Decadent Peppermint Chocolate Bars and Candy
Peppermint Candy Chocolate Bars
A tender chocolate cookie layer frosted with a generous peppermint candy cream and finished with a smooth, glossy dark chocolate coating. Perfect for holiday gifting or an indulgent seasonal treat.
Peppermint candies seem casual and charming throughout most of the year, but when October rolls around they start to feel like a holiday upgrade — the tiny swirls suddenly belong on a tray next to Santa’s workshop. I wanted a filling that would pair beautifully with dark chocolate and the season nudged me toward peppermint. The result: a creamy peppermint filling over a soft chocolate cookie base, dipped in a shiny chocolate coating and finished with crushed peppermint for a festive crunch.
I made extra peppermint cream and used it to create smaller bars as well. Coating the bars can be messy and requires working at the right tempo and temperature — too-hot chocolate will melt the filling and too-cold chocolate clumps. Below are practical tips that make the process much smoother.
- Test the chocolate temperature first — cut 2–3 bars in half and try coating one to see how the filling reacts.
- Work in small batches, about five bars at a time. Dip, shake off excess chocolate, then chill while you finish the next batch.
- Collect leftover chocolate and strain it before reusing to avoid crumbs in the coating.
About this recipe
To make the peppermint candy cream, grind hard peppermint candies into a powder. If your processor struggles with whole pieces, put the candies in a zip-top bag, wrap the bag in a towel, and crush with a rolling pin until roughly broken. Then process to a fine texture. Add milk a tablespoon at a time so the filling does not become too runny. When you incorporate the ground candy, the cream will turn from white to a delicate pink; mix lightly if you prefer small red speckles rather than a fully pink hue. If the filling is too firm, add milk by teaspoons until you reach the desired consistency.
Tips before coating
Coating takes practice. If you prefer, you can coat the whole cookie slab, let the chocolate set, then slice into bars with a sharp warm knife. This alternative reduces handling and can produce very clean edges.
Ingredients
Peppermint Candy Cream
- 2 sticks unsalted butter, softened (226 g / 8 oz)
- 4 cups powdered sugar (500 g / 18 oz)
- 2 tsp peppermint extract
- 36 peppermint candies (such as Starlight), about 200 g / 7 oz, crushed
- 1–2 tbsp milk, as needed
Cookie layer
- 1 cup + 2 tbsp all-purpose flour (140 g / 5 oz)
- 1/4 cup cocoa powder (28 g / 1 oz)
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 cup powdered sugar (60 g / 2 oz)
- 1 stick unsalted butter, softened (113 g / 4 oz)
- 1 large egg yolk
Chocolate coating
- 3 cups dark chocolate chips (semi-sweet is fine) (500 g / 18 oz)
- 2 tbsp vegetable shortening
- 5 pieces crushed peppermint candy for decoration
Instructions
Make the peppermint cream
- Process the peppermint candies in a food processor until powdered. If necessary, pre-crush in a bag as described above.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat the softened butter on high until smooth.
- Reduce speed to low and add powdered sugar, one cup at a time. After all sugar is added, increase speed to high and beat until light and fluffy.
- Add a pinch of salt and the peppermint extract.
- Add milk one tablespoon at a time to avoid a runny filling. Beat for about 5 minutes until creamy.
- Fold in the crushed peppermint candy until incorporated. Adjust texture with small amounts of milk if needed.
Make the cookie layer
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease an 8″ square pan and line it with parchment paper, allowing a 2″ overhang for easy removal.
- In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, cocoa powder, and baking powder. Set aside.
- Beat the butter and powdered sugar in a stand mixer until well combined.
- Add the egg yolk and mix until combined.
- Mix in the dry ingredients just until a moist dough forms. Scrape the bowl as needed.
- Press the dough evenly into the prepared pan with your hands to cover the entire surface.
- Gently prick the dough all over with a fork to prevent bubbling.
- Bake on the middle rack for 16–18 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to cool completely.
- Spread the peppermint cream over the cooled cookie layer and smooth with a spatula. Chill in the refrigerator until firm, 2–3 hours or overnight.
Cutting and coating the bars
- Lift the chilled slab from the pan using the parchment overhang and place it on a cutting board.
- Using a sharp knife, cut the slab into six strips about 1.25″ (3 cm) wide, then cut each strip into three bars so each bar measures about 1.25″ × 2.5″.
- Set a cooling rack over a baking sheet lined with parchment.
- Melt the chocolate chips with the vegetable shortening until smooth and slightly thin in consistency. Let the mixture cool a few minutes — it should still be fluid but not so hot that it melts the filling.
- Coat each bar with a spoon or by pouring the chocolate, starting at the edges and finishing the center. Gently tap or shake the rack to remove excess chocolate.
- Transfer bars to a parchment-lined tray and chill in the refrigerator for about 5 minutes to set.
- Sprinkle crushed peppermint candy on top for decoration and return the bars to the refrigerator until the coating is firm.
Happy baking!