Chocolate Peppermint Bark
In the almost seven years I have owned Sugar Drop out of its nearly 60 years in business, there are two
things that remain the same: peppermint crunch and Merckens chocolate. These two iconic items
encompass holiday gifting for many. Each year, we sell hundreds of pounds of chocolate and pound after
pound of peppermint crunch. We love hearing sweet stories and seeing familiar faces of customers and
friends who come in to make their annual purchase.
Could you buy premade peppermint bark from a store? Sure, but I promise it will not be as delicious.
Since peppermint bark only uses two ingredients, make sure you buy the highest quality. Merckens
chocolate is my preference, not only because it is what we sell, but is the perfect creamy backdrop to
the delicate peppermint crunch and has a beautiful ribbon texture when melted correctly. While other
stores sell chocolate chips or melting chocolate wafers, those brands leave a chalky mouthfeel or clunky
melted texture. Can you simply smash up candy canes or peppermints to make the bark? Yes! But I do
prefer red and green candy crunch as it has a lighter texture, similar to vintage candy sticks verses a
traditional hard candy.
No matter your brand or flavor of chocolate or peppermint vessel, a gift of homemade chocolate
peppermint bark is always hard to beat! It is simple to make, and kids of all ages can help from
beginning to end with this sweet recipe. Merry Christmas!
Chocolate Peppermint Bark
Ingredients:
1 Pound of Milk, Dark, or White Chocolate – I prefer Merckens available at Sugar Drop
8 oz Peppermint Crunch or 8 oz of crushed peppermint candy canes
1. Place chocolate in a microwave safe bowl. I prefer a plastic microwave safe bowl as glass tends
to overheat. Melt chocolate in 2-30 second intervals, stirring in between. After 1 minute, there
will be a few small clumps. Microwave for an additional 20 seconds and allow the chocolate to
sit for 30 seconds before stirring again. Stir, and at this point, chocolate should be clump free.
Do not overheat the chocolate. If chocolate overheats, you must throw it away and start over.
2. Line a cookie sheet with a sheet of parchment paper. Pour melted chocolate onto parchment
paper and spread into a thin layer. Immediately top with crushed peppermint. Allow bark to set
for 30 minutes before breaking into small pieces.
Tips:
Bark is good for 3-4 weeks if kept in an airtight container.
You can use a combination of melted chocolate in one batch by swirling chocolate with a toothpick to
blend slightly.
For extra fun, add edible glitter or sprinkles to make your bark sparkle.
Recipe can easily be doubled or tripled but I suggest melting only 1 pound of chocolate at a time.
Silicone molds are great if you want to create various shapes of bark.
In the almost seven years I have owned Sugar Drop out of its nearly 60 years in business, there are two
things that remain the same: peppermint crunch and Merckens chocolate. These two iconic items
encompass holiday gifting for many. Each year, we sell hundreds of pounds of chocolate and pound after
pound of peppermint crunch. We love hearing sweet stories and seeing familiar faces of customers and
friends who come in to make their annual purchase.
Could you buy premade peppermint bark from a store? Sure, but I promise it will not be as delicious.
Since peppermint bark only uses two ingredients, make sure you buy the highest quality. Merckens
chocolate is my preference, not only because it is what we sell, but is the perfect creamy backdrop to
the delicate peppermint crunch and has a beautiful ribbon texture when melted correctly. While other
stores sell chocolate chips or melting chocolate wafers, those brands leave a chalky mouthfeel or clunky
melted texture. Can you simply smash up candy canes or peppermints to make the bark? Yes! But I do
prefer red and green candy crunch as it has a lighter texture, similar to vintage candy sticks verses a
traditional hard candy.
No matter your brand or flavor of chocolate or peppermint vessel, a gift of homemade chocolate
peppermint bark is always hard to beat! It is simple to make, and kids of all ages can help from
beginning to end with this sweet recipe. Merry Christmas!
Chocolate Peppermint Bark
Ingredients:
1 Pound of Milk, Dark, or White Chocolate – I prefer Merckens available at Sugar Drop
8 oz Peppermint Crunch or 8 oz of crushed peppermint candy canes
1. Place chocolate in a microwave safe bowl. I prefer a plastic microwave safe bowl as glass tends
to overheat. Melt chocolate in 2-30 second intervals, stirring in between. After 1 minute, there
will be a few small clumps. Microwave for an additional 20 seconds and allow the chocolate to
sit for 30 seconds before stirring again. Stir, and at this point, chocolate should be clump free.
Do not overheat the chocolate. If chocolate overheats, you must throw it away and start over.
2. Line a cookie sheet with a sheet of parchment paper. Pour melted chocolate onto parchment
paper and spread into a thin layer. Immediately top with crushed peppermint. Allow bark to set
for 30 minutes before breaking into small pieces.
Tips:
Bark is good for 3-4 weeks if kept in an airtight container.
You can use a combination of melted chocolate in one batch by swirling chocolate with a toothpick to
blend slightly.
For extra fun, add edible glitter or sprinkles to make your bark sparkle.
Recipe can easily be doubled or tripled but I suggest melting only 1 pound of chocolate at a time.
Silicone molds are great if you want to create various shapes of bark.
