This delicious low carb Peppermint Bark is made with sugar-free chocolate, cocoa butter, and coconut oil. A fun and easy keto recipe and it’s dairy-free too. In partnership with Lily’s Sweets.
Don’t mind me, I am just munching on some sugar free peppermint bark. I might be eating a lot of it over the course of the next few weeks. It’s so easy to make and the perfect keto holiday dessert. And with only 3 grams of carbs, it makes a perfect fat bomb snack!
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I am so glad Thanksgiving was early this year. Now that it’s come and gone, I can succumb to my Christmas baking urges wholeheartedly and without guilt. To be honest, I started baking low carb holiday cookies way in advance of Thanksgiving this year.
You might think to yourself “oh, well she’s a food blogger, of course she has to get out ahead of the curve”. And that would be part of it. But the other and perhaps the more influential factor is that I just really, really love Christmas cookies and Christmas candy. And Christmas cake and bread and tarts and loaves and all the other treats you can think of.
I really love everything about preparing low carb goodies for the holidays and sharing them with friends. You might say I am obsessed. And I have no plans on changing this obsessive behaviour any time soon. You love me for it…you know you do!
Really, this year alone I have already made:
Slice and Bake Cranberry Shortbread
And I have the dough from my low carb Butter Pecan Cookies rolled into individual balls and frozen, ready for baking whenever I need them. These cookies might be the most popular recipe thus far in The Everyday Ketogenic Kitchen. Which, by the way, would make a fabulous Christmas gift for your loved ones…or yourself. May I suggest you grab a copy now?
How to Make Sugar Free Peppermint Bark
I love making over the holiday classics, and Peppermint Bark is a classic. For a while now, I’ve seen the super cute peppermint bark shapes made inside holiday cookie cutters and wondered if I could pull it off with my keto ingredients.
For the chocolate layer: Lily’s Chocolate makes my job 10 times easier in that regard, because the dark chocolate layer is pretty much done for me. I used one of the Baking Bars and it was perfect for melting with a little peppermint oil.
Because sugar free chocolate like Lily’s doesn’t always melt as easily as conventional chocolate, I always use a bit of cocoa butter to coax it into a smooth consistency. You can use coconut oil as well. I don’t recommend butter, as dairy tends to make it thicker and harder to spread.
For the white chocolate layer: The white chocolate presented more of a challenge. I keep trying to convince the folks behind Lily’s to make a white chocolate bar, because they do sugar-free chocolate so darn well. No such luck yet, but I will keep trying.
For this keto peppermint bark, I melted cocoa butter with coconut oil and added powdered Swerve sweetener and a little more peppermint extract. It was quite liquid-y but it tasted great.
To make Christmas shapes: I used some little metal Christmas cookie cutters that are only about two inches tall and simply poured the layers in. I did find I had to push the dark chocolate layer to the edges of the cookie cutters. If you don’t do this, there may be gaps and your “white chocolate” layer will seep through because it’s much more liquid when melted.
Make sure to freeze or refrigerate your dark chocolate layer first, before adding the white chocolate.
Other fun ways to shape the peppermint bark: I only had a handful of small cookie cutters like this so I did the rest of the bark in silicone mini muffin cups, which is also pretty adorable.
If you don’t have either of these things, you can simply line an 8×8 inch pan with some parchment and spread your chocolate layers there.
For the garnish: To really make them look festive, crush a few sugar-free peppermint candies and sprinkle them on top. You really don’t need more than two because they shatter nicely and give you just enough to sprinkle a few bits on top.
Admittedly, I just used the sugar-free Starlight mints that I find at Walgreen’s but if you want a healthier option, you can use these Xylitol Peppermints from Dr. John’s.
So there you have it. Keto Peppermint Bark is pretty simple to make and is a fabulous sugar-free candy alternative. Enjoy!
This delicious low carb peppermint bark is a healthy keto holiday recipe. Dairy-free and sugar-free!
- 4 ounces Lily's Dark Chocolate chopped (I used Lily's Baking Bar)
- 1/2 ounce cocoa butter
- 1/2 tsp peppermint extract
- 2 ounces cocoa butter
- 1/4 cup coconut oil
- 3 tbsp powdered Swerve Sweetener
- 1/2 tsp peppermint extract
- 2 sugar-free peppermint candies crushed
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In a microwave safe bowl, combined the chopped chocolate and cocoa butter. Heat on high in 30 second increments, stirring until smooth. Alternatively, you can melt the chocolate on the stove-top double-boiler style. Stir in the peppermint extract
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If using cookie cutters, set them on a parchment-lined baking sheet and spoon a little of the melted chocolate into each. Use a toothpick or other small pointed utensil to push the chocolate into the corners of each cookie cutter. If using silicone mini muffin cups, use about 24 and divide the chocolate between them (you could also use 12 larger muffin cups). Freeze the chocolate layer for at least 30 minutes to set.
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You can also line an 8x8 pan with parchment and simply pour the chocolate in. Freeze before continuing to the next step.
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In a microwave safe bowl, combined the cocoa butter and coconut oil. Heat on high in 30 second increments, stirring until smooth. Alternatively, you can melt them on the stove-top double-boiler style. Whisk in the powdered sweetener and peppermint extract until smooth.
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Divide the mixture among the cookie cutters or muffin cups or spread over the chocolate layer in the pan. Freeze about 10 to 20 minutes, until just starting to set, then sprinkle with crushed peppermint candies, if using. Return to the freezer until completely set, another 20 minutes or so.
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Store in the refrigerator.
How many pieces you get depends on the size you are making them. I used small holiday cookie cutters from Sur La Table (about 2 inches tall) as well as mini muffin cups. The holiday shapes were bigger than the cups, so a single shape is a serving, whereas two of the cups is a serving.
Many thanks to Lily’s Sweets for partnering with me to bring you this recipe.
Isis says
I wish Lily’s would do a white chocolate, too! Another product I wish they’d make is mini chocolate chips. For now, I’m stuck chopping when I want “small pieces.” Lol!
Jan Turnage says
Hi. Lily’s does make small chocolate chips. If you can’t find on Amazon, Netrition usually has them.
LizD says
Any thoughts on a sub for the coconut oil? I really dislike coconut flavor. Thanks!
Carolyn says
You won’t taste it.
LizD says
Thanks; I give it a try. Pre-D I made peppermint bark every year.
Laureen MacCallum says
I don’t have lillies chocolate available to me. If I use unsweetened chocolate and add erythritol/stevia would it work ok?
Carolyn says
It might, hard to say because I didn’t try it. You will probably need more coconut oil to make sure it doesn’t seize.
Terri says
OOOH, I am making this right now with the chocolate chip recipe from the book. Used Ghiradelli (sp) coca powder and got a great batch of chocolate. I have a burner on my stove that says Melt and it was brilliant. No seize, no double boiler either. So now I will make the white chocolate part. Great and fun recipe. So impressed with the chocolate chip recipe from the book. Made a double batch to have for other goodies. Thank you Carolyn, you save me quite a bit of money over Lily’s.
Carolyn says
Enjoy!
Kathy Christman says
You can order Lily’s chocolate (and many other specialty low-carb ingredients) from Amazon.
Karen says
One of my FAVORITE Christmas treats. Get in my belly !!!
Diane says
Carolyn, the styling on these photos is gorgeous! It’s enticing me to make these and I don’t even think that I like peppermint bark…lol! They look so festive!
Carolyn says
Wow! I never knew I was that good a photographer! 😉 Thanks.
Jana says
You are! I’ve only made one recipe from your website (‘Mounds” – which was DELISH!) but the pictures you take make me want to try them all! Keep up the good work!
Lori Kling says
I have been using your recipe to make my own chocolate chips, would that work for this recipe? I can get Lilly’s but is really expensive where I live.
Carolyn says
Yes, it should work well. It may be too “liquid” for the cookie cutter shapes but would work in the cups or in a pan.
Lori Kling says
Thank you! I look am looking forward to trying this next week!
Susan says
I’m super happy about this recipe! Last year I made low carb Peppermint Bark, but I ordered a low carb white chocolate from Amazon, and it had some questionable ingredients. This looks much healthier.
I didn’t think of using mini muffin cups — I did the slab method, and then broke it up by hand.
The one trick I figured out for the slab method: I put down waxed paper, and then layered it upside down: (1 crushed peppermints, 2 white chocolate, 3 dark chocolate). I make my English Toffee that way too. It makes the toppings more embedded, so they don’t fall off.
Carolyn says
Hey Susan, that’s a great tip! Thanks.
Barbara says
Made these today and they are sooo good. Really easy too. Next time I will add the crushed candy after 5 minutes in the freezer because after 10 minutes the bark was too hard for the peppermints to adhere to. Another keeper recipe from Carolyn. Thanks again.
Erin says
Can I use cacao butter? I can’t seem to find cocoa butter. I’m not sure the difference….
Carolyn says
They are essentially the same for the purposes of this recipe.
Joy says
Looks delicious! May I ask where you found the sugar-free candy canes?
Carolyn says
I linked to it in the blog post! 🙂
sharon kessler says
HI Carolyn, could I substitute regular butter for the coco butter?
Carolyn says
No, cocoa butter is hard at room temperature. Butter is not. Makes a big difference to the consistency of the bark.
Shannon says
Hi! Thank you so much for your recipes! I wondered, do you happen to know the proper ratio necessary to replace Swerve with THM’s Gentl Sweet? Thanks again!
Carolyn says
Swerve measures like sugar. So use however much Gentle Sweet equals that amount of sugar .
Choc-obsession says
Choc Zero does a sugar-free white chocolate. I get it off Amazon.
Ashley says
I’m confused by the carbs. It says it depends on how big you make them, but I don’t know what your current carb count is going off of in the nutrition label. Like how big are they to be 3.8 carbs?
Carolyn says
It says 12 servings. If you make the mini cups, you get about 24 so two pieces. The cookie cutters are about 2x as big as the little mini cups. Hope that helps.
Angela says
Can you use coconut butter in place of the cocoa butter?
Carolyn says
I think it will be too soft but you’re welcome to try.
Jennifer Farley says
These look incredible! I love chocolate and peppermint together (am thinking of doing brownies tomorrow, actually!). I love how these have beautiful shapes, and you’ve photographed them perfectly!
Kristy Bernardo says
GORGEOUS!! I am so in love with this recipe!!
Brandie says
My favorite holiday treat for myself!!
Brandie says
My favorite holiday treat for myself
Carolyn says
Argh, are my star ratings working???
Sharon says
These are delicious. My new favorite keto snack.
Doris Litman says
I don’t have Lily’s baking bar. I have the Lily’s Dark Chocolate bars. Would I follow the recipe as written or would I need to modify it somehow?
Thanks.
Carolyn says
No, those should work just fine. No mods needed.
~Misty says
These are so yummy! Flavor is spot on. When eating them there is a big difference in the texture between the dark chocolate layer and the white chocolate layer, what is the reason for the coconut oil? Would it mess with the integrity of the white chocolate to put less coconut oil or leave it out? I’ve not worked with cocoa butter before so I don’t know much about it.
Carolyn says
If you keep it refrigerated, the white layer will be harder and just like the chocolate layer. If you only use cocoa butter, it won’t taste very good.
Elizabeth says
I am allergic to coconut. What can I use instead for the white chocolate layer?
Carolyn says
You could do just cocoa butter. It has a pretty strong flavor, though.
Erica says
This might be a questionable ingredient for some, but occasionally I use Spectrum brand palm oil shortening in recipes. It’s solid at room temperature, neutral in flavor, and not hydrogenated so trans fats are not a concern. May be an option for the coconut-intolerant.
Courtney says
Oh these look amazing
Audrey T. says
I hear you on the white chocolate. It’s my very favorite. I wish there were maltitol free options. I haven’t found any. If Lily’s would venture into making white chocolate-they’d get A LOT of my money.
I’ve been playing around with making it myself with cacao butter, vanilla, milk or heavy cream powder ( I’ve even bought coconut milk powder for a dairy free version, but haven’t tried it yet. ), and powdered Sukrin. Sometimes I toss in some coconut butter, sometimes not. It’s an ever-evolving process.
Carolyn says
I’ve tried with a number of things too but it just doesn’t compare to the store-bought kind!
Patti says
Cant wait to try these!! Did you spray or grease the cookie cutters in any way, for easier release, before filling tgem?
Carolyn says
No spraying is necessary because they pop out easily.
Jaimie stephan says
I saw someone ask about subbing coconut oil and that you can’t taste it, I am allergic to coconut, so is there something can it can be subbed for since I am unable I eat it?
Carolyn says
You can try butter or maybe solid palm shortening (the sustainable kind!). Butter will give it a yellowish colour.
sue | the view from great island says
Peppermint bark is my all time favorite holiday treat, I love to know that I can make it sugar free for my friends who can’t eat sugar!
Suzy says
I love peppermint bark! So glad to find a sugar-free option!
Lindsay Cotter says
Love how easy this is to make! Looks so delicious and festive too!
Katie says
This is an amazing treat and great gift idea!!
Erica B says
I made a batch of this, and truthfully I adapted the recipe rather liberally. I wasn’t crazy about the potential fat bomb texture of the white layer, and I didn’t need it to be dairy free. Since white chocolate contains milk and vanilla, I added 1 oz cream cheese, 1/4 t vanilla powder, and an extra 1/2 oz cocoa butter, and I decreased the coconut oil to 2 T. Such a small amount of cream cheese doesn’t combine well with so much pure fat, so I also added a heaping 1/4 t xanthan gum and whisked vigorously. This made a somewhat grainy mixture that hardened into a reasonably
homogenous white layer with a slightly softer texture similar to white chocolate. I think the xanthan gum contributes nicely to this texture. I left the extract out of the chocolate layer for contrast, and used 6 crushed xylitol peppermints. Excellent! My husband and I think it’s great. I’m sorry I can’t honestly rate the recipe, but I’m very grateful for the foundation on which I experimented. Thanks, Carolyn.
One thing to note: my white mixture was softer than the original recipe, and it took less than 10 minutes to firm up in the fridge. I’d already sprinkled the peppermints, and was glad I’d done so. I think 10 or 20 minutes in the freezer would make it impossible for the peppermints to stick.
Jennifer Blake says
Yum, yum and more yum! I love everything about this recipe. Peppermint is one of my very favorite flavors even outside the holidays.