Pretzel Peppermint Bark
Pretzel Peppermint Bark- An easily homemade confection using milk chocolate, white chocolate, candy canes, and pretzels.
December 20, 2021 by Nicole Collins
Inspiration…
I’ve talked to you guys before about how I find it in the strangest places. Candles, restaurant menus, you name it.
But, today’s inspiration came from my favorite peanut butter company.
I was watching a weekly Insta live a couple weeks ago, and the owner of the company was talking about a comeback flavor that they were re-adding to their menu. It was white chocolate peppermint peanut butter. She started talking about how it’s delicious when you dip pretzels in it, and my little wheels started turning.
And as simply as that, that’s how today’s recipe was born.
So today, we’re making Pretzel Peppermint Bark!
Think of this as your standard peppermint bark with a salty sweet twist. We have a layer of milk chocolate. We have a layer of white chocolate. But instead of topping our bark with candy canes pieces, we’re going to top it with crushed pretzels!
This 4 ingredient candy comes together super easily. We’ll start by melting a whole bag of milk chocolate chips, then spreading the chocolate over a parchment paper lined baking sheet. That’s it. Step one is done!
The next step is where we need to get our timing right. We’re going to pop our first layer of bark into the fridge to help it set up a little quicker for about 10-15 mins. But then, we’re going to take it out to come back to room temperature for a couple minutes before we add our next layer. Here’s where this gets tricky. We need our chocolate set enough that it doesn’t turn right back to melty goo when we add our warm white chocolate on top of it. But, we need it to not be so cold that our white chocolate sets within seconds of hitting the cold chocolate. Either way, we need to work quickly. But, I’ve found that letting the milk chocolate have a few mins to itself outside of the fridge helps tremendously.
For that second layer, we’re going to melt a whole bag of white chocolate. But before we pour it over our bark, we’re going to mix in some finely crushed candy canes. That’s how we’re going to get that classic pepperminty flavor without the little pieces of candy cane resting on top. We’ll spread that as evenly as we can over the milk chocolate, then we’ll immediately top the bark with our broken pretzel pieces. Like I said, we have to work quickly to get those pretzels into the chocolate before things start to set. But from there, back to the fridge it goes to cool and set completely.
Once our chocolate is totally set, we can use a sharp knife to help break our bark into rustic pieces as big or as little as we like. And then, we eat!
This bark is everything you’d expect it to be. It’s rich from the milk chocolate. It’s sweet from the white chocolate. It’s minty from the crushed candy cane pieces. Then, that last bite of savory pretzel really ties the whole thing together.
This bark would be so great to wrapped up in little treat baggies to share in stockings, with coworkers, or with neighbors. Or, it’s also a festive addition to any holiday spread displayed simply on a platter. Either way, this one is sure to be a hit.
Ok, everyone! We’re approaching the end of the road with the Christmas content. We’re not there yet. But, it’s almost time to move on to the next big thing!
Until then, enjoy! And, let’s eat!
Pretzel Peppermint Bark
Serves: about 1 ½ lbs bark Print
Ingredients:
12 oz milk chocolate chips
12 oz white chocolate chips
8 mini candy canes, finely crushed
1 cup mini pretzels, broken into small pieces
Directions:
Line a 9x13 baking sheet with parchment (or wax) paper. Set aside.
Place milk chocolate chips in a microwave safe bowl. Melt in 30 second intervals for the first minute then in 15 second intervals, stirring between each interval, until the chocolate is melted and smooth. Pour chocolate onto prepared baking sheet. Use a small offset spatula to spread out the chocolate over the baking sheet. Tap the baking tray lightly against the countertop to get out any air bubbles. Chill in the fridge for 10 mins to start to set, then remove from fridge.
Place white chocolate chips in a microwave safe bowl. Melt in 30 second intervals for the first minute then in 15 second intervals, stirring between each interval, until the chocolate is melted and smooth. Stir in all but 1 tbsp crushed candy canes until completely coated and incorporated.
Working quickly, pour white chocolate mix over the milk chocolate on the baking sheet. Use a small offset spatula to spread out the chocolate mix over the baking sheet. Top with crushed pretzel pieces and reserved 1 tbsp of crushed candy canes. Chill in the fridge for 30 mins to set.
Once the bark has fully set, use a sharp knife to cut it into rustic pieces. Serve!
Recipe notes:
*It's important to follow the timing of this recipe closely. We need the milk chocolate to be cool enough to set so it won't mix in with our warm white chocolate but not so cold that it instantly sets our white chocolate. Letting it chill for a few mins then giving it a few mins to return to room temp works just right. We still need to work quickly to attach our toppings, because the white chocolate will cool a little faster than normal.
