Peppermint Bark
By Andrea Rivera WawrzynPublished on January 20, 2023
Time
25 minutes, plus 1 hour chilling time
Yield
Serves 12
What Kids Are Saying
"This tastes like Christmas magic!" —Hilton, recipe tester, age 7
Ingredients
Before You Begin
The finished peppermint bark can be refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
Instructions
- Make aluminum foil sling for 13-by-9-inch metal baking pan following photos, “Step-by-Step: How to Make an Aluminum Foil Sling,” below.
- Place candy canes in large zipper-lock plastic bag. Seal bag, making sure to press out all air. Use rolling pin to gently pound candy into small pieces (you should have ½ cup pieces).
- Add semisweet chocolate chips to medium microwave-safe bowl. Heat in microwave at 50 percent power until mostly melted, 2 to 3 minutes. Remove bowl from microwave and stir with rubber spatula until smooth.
- Add white chocolate chips to second medium microwave-safe bowl. Heat in microwave at 50 percent power until mostly melted, 2 to 3 minutes. Remove bowl from microwave and stir with clean rubber spatula until smooth.
- Use clean rubber spatula to scrape melted semisweet chocolate into foil-lined baking pan and smooth top (make sure to get all the way to corners of pan). Pour melted white chocolate over top.
- Drag tip of clean rubber spatula through chocolate to create swirls (see photo, “Step-by-Step: How to Swirl Chocolate,” below). Make sure not to swirl too much!
- Sprinkle pounded candy canes on top of chocolate. Cover pan with plastic wrap and place in refrigerator. Chill until firm, about 1 hour.
- Remove pan from refrigerator. Use foil to lift bark out of pan and transfer to cutting board. Cut bark into pieces. Serve.
Time
25 minutes, plus 1 hour chilling timeYield
Serves 12What Kids Are Saying
"This tastes like Christmas magic!" —Hilton, recipe tester, age 7Ingredients
Test Kitchen Techniques
Ingredients
Test Kitchen Techniques
Ingredients
Test Kitchen Techniques
Why This Recipe Works
Kids (and adults!) will have a blast crushing candy canes and swirling melted chocolate as they make this classic holiday sweet that’s perfect for gifting. While kids are waiting for the bark to chill, have them eat an extra candy cane or peppermint candy. How would they describe the flavor? What does it feel like in their mouth? They’ll probably notice that the mint made their mouth feel cold. But, if they feel the candy with their hands, it’s actually not cold at all! There’s some chilly science at work here: Peppermint contains a tiny molecule called menthol that fits into tiny receptors in your mouth (kind of like two puzzle pieces locking together). This sends a signal to your brain that “tricks” it into thinking the mouth is cold. Pretty cool, huh?
Want more? Read the whole storyBefore You Begin
The finished peppermint bark can be refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
Instructions
- Make aluminum foil sling for 13-by-9-inch metal baking pan following photos, “Step-by-Step: How to Make an Aluminum Foil Sling,” below.
- Place candy canes in large zipper-lock plastic bag. Seal bag, making sure to press out all air. Use rolling pin to gently pound candy into small pieces (you should have ½ cup pieces).
- Add semisweet chocolate chips to medium microwave-safe bowl. Heat in microwave at 50 percent power until mostly melted, 2 to 3 minutes. Remove bowl from microwave and stir with rubber spatula until smooth.
- Add white chocolate chips to second medium microwave-safe bowl. Heat in microwave at 50 percent power until mostly melted, 2 to 3 minutes. Remove bowl from microwave and stir with clean rubber spatula until smooth.
- Use clean rubber spatula to scrape melted semisweet chocolate into foil-lined baking pan and smooth top (make sure to get all the way to corners of pan). Pour melted white chocolate over top.
- Drag tip of clean rubber spatula through chocolate to create swirls (see photo, “Step-by-Step: How to Swirl Chocolate,” below). Make sure not to swirl too much!
- Sprinkle pounded candy canes on top of chocolate. Cover pan with plastic wrap and place in refrigerator. Chill until firm, about 1 hour.
- Remove pan from refrigerator. Use foil to lift bark out of pan and transfer to cutting board. Cut bark into pieces. Serve.
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