Peppermint Bark Fudge You Can Make in Minutes

Today in this post I’m going to tell you how to make peppermint bark fudge. I make this every year for Christmas because everybody loves this. It’s really easy to make and pretty simple—you only need a few ingredients.

Think of it as peppermint bark, but with a rich layer of fudge attached. Now, a heads up: you’re not going to get perfect, identical squares every time, but that’s the beauty of it! It looks homemade. If you like peppermint and chocolate, you’re going to love this.

Why You’ll Love This

• It’s super forgiving: You don’t need a candy thermometer or professional skills here.
• The texture combo: Personally, I don’t like peppermint bark to be super crunchy because it messes with the texture. In this recipe, we crush the candy canes into a fine powder so the peppermint flavor melts right into the white chocolate.
• The “Legend” Backstory: I kind of made this up myself one year. I was trying to make a layered fudge and forgot to put the condensed milk in the peppermint part. I figured, “I’ll just do peppermint bark on top,” and I tweaked it until it was my own. Now, it’s a family tradition!

what you need

Special Equipment/Instruments

• Double Boiler: Or two saucepans (one slightly smaller that fits on top of the other).
• 9×13 inch Baking Pan
• Wax Paper: Essential for easy removal.
• Food Processor: Recommended for fine crushing (or a Ziploc bag and a rolling pin/hammer).
• Spatula

Ingredients

The Fudge Base:

• 2 bags (approx. 11-12 oz each) Semi-sweet or Milk Chocolate Chips
• 1 can (14 oz) Sweetened Condensed Milk
• 1 tbsp Vanilla Extract

The Peppermint Bark Topping:

• 1 to 2 bags (11-12 oz each) White Chocolate Chips (Use 2 bags for a thicker layer that covers the whole pan)
• 8-10 Standard Candy Canes (enough to fill a mini food processor halfway)
• 1-2 drops Red Food Coloring (optional, for a pink tint)
• Optional: 1/2 tsp Peppermint Extract (only if you don’t crush the candy canes finely)

The Secret to the Perfect Peppermint Topping

The first thing we need to do is crush the candy canes. If you don’t have a food processor, you can definitely put them in a Ziploc bag and crush them with a hammer.

However, I prefer them to be super finely crushed. Use the little Ninja food processor; it takes about two or three pulses to turn it into a powder. This helps the peppermint flavor get into the white chocolate easier, which is why I don’t even use peppermint extract anymore.

Note: If you are going to hand-hammer them into larger chunks, you might want to add a drop of extract, but with the powder method, you don’t need it!

My “Eyeball” Method

Now, this is really all me eyeballing it, so I don’t usually use specific measurements. I think that’s the best way to do it when it comes to cooking!

The Base: Melt your dark chocolate base with sweetened condensed milk (that’s what makes it nice and fudgy). Pour that into your pan and let it chill.

The Topping: Once the base is set, pour your melted white chocolate and peppermint powder mixture on top.

A quick tip on quantity: If you want the white chocolate layer to cover an entire 9×13 pan, use two bags of white chips. I sometimes use one bag, which covers about 3/4 of the pan—I do this to leave some plain fudge for the people who don’t like peppermint. But if you want a thick, full layer, definitely grab two bags!

Cutting and Serving

The easiest way to cut this is to wait until it’s set (about 20 minutes in the fridge), then turn the whole block upside down onto a piece of wax paper. Peel the paper off the back and cut it into squares while it’s upside down.

If you try to cut through the peppermint topping side up, it makes a huge mess! The top is going to break naturally and look like peppermint bark anyway, so don’t stress about perfect squares.

I hope you guys try it out. It is my absolute favorite holiday treat to make!

checkout more recipes

• Christmas Tree Brownies
• Get Ready for the Holidays with These Super Easy No-Bake Christmas Treats!
• My Absolute Favorite Soft Christmas Sugar Cookies!
• Peppermint Bark Candy (No-Bake)

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My Famous Peppermint Bark Fudge (The “Legend” Recipe)

Recipe by Sana ReiCourse: DessertCuisine: American / HolidayDifficulty: Easy

Servings

36

squares

Prep time

20

minutes

Calories

140

kcal

Chill Time

20

minutes

Total time

40

minutes

An easy, no-bake holiday treat featuring a rich chocolate fudge base topped with a crunchy, peppermint-infused white chocolate bark layer. Perfect for Christmas parties!

Ingredients

• Equipment Needed:

• 9×13 Baking Pan

• Wax Paper

• Double Boiler (or two pots)

• Food Processor (Mini)

• Spatula

• Ingredients:

• 23 oz (2 standard bags) Semi-sweet chocolate chips

• 14 oz (1 can) Sweetened Condensed Milk

• 1 tbsp Vanilla extract

• 11 oz (1 bag) White chocolate chips (Use 22 oz/2 bags for a thicker top layer)

• 8-10 Candy canes (crushed to powder)

• 1-2 drops Red food coloring (optional)

Directions

• Crush Peppermint: Pulse candy canes in a food processor until they turn into a fine powder. Set aside.
• Prepare Pan: Line a 9×13 pan with wax paper.
• Make Base: In a double boiler, melt the semi-sweet chocolate chips. Stir in vanilla and the full can of sweetened condensed milk until thick and smooth.
• Spread Base: Pour fudge mixture into the pan, spread evenly, and refrigerate for 10-15 minutes to firm up.
• Make Topping: Melt white chocolate chips in the double boiler. Stir in red food coloring (if using) and the crushed candy cane powder.
• Layer: Pour the white chocolate mixture over the chilled fudge base and spread quickly.
• Chill: Refrigerate for at least 20 minutes until the top is hard.
• Cut: Remove from pan, flip upside down on a cutting board, peel off paper, and cut into squares.

Notes

• Storage: Keep this in the fridge! If you leave it out, the fudge base gets super soft. I prefer to leave it in the fridge all the time until serving.
• The “Upside Down” Trick: Cutting the fudge while it’s upside down prevents the hard peppermint top from shattering everywhere.
• Top Layer Quantity: If you use 1 bag of white chips, it makes a thin layer or covers 3/4 of the pan (great if some family members hate peppermint). Use 2 bags if you want the whole pan covered thickly.
• Extract: If you hand-crush the candy canes (leaving them chunky), add 1/2 tsp peppermint extract to the white chocolate to ensure the flavor comes through.