Festive Peppermint Chocolate Bark

12/16/21

(Updated 02/19/22)

This Christmas bark is the perfect addition to a grazing platter, last minute edible gift idea or after dinner festive sweet treat! It's beautiful to look at, easy to make and can be customised to suit whatever ingredients are sitting pretty in your kitchen cupboard.

Looking for a delicious, festive dessert idea to wow guests? Look no further than this chocolate bark!

Themed with a quintessential Christmas colour palette of green pistachios, red cranberries and white chocolate swirls, it’s a joy to look at and eat.

While straightforward to make, this recipe includes a few fun culinary techniques – like flavouring and swirling of chocolate – that’ll leave you feeling like some kind of Christmas Chocolatier🤙

Ingredients & Substitutions

  • Dark chocolate forms this chocolate bark base. It’s a type of chocolate with no added milk solids, making it more bitter and less sweet than lighter varieties. This recipe recommends a quantity of 250g, but you can use less or more – you may need to adjust the peppermint essence.
  • White chocolate is swirled into our dark chocolate. It contains no cocoa solids, instead just cocoa butter, milk solids and sugar, giving it its characteristic colour. As above, using a little more or less is AOK.
  • Peppermint essence. A classic Christmas flavour that helps cut through the richness of the chocolate. While a quantity is given in the recipe, peppermint-lovers can flavour to taste.
  • Dried cranberries give this bark a festive Christmas red pop. They’re naturally tart, which is why dried varieties are largely sweetened. If on hand, you could sub in another dried red fruit, like cranberries or goji berries.
  • Pistachios are the nut pick for a splash of green, but feel free to substitute for pumpkin seeds too.

This recipe features a festive combination of ingredients, but you can switch it up based on what’s on hand. It’s very forgiving🎄

Kitchen Techniques

Here are a few tips and tricks to help you along the way with this recipe:

  • Melting your chocolate in a microwave? Break chocolate into small pieces, always use a microwavable-safe bowl and heat in small intervals with stirs inbetween. Chocolate is prone to seizing, or tightening up, if overheated or burnt – so take it easy!
  • Melting in your chocolate in a double boiler? This is my preferred method for greater control of heat, but it does require a smidge more time and effort. Place chocolate in a large heat-proof bowl over a pot of gently simmering water, and stir frequently until almost melted.
  • Make sure to stay away from water if using the double boiler method. It’s the enemy of melted chocolate, turning it gritty and lumpy. Don’t cover or lift the bowl when cooking and make sure to wipe any condensation from the bowl before scooping the chocolate onto a baking tray.
  • Swirl your white chocolate into your dark chocolate, using a tooth pick or chopstick. So pretty!

Nutritional Q+A

This yummy dessert features dark chocolate – but what’s its nutritional deal? Below are commonly asked questions about dark chocolate nutrition:

  • Is dark chocolate good for you? Dark chocolate’s recommended to be enjoyed in moderation as a part of a balanced diet. However, quality dark chocolate does offer good nutrient bang-for-buck. It’s one of the richest dietary source of antioxidants, such as polyphenols and flavanols (1). It can also can be (surprisingly) decent source of soluble fibre – about 11g/100g – as well as the minerals iron, magnesium, manganese and copper.
  • Is dark chocolate dairy free? Dark chocolates should – in theory – be dairy free, being just a blend of cocoa powder, cocoa butter and sugar. However, it’s important to check labels as this can depend on the company. Just because dark chocolate doesn’t contain milk products, doesn’t mean it’s allergy free too – many chocolate markers use shared factory equipment to produce milk bars. When in doubt, always check the label!

Looking for more Christmas entertaining ideas? Try this festive fruit salad or these watermelon, basil and feta skewers🎁

Festive Peppermint Chocolate Bark

Prep Time: 15 minutes
Rating:

Ingredients:  

  • 250g dark chocolate
  • ½ tsp peppermint essence*
  • 50g white chocolate
  • ¼ cup dried cranberries
  • ¼ cup pistachios

Method:

  • Line a baking tray with baking paper.
  • Melt down dark and white chocolate in seperate bowls. If using peppermint essence, mix it into the dark chocolate once melted.
  • Tip the melted dark chocolate onto the baking tray and smooth out with a spatula.
  • Dot the melted white chocolate onto the dark, then using a toothpick or chopstick swirl it around.
  • Finely chop pistachios and cranberries. Sprinkle overtop.
  • Put bark in fridge for a few hours to firm up, then break into shards.

Notes:

* If using a food grade peppermint essential oil you may need more or less to taste.
Store in an airtight container in the fridge. 

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If you enjoyed this dish, please consider giving it a star rating when you post a comment. Star ratings help others discover my recipes online (and your reviews make my day! 🙂 ). Happy cooking and baking. Danijela x

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