Peppermint Bark Popcorn
Get your chocolate and peppermint fix with this peppermint bark popcorn recipe. It's gluten-free, ready in 20 minutes and perfect for holiday parties.
Updated by Kathryne Taylor on October 22, 2024
It’s that time of year. That time of year when American office workers start suffering from sugar overload due to all the irresistible holiday treats parading around the office.
It’s also the time of year when I start experiencing grass-is-greener complex about working from home. While it is true that working at home is totally awesome, my December has been pitifully devoid of holiday treats. My nonexistent co-workers aren’t presenting tins of peppermint bark and fudge at every corner. You lucky office people, you.
Yesterday, I decided to take matters into my own hands and make myself the kind of holiday treat that I’ve been craving. I made a big batch of my favorite light, salty snack (stovetop popcorn) and drizzled it with melted dark chocolate and crushed candy canes. Twenty minutes later, I had my peppermint-and-chocolate fix.
I know that top photo makes it look really decadent, but keep in mind that I only drizzled the topside of the popcorn with chocolate. It’s not so rich that I feel sick to my stomach after a few bites. And it’s gluten-free, so I’ll be sharing my leftovers at girls’ night tonight.
You could go in a lot of different directions with this basic chocolate-drizzled popcorn concept. You could mix some lightly salted, roasted nuts in with the popcorn before drizzling it with chocolate. You could sprinkle it with coconut flakes or sprinkles instead of peppermint. You could trade white chocolate for the dark chocolate, or hey, drizzle it with both for a more decadent, classic peppermint bark approach. Just be careful when you’re melting the white chocolate, as it is more likely to scorch.
Peppermint Bark Popcorn
Get your chocolate and peppermint fix with this peppermint bark popcorn recipe. Please do make the popcorn on the stove with a bit of oil—it’s really easy and tastes SO much better than microwave or air-popped popcorn. This peppermint bark popcorn is perfect to bring to holiday parties since it is gluten-free, easily vegan (see note) and ready in about twenty minutes. Recipe yields about six cups of popcorn.
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons coconut oil or vegetable oil
- ½ cup popcorn kernels
- sea salt
- 1 cup dark chocolate chips
- 4 standard-sized peppermint candy canes (you’ll need about ⅓ cup finely crushed peppermint)
- Maldon salt or flaky finishing salt (optional)
Instructions
- Cover a large jelly roll pan with parchment paper. Pour the oil into a large, heavy-bottomed pan with a lid (if you have a medium-sized Dutch oven, it’s perfect for this). Turn the heat up to medium, add 2 kernels of corn, and cover.
- Once the kernels pop, remove the lid and pour in the remaining popcorn kernels. Cover the pot and give the pot a little shimmy to distribute the kernels evenly.
- Cook over medium heat, shaking the pot occasionally. Crack the lid just a smidge so the popcorn stays crisp, and cook until the popping sound slows to about one pop per every few seconds. Remove the pan from heat and dump the popcorn onto the parchment paper-covered pan. Lightly salt it and pick out any kernels that didn’t pop.
- Place the candy canes in a plastic bag. Cover the bag with a tea towel and crush the candy canes by rolling a rolling pin over it. A hammer works, too. You want the candy canes to be pretty finely crushed when you’re done.
- Melt the chocolate chips over a double boiler or in the microwave in twenty-second bursts, stirring between each, until the chocolate is completely melted and smooth.
- Use a spoon to drizzle the chocolate over the popcorn. Working quickly, sprinkle the popcorn with the crushed candy canes. Lightly sprinkle with a pinch of Maldon/finishing salt or sea salt. Transfer the pan to the refrigerator for ten minutes, or until the chocolate is set completely. Break up the popcorn sheet with your hands and serve.
Notes
Storage suggestions: Store in an airtight plastic bag. The popcorn is best served on the day it’s made, but should keep for a couple of days.
Make it vegan/dairy free: Substitute the dark chocolate chips with your favorite dairy-free chocolate chips.
Nutrition
The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice. See our full nutrition disclosure here.
I’d be the one hovering over this at the office! YUM.
Oh snap! I planned on making something very similar this weekend and I’m going all out with dark and white chocolate. Hoping I can capture some precious daylight. Yours looks lovely! I really need something with drizzled chocolate :)
I love anything peppermint!! Omg I haven’t had lunch yet so I really wish there was like a smell-o-computer or something. I’d probably eat at least 2-3 servings of this in one sitting if I made it. I’m definitely going to pin this so I remember!
Happy Holidays!
Ha. I think I ate at least three servings of this while I was typing up the post. It’s dangerous stuff.
Ohh I can’t wait to try this one! I’m thinking white chocolate and pistachios!
Nice. Will be making this for work next week. Just made pretzels drizzled with chocolate and sprinkles for my daughter’s Brownies xmas party last night. The salty and sweet together are so good.
Thanks for adding to my peppermint bark obsession! At least this one is easier on the waistline. I have an office party Friday so I think this will be just the snack to bring. Though I’ll have to make it just before work so i don’t eat the whole batch. I can’t believe you have leftovers to share. Stronger woman than I!
If it makes you feel any better, the only treat on offer at my workplace is the odd glass of cheap white wine ;)
Love this popcorn – I bet crushed candy canes give it a really nice crunch!
oh. my. god. making!!
It does look decadent. What a great idea for something light AND minty-chocolatey good.
You had leftovers?!
Don’t worry, I polished off most of the leftovers while I was typing up this post. :)
This looks really lovely. I’ve been trying to focus on making even more at home, and snacks can be a big problem. This is just enough sweet without being overkill.
Considering my “night life” consists of bedtime movies & sweets + salties… I kind of have to have this. I absolutely plan to eat this. In my bed. & re: your last comment… man, that’s the thing about blogging. You end up *seriously* wanting to hang out & we all seem to be scattered to the four corners! One of these days…
Oh my!! This looks soo good! Salty, sweet, chocolatey, pepperminty. Bookmarking now!!
I think this will make a lovely Christmas present. Mason jar, ribbon, and peppermint bark popcorn. Done and done! Thanks for the recipe!
I think you’re right!
Great idea! I am such a big popcorn fan! Love the peppermint.
Amazing! You could totally package this up for gifts! I love it.
Yes, please. I’ll have the whole batch, all to myself! This sounds so wonderful. It’s my dad’s birthday tomorrow. Maybe I should make some for him (at least half will get there).
I will be totally making this over the weekend! I always drizzle my popcorn with dark chocolate, but the peppermint is going to put it over the top – I just know it!
Love this idea, I’m a peppermint bark addict!
This was devine and totally addictive. I’ll have to make this for my coworkers…and then not share it. :)
Keep it all to yourself! I might make some more for Jordan’s party.
Kate, this looks INCREDIBLE and just like the treat I need to get myself moving this afternoon. As a non-office worker, I feel you on not having a copious amount of treats around this time of year, and it’s always nice to treat yourself to something scrumptious… Definitely making this today. :) Thanks for sharing!
Working in an office of some kind has its perks in that sense…but then you realize your pants don’t fit come January first! Oops!
This popcorn/peppermint bark fusion sounds like it would make that SO worth it though.
I’ll be lucky if my pants fit in January. You’re right, though, this peppermint bark popcorn is definitely worth it.
I know I would be at least 5lbs heavier this week if I were working in an office around all those treats! I totally get what you are saying. This is totally my kind of treat, love it!
Thank you so much for posting this recipe! I’ve have been looking for a great recipe for holiday gifts.
Yes, I’ve been taking the treating making into my own hands as well since I’m in the same boat. The best part is we get to make what we like!
Not in this house will it “keep for a couple of days”. It’ll be a wonder if it lasts the afternoon!
Yum! I love this! I made something similar last year and couldn’t get enough of it. This is like the best holiday snack ever :D
Oh my. Oh. My.
This looks awesome, and with ingredients I already have around the house for Christmas! What a great way to change up the typical idea of peppermint bark.
This was a hit!!! Oh wow! I made this for a military squadron holiday party, and holy bajoly, it flew out of the bag. I could barely get it out of my house because I couldn’t stop munching. This tastes like a gourmet specialty treat. The cool thing is (well, aside from the deliciousness), is it was beyond simple to make. And cheap! Thanks for posting. I can’t wait to make a batch for my family, here at home.
Thanks for the glowing review, Allison. I’m so glad you loved the recipe! It is so simple and cheap, and I was glad that it was gluten-free so I could share it with all my friends. Happy holidays!
This should be on every office holiday snack list…starting now. I love the popcorn base!
This looks like a very good treat, easy to make and not very fattening!
I made this and it was great- however,I did use trader joes air popped pppcorn( I know, I know) .
I wasn’t able to create the “bark texture. It fell apart after a long time in the fridge. Tried the freezer too.
Was it my need for instant gratification and using store bought popcorn?
Thanks!
Hey Jill, I think you would just need to use a lot more chocolate in order to achieve the texture of peppermint bark. I didn’t want a heavy treat so the one cup of chocolate seemed about right for me.
Holy Effin Delicious. Easy and delicious and amazing. And well enough said.
Looks super yummy and simple. Maybe I’ll make this for dessert for my hubby and me tonight. :)
I make this recipe with WHITE chocolate and it is a family fav! It looks really festive too!
Looking for something to send clients for the holidays…how long do you think this popcorn will stay fresh?
Nancy, sorry I didn’t see your question sooner! I think it will stay fresh for up to 5 days or so. You might make a test batch to be sure. It is delicious and super simple! :)
I just made this for a college Christmas party, and it was quite the hit. So easy and festive!
Happy to hear it! Thank you, Sarah.
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I was given a huge bag of popcorn from Costco made with coconut oil, and I had about 1/4 c crushed candy canes left from another baking project, so had to try this. The melted chocolate didn’t want to come off the spoon so I added about 1tsp coconut oil and put the bowl over boiling water as I worked…still couldn’t get the nice lines like your photo and ended up mounding the popcorn on the baking tray and smearing it with melted chocolate using a spatula—sprinkled the crushed peppermint candy on top, then stirred, spread it out and popped it in the refrigerator. It tasted amazing! Wonderful treat with minimal work that tastes like Christmas. Put it in a jar with a ribbon and you’d have a perfect gift!
Sounds wonderful! Thanks for sharing, Barb.
I was going to make this last year but had trouble smashing the candy canes. This year I was given a jar of them pre-crushed. I thought of this recipe last night. It’s easy and worked out great. I put it in plastic bags and left it in the fridge overnight. Just tried a piece and it’s still fantastic. Thank you and enjoy your holidays!
Thanks for trying it, Emilie! I’m glad you tried it. I appreciate the review!
I thought I posted something a few days ago, but maybe it didn’t take. I remembered this recipe from last year – I’d given up after trying to smash candy canes – but this year my mother gave me crushed candy canes in a jar. So I made it, and everyone enjoyed it. Since there were so many other sweets around, I liked the amount of chocolate on the popcorn..just enough! Looking forward to making it again, thanks!
Thanks for your comment! I’m glad everyone loved it.
Hi there, do I store these in the freezer if I’m giving them away tomorrow?
Hi! Storage suggestions are below the recipe notes.