Chocolate Peppermint Bread is perfect for the holidays! Rich chocolate flavor sprinkled with peppermint makes this chocolate quick bread festive & delicious!
I’ve been really into the chocolate – peppermint combination lately and this bread is just that! It’s not overly sweet, so I justified eating it for breakfast. I think it’d be perfect for Christmas morning breakfast or even as a tasty afternoon snack! It’s gorgeous too, so mini loaves would be perfect gifts. One batch of this chocolate mint bread recipe makes 1 regular loaf or 3 mini loaves that are perfect for sharing.
Chocolate Peppermint Bread recipe
You just can’t beat a classic of wintery flavors combination like chocolate and peppermint. This chocolate mint loaf cake is truly a delicious blend of flavors in every bite. Tasting much more cake-like, this quick bread recipe falls under that treat category that we all wish to sample from. It’s so gosh darn tasty and good that it’s sure to be a pleasant surprise at your holiday gatherings, especially if gifted to friends and family.
Chocolate Peppermint Loaf Cake Ingredients
For the Bread Loaf, You Will Need:
-Butter: You will need 1/2 cup of softened butter to help give the bread the fats it needs to keep a moist crumb.
-Sugar: You will need 1 cup of granulated sugar to make this cake nice and sweet.
-Eggs: Adding in 2 eggs will help to give us a great texture and keep the bread from crumbling apart.
-Sour cream: Use a cup of sour cream to get the bread to have a moist and rich texture once baked.
-Flour: You will need 1 3/4 cups of all-purpose flour for the base of the bread dough recipe.
-Cocoa powder: Use 1/2 cup of cocoa powder to get a delicious chocolate taste in every brown slice.
-Baking powder: You will need 1 teaspoon of baking powder to help the bread rise and leaven properly.
-Salt: Use a teaspoon of salt to help enhance the flavors in the dough wonderfully.
-Chocolate chips: You will want to add in 1/2 cup of chocolate chips so that there’s an added surprise of more chocolate in every slice.
-Peppermint extract: Use 1 teaspoon of peppermint extract to get this bread to taste incredible.
For the Chocolate Glaze Topping, You Will Need:
- 1 1/3 cups chocolate chips
- 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
- 1/4 cup butter
- 1/4 tsp peppermint extract
- 2 crushed candy canes
How to Make Chocolate Peppermint Bread
Make bread
Cream together the butter and sou cream using an electric mixer.
Add in the eggs and the sour cream, beating until smooth and creamy.
Add in your dry ingredients and mix to combine.
Stir in the chocolate chips and peppermint extract.
Bake
Spoon the batter into a greased loaf pan and bake in the oven at 350 degrees f for 50-55 minutes or until a toothpick can be inserted and come out clean.
Allow the bread to rest for 20 minutes before removing it to cool completely on a wire rack.
While the chocolate bread is cooling down, prepare the chocolate ganache.
Make the glaze
Pour your chocolate into a medium-sized mixing bowl and then set it aside.
In a small saucepan on the stove, melt the butter over medium heat.
Add in the cream once the butter has just about melted.
Increase the temperature slightly and use a whisk to stir constantly, but gently.
Heat the mixture until it’s just barely boiling and then pour it over the chocolate in the bowl while stirring gently.
Combine the chocolate with the butter mixture until smooth.
Add in the peppermint extract and stir to combine.
Assemble
Allow the chocolate to sit don’t the counter to cool while the bread is baking.
Once the bread has been cooled, drizzle your chocolate ganache over the top and allow it to drip into any cracks in the bread.
Top with crushed candy canes.
Allow setting before you slice and serve. Enjoy!
CHOCOLATE PEPPERMINT BREAD
Ingredients
- ½ cup butter softened
- 1 cup sugar
- 2 eggs
- 1 cup sour cream
- 1 ¾ cups all purpose flour
- ½ cup cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ cup chocolate chips
- 1 tsp peppermint extract
Chocolate Glaze Topping:
- 1 ⅓ cups chocolate chips
- ½ cup heavy whipping cream
- ¼ cup butter
- ¼ tsp peppermint extract
- 2 crushed candy canes
Instructions
- Cream butter and sugar together. Add in eggs and sour cream, beating until smooth and creamy.
- Add in dry ingredients and mix until all combined. Stir in chocolate chips and peppermint extract.
- Spoon batter into a well greased loaf pan. Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for 50-55 minutes, until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.
- Let bread rest in pan for 20 minutes before removing to cool completely.
- For the chocolate glaze: White bread is baking, make the chocolate glaze.
- Pour chocolate in a medium sized bowl. Set aside. Melt butter in a small saucepan over medium heat.
- Add in cream when butter is just about melted. Increase heat slightly and using a whisk, stir constantly, but gently. Heat until mixture just barely comes to a boil.
- Pour over chocolate in bowl. Stirring gently, combining the chocolate with the butter-cream mixture until it's smooth.
- Add in the peppermint extract and stir to combine. Let chocolate sit on the counter to cool while the bread is baking.
- Once bread has cooled, drizzle spoonfuls of the glaze over the top, allowing it to drip down the sides as you’d like. I like the chocolate to be fairly cool at this point, so I spread enough on top to cover the bread, then drizzled it around so that some would go down the sides.
- Top with crushed candy canes. Enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
Best Bread Pan?
I bake a lot of bread and the pans I prefer are either ceramic, glass, or cast iron. These pans will bake bread more evenly and release the bread more easily after baking. I don’t like using dark or nonstick pans because the bread cooks unevenly. It darkens on the outside before the bread is cooked on the inside, so the coloring is uneven. Read more about which bread pan is the best here!
AVOID SUNKEN BREAD
The easiest and best way to avoid sunken bread is to use a cooking thermometer to check the inside of the loaf. Fully cooked bread will register 200°F on a thermometer. My all-time favorite thermometer is the Thermapen. It’s super fast and incredibly durable. Another great cooking thermometer is the ThermoPop which is a more basic version that works just as well!
More amazing quick bread recipes that we love:
- Sweet Coconut Quick Bread
- Easy Banana Bread recipe
- Best Zucchini Bread recipe
- Easy Lemon Quick Bread
- Yogurt Banana Bread recipe
- Dutch Apple Quick Bread
- Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Quick Bread
- Caramel Banana Nut Bread
- Best Ever Pumpkin Bread
- Lemon Buttermilk Quick Bread
- Caramel Apple Quick Bread
- Cinnamon Raisin Quick Bread
- Peppermint Chocolate Quick Bread
- Cranberry Orange Quick Bread
- Cinnamon Roll Quick Bread
Chocolate Peppermint Bread is perfect for the holidays! Rich chocolate flavor sprinkled with peppermint makes this chocolate quick bread festive & delicious!
Mary Johnson says
Thank you.Cant wait to try some of these.Especially the brownies…With a diebetic and hyproglysemic both in 1- house.God Bless you.
Diane Floyd says
Delicious recipe. Thank you so much. This was fun to make and the peppermint was the perfect amount in the bread and topping.
Jessica says
So glad you enjoyed it Diane!
Flixy Hanssen says
This bread was amazing!! It was the best thing I have ever had. Lol
Living on your own, it is amazing to just come back from a long stressful day at work, (and not have to bake, or have other people waste their time for you just to make bread) and enjoy a slice or 2.
Thanks for writing the recipe!
Ha det!! Av til kjøkkenet for å lage et annet brød!
Alison says
Thanks Flixy! So glad you are able to enjoy it!
Victoria Rook says
Can you make these and freeze them? I’m doing a Christmas boutique at my church on December 7th and I’m selling breads, and I was wondering if they’d be okay if I make the breads in the middle of November will they still be good?
Jessica says
Yes, I’d freeze the bread and then add the chocolate topping just before you plan to sell it!
Crystal says
I made mini loaves. Just wondering if they have to be refrigerated because of ganache topping? Thx
Jessica says
I like to refrigerate it, then take it out to serve. It can sit on the counter for hours and be fine. Enjoy.
Donna says
I loved the bread!!! I am started to think about the holidays. the holidays. The recipe says it will make 3 mini loaves. How long do you bake them?
Nellie says
Mini loaves will bake for about 35-40 minutes.
rebecca L oneill says
Can you make this in a bundt?
Jessica says
I think that sounds amazing!!
shri says
this recipe looks awesome! how long would this bread stay without the fridge? I’m thinking of sending it in the mail (4-5 days devliery) and hoping it doesn’t get spoilt 🙁
Nicole says
If you plan on mailing the bread I do not recommend topping it with the chocolate first. Send the bread without the chocolate on top as that will most likely melt and cause the bread to spoil before it arrives. …after your bread has cooled completely, wrap it well in multiple layers of plastic wrap and then store in an airtight container. Place that container in your mailing package and send it immediately. The bread is good for up to 5 days but if properly stored it may last a little longer. Tell the recipient to immediately place it into their fridge for storage upon arrival to squeeze an extra day or two out of it, or tell them to freeze half of the loaf for future snacking.
Cindy Seguin says
Your recipe looks amazing! so I thought I’d give it a try. I do have a question. The dough seems to be thick, is that normal?
Jessica says
Well it’s normal for this recipe, ha! Quick bread batter does vary in thickness. This one is a tad sturdier as it has to be to support the ganache glaze + peppermint pieces. It’s wonderful!