Sweet and salty Oreo peppermint bark features white and dark chocolate with Oreo cookies, pretzels, and candy cane pieces. This bark makes a great last minute holiday dessert or food gift!
Here we are, just a few days before Christmas. How are you feeling with your level of preparation this year?
Are you a holiday-prep superstar, amassing gifts and decorations all year round so you're ready to spring into action post-Thanksgiving? Or are you feeling like you're lagging behind, with the decked out Christmas trees, cookie exchange parties, and perfectly decorated holiday gatherings gracing your social media feeds only adding to your cold sweat?
Me? Hello to the second camp.
It's our first Christmas as homeowners this year, and besides spring for a full-sized tree, we're kind of scraping by with decorations. This year with our work schedules we're keeping the holiday low-key at home, but that doesn't mean I'm not stocking our cabinets (and our friends' cabinets) with holiday sweets.
We've got family favorites like struffoli covered and cookies galore, but sometimes I'm in the mood for desserts with (a lot) more chocolate than even a dark chocolate pizzelle can offer. That's where this Oreo peppermint bark comes in.
Simple Ingredients
If all the goodies packed into this bark look familiar, you'd be right. After obsessing over the loaded toppings on these peppermint brownies, I kept them right on rolling to this dark chocolate peppermint bark.
Just five, shelf-stable ingredients are all you need here, including:
- Dark chocolate: Rich dark chocolate contrasts so well with the other sweet ingredients here, but you can also use milk or semi-sweet chocolate if you like.
- White chocolate: While not entirely necessary, swirling in white chocolate adds variation to the flavor with a nod to classic peppermint bark.
- Candy canes: One or two candy canes add a present but not overwhelming mint flavor. You can also use peppermint candies.
- Oreo cookies: Regular Oreo cookies bring a cookies and cream element, but have fun with specialty flavors!
- Pretzels: These bring the salty of the "sweet and salty". Use your favorite salted variety! I usually stick with thin or mini pretzels as they more easily disperse into the bark and don't leave any big chunks. See also these peppermint chocolate covered pretzels for another easy holiday treat.
Easy Recipe Steps
This Oreo peppermint bark just requires a microwave (or a stovetop, if using a double boiler to melt the chocolate). Start by melting the dark chocolate, then spread it in a thin rectangular shape on a large sheet of parchment paper. Try to make it as even a layer as you can, but it doesn't need to be perfect.
Then melt the white chocolate and dollop it over top of the dark chocolate and swirl it around using a toothpick or the tip of a knife. Use decisive, big swooshes to swirl it -- this process is definitely meant to be imperfect. It's easy to get carried away and try to make it perfect, only to mix the chocolates too much and take away from the intended contrast.
Now while the chocolate is wet it's time to lightly press in the toppings. Oreo cookie, salted pretzel, and candy cane pieces pretty much cover the bases from sweet to salty, with just enough mint flavor and a whole lot of crunch.
Once this peppermint bark hardens completely, slice it into pieces and store it either at room temperature or in the refrigerator. This "recipe" (because does it even count? So easy.) makes a great addition to a holiday cookie tray or as a gift!
Recipe Notes
- You can absolutely switch up the chocolates here. Dark and white are my picks, but you can sub in milk or semisweet as you like.
- Go to town with the toppings! My preferred quantities are in the recipe card below, but you really take this bark in whichever direction.
Sweet and Salty Oreo Peppermint Bark
Ingredients
- 8 oz dark chocolate chips or chunks (roughly 1 ⅓ cups)
- 4 oz white chocolate chips (roughly ⅔ cup)
- 1-2 candy canes crushed
- 4 Oreo cookies chopped
- 8 mini pretzels chopped
Instructions
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside. Add dark chocolate chips/chunks to a microwave-safe bowl and microwave in 30 second increments on half-power, stirring after each increment, until melted and smooth.
- Spread the melted dark chocolate in a rectangular shape on the lined baking sheet.
- Add white chocolate to a microwave-safe bowl and melt in the same way as the dark chocolate. Once melted, add dollops of white chocolate to the melted dark chocolate and swirl in using a toothpick.
- Scatter candy cane, Oreo, and pretzel pieces over top and gently press so they adhere to the bark. Let bark sit at room temperature to harden completely.
- Once hardened, slice into pieces.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional information is provided as an estimate. As it can vary due to many factors (brands used, quantities, etc.), we cannot guarantee its accuracy.
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