Peppermint bark cookies are an easy big batch Christmas cookie made with a chocolate sheet base, white chocolate and crushed candy canes, with no scooping or rolling. That makes them a quick cookie exchange pick for Christmas trays, holiday parties or food gifts, since you simply break the slab.
Let the baked base cool all the way before the white chocolate goes on, because a warm sheet melts the chocolate out of temper. It then sets soft and streaky instead of snapping, so the pieces bend rather than break.
The whole thing is baked as one slab on a half sheet pan, so there is no portioning and no second tray. Holding back a cup of the white chocolate to stir in off the heat is a seeding trick, which keeps the topping glossy and firm at room temperature.
Budget more time than the recipe lists. Food Network says 3 hours 25 minutes, but the active work, freezing, baking and 2 hour setting time already fill 3 hours 20, leaving 5 minutes to cool a full sheet of cookie. Allow 45 minutes for that and the real total is about 4 hours 10.
Peppermint Bark Cookies
Course: DessertCuisine: AmericanDifficulty: Easy4
servings30
minutes40
minutes300
kcalOne sheet of chocolate cookie bakes flat, gets a poured white chocolate top and a scatter of crushed mints, then snaps into rough pieces like candy bark.
Ingredients
- For the Chocolate Cookie Base:
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder (not Dutch-process)
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
2 sticks (1 cup) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 3/4 cups sugar
1 large egg
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- For the Peppermint Bark:
1 pound good-quality white chocolate, roughly chopped
3/4 teaspoon peppermint extract
20 soft peppermint candies, crushed
Directions
FAQs
How long does the cookie base really take to cool?
A 13 by 18 inch slab holds a lot of heat, so give it about 45 minutes on a rack rather than the 5 minutes the published timing allows. Touch the underside of the pan, not the top, because the pan stays warm longest. Pouring early is what ruins the chocolate.
Why hold back a cup of the white chocolate?
The reserved cup is seed chocolate, so the solid pieces carry stable cocoa butter crystals into the melted chocolate. That is what makes the topping set firm and shiny at room temperature instead of soft and dull. Stir it in off the heat, a few pieces at a time.
Should the dough really reach the parchment edges?
Roll it to about half an inch inside instead. A 13 by 18 pan measures that at the outer rim, but the flat bottom is nearer 12 by 17, roughly 13 percent smaller. Dough rolled to the full parchment has to ride up the sides, so the edges bake thin and curl.
Can I use candy canes instead of soft peppermints?
Yes, crushed candy canes work and give a harder crunch with brighter stripes. Soft peppermints break into chalkier pieces that press in more easily, so they stay put better. Our ginger chocolate crackle cookies are a good partner on a tray if you want a second chocolate cookie.
How do I get neat pieces instead of crumbs?
Lift the whole slab out by the parchment onto a board and break it by hand from the middle outward. Pressing down on a pan edge shatters the chocolate and cracks the base unevenly. For clean cut squares instead, our classic shortbread is scored before baking.
