Chocolate Peppermint Bars Recipe (2024)

A note about the amount of chocolate/sweetness level of these bars. It's important to use bittersweet chocolate, at least 60% and preferably more like 72%. The higher the percentage, the less sweet the chocolate. The dark chocolate helps temper the sweetness of the peppermint filling. And it's important to use all of the chocolate called for, you want a thick layer to balance the sweetness of the filling. You can use less chocolate but the bars will taste sweeter. Just an FYI!

Oh my word these are good. Seriously good. Be careful not to bake the shortbread too long- mine was done in 20 minutes. Spooning the chocolate over the top sucked the joy right out of making them so after two squares of spooning I transferred the chocolate into a pastry bag, snipped a tiny hole in the tip of the bag and drizzled the chocolate over each piece. It went very quickly and looked better too.

These were a hit at the office today!
I suggest a couple changes:
1. Limit peppermint extract to 1.5 tsp and add 1 tsp of vanilla to the filling -- it will taste less harsh and dental.
2. Definitely chill the filling overnight before trying to cut it -- an hour is not long enough for it to set.
3. No need to pull out the food processor to make the shortbread layer -- just rub the butter in with your fingertips.
4. Mix in an extra tablespoon or two of cocoa powder to the shortbread dough.

Assuming it is food-grade peppermint oil, you would need to use dramatically less. Peppermint extract is the oil mixed into solution, so it is substantially diluted. A couple of drops would be enough. Ingested directly, peppermint oil can be toxic and should be kept away from children.

I enjoyed these bars a lot, but I found them far too sweet for my taste the first time I made them. I amended the recipe to be more like the bars my grandmother made when I was a child: ake the shortbread for less time (add more cocoa and 4 squares of melted chocolate to make them more chocolatey). Cut the filling in a third but add the same amount of mint, and really make sure to use dark dark chocolate. Makes for a slightly more adult treat.

Don't you hate this? When recipes call for ONE THING you don't have? I saw a recipe that called for a 6" springform. Who has one of those? Anyway, if you don't have a 9" square pan, since the base is shortbread and pretty stiff, you can use a 9x13 pan, which you surely do have, and use tinfoil to sequester a 9x9" square. Or make a thicker base using the 8" pan you do have.

Plz do not use peppermint oil, it can be dangerous to ingest! Plz use peppermint extract for this recipe.

Easy to make, tasty, albeit perhaps a bit too much...

Can you use peppermint oil instead of extract?

Can I spread the melted chocolate over the filling-shortbread and cut into squares after it is cooled?

When I saw the photo I had to make this recipe. So pretty! I should have realized that I wouldn't like it. The filling is just a lot of frosting...Way too sweet. I may try again only substituting a cream cheese filling for the same effect. (If you like frosting, 1/2 as much would be better from my perspective). One last thing, I did all the mixing by hand, no food processor, no paddles. It worked fine.

1. Limit peppermint extract to 1.5 tsp and add 1 tsp of vanilla to the filling -- it will taste less harsh and dental.2. Definitely chill the filling overnight before trying to cut it -- an hour is not long enough for it to set.3. No need to pull out the food processor to make the shortbread layer -- just rub the butter in with your fingertips.4. Mix in an extra tablespoon or two of cocoa powder to the shortbread dough.

The base here is essentially a pastry. If you have a manual pastry blender, that would be fine. You could also cut the butter into small cubes and work them into the flour by hand, squishing them between your fingers to make a coarse meal. This is what Julia Child described in Mastering the Art of French Cooking and it still works great - no tools needed!

The shortbread was perfect: baked 20 minutes. Reduced confectioner's sugar to 300 grams, substituted peppermint with coconut extract (not a peppermint fan) and added cream gradually until the mixture was as described, a smooth paste. No problems spreading the filling over the shortbread. Used 85% cocoa chocolate and the coconut oil. Very nice results -- not too sweet -- and fun to make. Yes, there is extra chocolate ... darn will have to make another batch!

I've done something terribly wrong. My shortbread is boiling like candy! Suggestions are welcome :)

Use hot cocoa instead of cocoa powder 4 the shortbread

Do not make this with the recommended amount of peppermintUse much less! Taste as you add

I made these for a bake sale and they were so amazing I bought back a container of them! But I had one problem putting them together and wondered if anyone had a workaround. The peppermint filling was luscious and the perfect consistency once the cookies were complete. But I could not get it to spread to save my life! It did NOT want to adhere to the shortbread at all. The filling picked up the top layer of the shortbread, it took forever to beat it into submission. Any ideas?

Instead of putting the chocolate in every square individually, I poured it all on, stuck it in the freezer for 2 minutes and then cut it. It was a time saver AND chocolate saver too.Pretty good tho, and thanks Ryan for the peppermint extract tip!

Melissa Clark does it again--these were absolutely delish! The only changes I made were adding an extra tb of cocoa to the shortbread & cutting down the peppermint extract to 1.5 tsp. I had a mishmash of chocolate in my pantry--for this mostly used 72%, had about 3 squares of 60% so I added a 1/4 cup semi sweet chips. Insanely good!

An easier assembly method? Chill shortbread spread with peppermint stuff. Then remove from pan onto a flat surface. Spread chocolate with an off-set spatula. Cut into bars while chocolate is still soft.My shortbread mix stayed powery, but I pressed it into the pan and it baked up as it should.

These were great, but I thought there was significantly too much sugar in the peppermint filling. If I made them again I would use about half the amount.

This is a go-to of mine. Yum, yum, yum! Recently I accidentally doubled the cream. Absolutely delicious, however it didn't fully set. Since then I add a tad extra. The layer hardens well but is more creamy. I also halve the chocolate and dribble it over the squares once cut. I use 100% cacao, thus the sugar layer lifts the chocolate but neither one is overpowered by the other. It literally melts in your mouth! Depending on the season I sometimes put some food coloring in the peppermint filling.

These are wonderful! The shortbread layer baked up weird looking to me, bubbly and soft, but firmed up when cooled and tested great in the final product. The filling reminded me of butter mints, and was perfectly sweet when paired with good quality bittersweet chocolate. To those who accuse these of having a “dental” flavor: perhaps make a mint-free dessert!

Sub 1 tablespoon peppermint schnapps for 1 tsp peppermint extract

Is the shortbread supposed to be soft? First time I baked it—as directed—the butter bubbled out and it wasn’t usable. Second time I left it in the freezer briefly before baking, but it still started to bubble at around 25 minutes even though it didn’t seemed cooked. Was usable but very soft. Any tips? Should I turn down my oven temp?

I found the frosting layer a bit too sweet- admittedly I’m not a sweet tooth. Next time will probably reduce to half or less for a thinner layer. And/or double the thickness of the shortbread. My child said it was like a peppermint patty w a slightly salty crust. My topping looked boring so I did little ribbons of chocolate drizzle over the nearly dried layer to give it a truffle-y look.

Is it just me or at 25 min was the shortbread more “boiling like a cauldron” than it was “firm to the touch and separating from the side of the baking dish”? Looked a total mess so cooked much longer-closer to 40 minutes! Gave up for the night and left them all to sit. Surprisingly, all tasted “correct” the next day and served them at a party and they were a hit!Also, did not even attempt spreading the topping individually-covered the entire thing and then cut squares at room temp, no cracking.

These were a hit at our annual Christmas party. They taste just like a peppermint patty, but with a pleasant crunch! Definitely putting these on the list of "must make" Christmas cookies!