautiful cakes with fancy decorations. It’s kind of ironic considering I have zero talent for cake decorating and I try to limit my family’s sugar consumption.

Nonetheless, when December comes around we get into the kitchen and make festive treats and it’s one of our favorite things to do together. I want the treats to be a little healthier than the norm, they just want them to be pretty and taste great. 

While this Homemade Peppermint Bark Recipe doesn’t technically qualify as baking, Meghan and I had so much fun making this together.

Raise your hand if you’re obsessed with the Williams-Sonoma Peppermint Bark. I know a few people who have both of their hands raised right now. I get it. That stuff is amazing. But guess what?

It’s really easy to make at home. 

No need to fork over thirty bucks for a pound of Peppermint Bark.

It’s so easy, my nine year old did most of the work here and it turned out incredible. 

Addicting? Yes.

Consider yourself warned.

I have wanted to try a Homemade Peppermint Bark recipe forever. I had a clipping from Food Network Magazine from 2012 for a Williams-Sonoma Peppermint Bark Copy Cat and I finally made it happen this year.

I followed the directions from the Food Network recipe, but changed just a few things. First, I halved the recipe. Theirs made two pounds of Peppermint Bark, and this family does not need two pounds of this stuff lying around. That’s dangerous.

I made sure to get candy canes that are naturally colored. I found some from my favorite candy brand, Wholesome.

Also, instead of milk chocolate I used dark chocolate. Because antioxidants. Duh. That swap basically makes this Homemade Peppermint Bark recipe a health food. Eat up!

Now let me show you how easy it is to make!

How to Make this Homemade Peppermint Bark Recipe

1. Line a small baking sheet or dish with aluminum foil, shiny side up. Heat one inch of water in a sauce pan over low heat until steaming.
2. Put all but 1/3 cup of the dark chocolate in a glass bowl. Set the bowl over the pan of steaming water, but do not let the bowl touch the water. Stir until 1/3 of the chocolate is melted. My helper did this for me. She’s definitely a ballerina–always on her toes!
3. Remove the bowl from the saucepan (keep the steaming water over low heat) and gradually stir in the remaining 1/3 cup dark chocolate into the melted chocolate. Keep adding a few pieces of chocolate at a time, continuing to stir until it’s all melted.
4. If needed, return the bowl to the saucepan for 5-10 seconds at a time, to help the chocolate fully melt. Don’t rush this! It can take about ten minutes to melt your chocolate.
5. Wipe off any moisture from the bottom of the bowl and add a scant 1/2 teaspoon peppermint extract into the chocolate.
6. Quickly pour the chocolate into the prepared baking sheet/dish and spread to an even layer. Tap the dish against the counter to remove any air bubbles. Set aside at room temperature to firm, about 10 minutes.
7. Meanwhile, put all but 1/2 cup of the white chocolate in a large glass bowl and repeat the same melting process over the steaming water. Remove the moisture from the bottom of the bowl and add the remaining 1/2 scant teaspoon of peppermint extract.
8. Pour the white chocolate over the dark chocolate and spread in an even layer.
9. Immediately sprinkle with the crushed candy canes, gently pressing them into the white chocolate. Allow to firm at room temperature, about one hour. 
10. Break the bark into pieces and store in an air-tight container for up to two weeks. Here is the printable recipe so you can follow the step-by-step instructions easily. ENJOY!!

    Print

    Homemade Peppermint Bark Recipe

    

    • Author: Happy Healthy Mama
    • Prep Time: 45 minutes
    • Total Time: 1 hour 45 minutes
    • Yield: 1 pound 1x

    Ingredients

    Scale 1x2x3x

    • 6 ounces high-quality dark chocolate, chopped into 1/2-inch pieces
    • 1 scant teaspoon peppermint extract
    • 1/2 pound good-quality white chocolate, chopped into 1/2-inch pieces
    • 2 candy canes, crushed

    Instructions

    1. Line a small baking sheet or dish with aluminum foil, shiny side up. Heat one inch of water in a sauce pan over low heat until steaming.
    2. Put all but 1/3 cup of the dark chocolate in a glass bowl. Set the bowl over the pan of steaming water, but do not let the bowl touch the water. Stir until 1/3 of the chocolate is melted.
    3.  Remove the bowl from the saucepan (keep the steaming water over low heat) and gradually stir in the remaining 1/3 cup dark chocolate into the melted chocolate. Keep adding a few pieces of chocolate at a time, continuing to stir until it’s all melted.
    4. If needed, return the bowl to the saucepan for 5-10 seconds at a time, to help the chocolate fully melt. Don’t rush this! It can take about ten minutes to melt your chocolate.
    5. Wipe off any moisture from the bottom of the bowl and add a scant 1/2 teaspoon peppermint extract into the chocolate. Quickly pour the chocolate into the prepared baking sheet/dish and spread to an even layer. Tap the dish against the counter to remove any air bubbles. Set aside at room temperature to firm, about 10 minutes.
    6. Meanwhile, put all but 1/2 cup of the white chocolate in a large glass bowl and repeating the same melting process over the steaming water. Remove the moisture from the bottom of the bowl and add the remaining 1/2 scant teaspoon of peppermint extract.
    7. Pour the white chocolate over the dark chocolate and spread in an even layer.
    8. Immediately sprinkle with the crushed candy canes, gently pressing them into the white chocolate. Allow to firm at room temperature, about one hour.
    9. Break the bark into pieces and store in an air-tight container for up to two weeks. ENJOY!

 

 

If you make this Homemade Peppermint Bark Recipe, or any Happy Healthy Mama recipe, I would LOVE to see it! Please take a pic and share it on Instagram or the Happy Healthy Mama Facebook page and tag me @happyhealthymama ?

Also, if you try it, would you mind rating the recipe? It’s VERY helpful for me and other readers if the recipes have ratings and reviews. I appreciate you!

If you’d like to save this recipe for later, here’s an image to save to your Pinterest Christmas board!