This easy Coconut Peppermint Pretzel Bark is a minty mix of white and dark chocolate with candy cane "snow", salty pretzels and a hint of coconut! You will love the holiday mint flavor!
12 Days of Christmas Cookies
There are times when you have hours to slave away in the kitchen…
And there are times when you do not.
This Coconut Peppermint Pretzel Bark is for those times when you do not. Or when you choose not to and you choose to binge watch The Good Wife instead. I love adulthood.
This bark may look fancy but it comes together in a snap! It does require a little forethought unless you just happen to always have two types of chocolate, pretzels and candy canes perpetually in your cabinets. [Go you!]
I don’t like large candy cane pieces on my bark. For the same reason that I abhor those horrid little silver balls that they market as edible adornment for cookies. It looks like a bullet. Like seriously, do you want me to break my teeth? Are you in cahoots with my dentist? Awful.
Oh hey. Sorry. Back to candy canes.
Long story short I prefer to grind my candy canes into dust before sprinkling. Not only is it beautiful in a peppermint snow kinda way but it is guaranteed to not send you running to the dentist for an emergency cap. 🙂
Sure you could totally grind the canes up in a food processor, but then you not only have to clean it, you are missing out on some flipping awesome Holiday stress relief.
My preferred method?
Place candy canes in a zip-top baggie, seal, double bag it, seal, beat it with a rolling pin until only dust and a very zen mind remain.
You’re welcome.
I added a little coconut sprinkling on top too just for a little unexpected flavor component.
Oh and Maldon sea salt in the chocolate. Delicious. Just roll with it. So awesome and unexpected.
So a helpful hint for success here… since white chocolate isn’t actually chocolate and its ingredients aren’t as regulated, I use Ghirardelli White Chocolate Baking Bars only. Not chocolate chips. Trust me. Quality matters here or your bark will taste like wax and it won’t temper nicely, which means it won’t have that nice snap among other things.
When chocolate is the main event, quality matters.
Not chocolate chips! Not even Ghirardelli chocolate chips. How do you think they get the chips to look like that? Yeah, they add something. It doesn’t melt or temper the same. Just trust me. I know because I learned the hard way.
This Coconut Peppermint Pretzel Bark is for the fifth day of my 12 Days of Christmas Cookies! You won't want to miss the Cranberry Cinnamon Jam Bars, Rum Refrigerator Cookies, or Cardamom Walnut Snowballs, Spiced Crinkle Cookies!!
Coconut Peppermint Pretzel Bark
Ingredients
- 8 oz Semi-Sweet Chocolate (not chocolate chips!, 2 oz finely chopped)
- 16 oz White chocolate (not chocolate chips!, 4 oz finely chopped)
- ¾ teaspoon peppermint extract (divided)
- 2 pinches Maldon sea salt (or other fleur de sel)
- Candy canes (beaten into a powder)
- Andes peppermint chips or candies (cut up)
- Mini pretzels
- Sweetened dried coconut
Instructions
- In a microwave safe bowl place approximately 6 oz of the semi-sweet chocolate and microwave on 50% power in 10-20 second increments, stirring after each one, until ALMOST totally melted. Stir to melt the remaining chocolate. Stir in the remaining 2 oz of finely chopped semi-sweet chocolate. Stir in ¼ teaspoon peppermint extract and small pinch of Maldon.
- Spread in a thin layer on parchment paper. It will make a square foot. I like to place my parchment on a moveable surface like a cutting board or marble board. Place in a cool but not moist spot and wait for this chocolate to set before proceeding.
- Repeat the same process for white chocolate as you did for dark, but melt 12 oz in the microwave and then stir in the remaining 4 oz. Stir in ½ teaspoon peppermint extract and a small pinch of Maldon. You can start with ¼ teaspoon extract and add more to taste if you would like.
- Spread over top of the dark chocolate.
- Press in pretzels and sprinkle candy cane powder, Andes pieces and coconut to your heart’s content. Allow to set and then break into pieces.
- Give as a gift, with a thank you or hoard it for yourself. Like I was saying…adulthood. It’s a wonderful thing.
More Cookies to make the season bright!
Grandma's Molasses Sugar Cookies
Spiced Apple Cider Cranberry Cupcakes
Soft Nutella Chocolate Chip Cookies
I love making bark for that same reason!! Coconut and peppermint and pretzel. LOVE THIS!
What in the heck did candy canes ever do to you, Lindsey?? I can only imagine you standing in your kitchen taking it out on that poor candy cane that happened to jump onto the counter at the wrong time. Just kidding...I totally know what you mean about candy cane chunks. I much prefer the candy cane dust. Actually I just much prefer this bark. Bring me some next time you come curling? 🙂