Peppermint bark is a chocolate confection. Generally it consists of peppermint candy pieces, such as candy canes, in white chocolate on top of dark chocolate, but peppermint bark can refer to any chocolate with peppermint candy pieces in it.
It is especially popular around the Christmas season.[1] Companies known for selling it seasonally include Williams-Sonoma,[2] Ghirardelli,[3] and Dove. Though they do not label it as peppermint bark, Hershey's also sells peppermint Hershey's kisses.
In the United States, peppermint bark is also sold by some Girl Scout troops as part of an expanded range of items other than cookies. Additional items in this range include salsa and peanut butter cups.[4] Jelly Belly also sells a combination of its dark chocolate and candy cane jelly beans as a "Peppermint Bark Recipe Mix."[5]
The recipe for peppermint bark uses few ingredients, with only chocolate and mint candies required. Paula Deen's recipe for the Food Network also adds peppermint flavoring as an optional extra.[6] The candies used may be candy canes.[7] The candies should be broken up, and the chocolate is melted. These two ingredients are combined on a baking sheet and then chilled until firm. The bark is then removed from the sheet and broken into pieces in a similar way to peanut brittle.[6]
Variations on peppermint bark can include a two-toned layered type, where a bottom layer of dark chocolate is covered with the white chocolate and crushed mint layer on top.[8] This particular variation also includes Ghirardelli's Peppermint Bark Squares.[3]