Five Ingredient Peppermint Holiday Almond Bark

Five Ingredient Peppermint Holiday Almond Bark is a delectable combination of chocolate, vanilla, peppermint and a salty crunch. It makes a great gift for friends and neighbors and is sure to disappear quickly.

Christmas Holiday Season Baking

The Christmas holiday season is the time of year when many of us do a lot of baking. My extended family loves to get together to batch bake / make a large assortment of cookies and candies. It’s great family time for everyone to get caught up while making a sweet treat or two (or 20!).

Some of my favorite cookies include White Chocolate Candy Cane Cookies, Red Velvet Cookies, and Glazed Double Chocolate Cherry Cookies. And the great thing about all these cookies and candies is that they freeze well. You can pull them out for any of the holiday season events you hold or attend or even put together a delicious cookie gift basket. 

Christmas is also the time of year where no one thinks twice if you are making candy. Try making eggnog truffles for the 4th of July and see if you don’t get some strange looks!

The Sweet Smell of Peppermint

With that in mind, I definitely wanted to get into candy-making for the Christmas holiday season. And, what is one of the most recognizable candy around Christmas? Candy canes – a holiday favorite!

Mini candy canes are definitely all over the place this time of year as are little peppermint candies. Many people also hang regular-sized candy canes as a decoration on their Christmas tree. Basically, peppermint candy canes are really popular this time of year.

So, peppermint was definitely something I wanted to build an easy recipe around. 

Building the Peppermint Holiday Almond Bark Layer by Layer

Something else I really, really like? Almond bark.

Vanilla almond bark is so versatile. You can mix basically anything from candies to cookies to fruit and nuts into some melted almond bark and come out with some delicious candy. 

I could have stopped right there and made an easy peppermint bark using just the bark and some peppermint extract. Another classic peppermint bark is stirring in some crushed candy canes into melted almond bark. Again, another easy recipe.

But let’s not stop there. Christmas time also brings us the peppermint Oreo. Crushed peppermint Oreos definitely adds another crunchy layer to this almond bark.

I liked starting with the easy recipe of vanilla almond bark, crushed candy canes and peppermint Oreos. While the vanilla almond bark is not necessarily that sweet, the crushed candy canes and Oreo cookies surely are. I was looking for a way to make this both a sweet treat as well as a salty treat.

Pretzels were the right choice here as they are so versatile. Cover them in chocolate, dip them in peanut butter, sprinkle them with cinnamon – they are a great base for just about anything. The pretzels definitely are a great salty counter against the sweet peppermint flavor.

Finally, because one layer of almond bark is delicious, why not do two? Chocolate almond bark is easy to find and works the same way as the vanilla almond bark in terms of ease of melting and use. It also provides a contrasting layer to the white almond bark and makes the end product that much more colorful.

And Peppermint Holiday Almond Bark was created!

Vanilla Almond Bark versus White Chocolate Chips

I do get asked if you can substitute white chocolate chips for the vanilla almond bark. But first, one quick fact in that vanilla almond bark is also often referred to as white almond bark based on, you guessed it, it’s color! But, white almond bark and vanilla almond bark are the same thing.

Now, that is not the same between vanilla almond bark and white chocolate chips. Vanilla almond bark is popular because not only does it imitate the appearance and taste of white chocolate chips, it is usually less expensive. Almond bark uses vegetable oil (typically palm oil), which is cheaper than the cocoa used in white chocolate chips.

Almond bark also was made for melting over other foods while melted white chocolate can be very temperamental. Melted white chocolate needs constant attention so as not to burn or bubble up in your pan.

Almond bark also sets up very quickly so you can get to your sweet treat sooner rather than later. So, while some people will swear by white chocolate chips, an easy recipe will likely include almond bark over the white chocolate chips.

Peppermint Holiday Almond Bark

This Five Ingredient Peppermint Holiday Almond Bark is perfect for any occasion and a tasty twist on a classic holiday treat. Make it part of a charcuterie board, make up a gift basket for a great gift or just have it available in a candy dish.  

​The best part? You can make ahead, freeze and have it ready for any holiday party or get together happening during the Christmas holiday season. The hardest part will be keeping enough around!

Enjoy!

Tips for Making Peppermint Holiday Almond Bark

• Almond bark is preferable to using semi-sweet chocolate chips and white chocolate chips because it melts at a lower temperature and has a smoother texture. This makes it easier to work with for this recipe.
• After an initial 1 minute in the microwave, go 15 seconds at a time, stirring each time, so as not to burn the almond bark.
• You can put the almond bark in the refrigerator once it’s spread out on the sheet pan to help it harden quicker.
• Don’t put the second layer of almond bark on until the first layer is completely hardened.
• If you’re unable to find Peppermint Oreos, the regular variety will work just fine.
• The easiest way to crush the candy canes, Oreos and pretzels is to put each ingredient in a separate ziploc bag and gently crush with a meat mallet 
• Make sure that you add the toppings to the top layer quickly, before it has time to harden.

Ingredients Needed to Make Five Ingredient Peppermint Holiday Almond Bark

Full Instructions can be found in the recipe card

• Peppermint Oreos – If you can’t find Peppermint, regular Oreos will work just fine.
• Mini pretzels
• Peppermint candy canes – Regular crushed peppermint candies can also be used.
• Chocolate almond bark – semi-sweet chocolate chips are not a good substitute for almond bark.
• Vanilla almond bark – White chocolate chips also are not a good substitute.

How to Make Five Ingredient Peppermint Holiday Almond Bark

• Line a cookie sheet or sheet pan with parchment paper.
• Roughly chop both almond barks and put in separate bowls.
• Microwave chocolate bark for 1 minute.
• Remove from microwave and stir well.
• Continue microwaving 15 seconds at a time, stirring well each time, until chocolate is completely melted.
• Pour the melted chocolate almond bark onto cookie sheet and spread into a thin, even layer with a rubber spatula.
• Allow chocolate to completely harden. I put mine into the refrigerator for a few minutes.
• Repeat melting process with vanilla almond bark.
• Pour the vanilla melted almond bark over the hardened chocolate and spread out in a thin layer with a rubber spatula, completely covering the chocolate layer.
• Quickly sprinkle with crushed candy canes, Oreos and pretzels, pressing down gently. The almond bark hardens quickly, so you need to move fast so that the toppings stick.

More Holiday Candy Treats to Satisfy Your Sweet Tooth

• The World’s Easiest Fudge
• Peanut Brittle
• Salted Caramel Brownie Bark

 

ENJOY!