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.
Chocolate Peppermint Bread recipe
yields 1 regular sized loaf or 3 mini loaves
- 1/2 cup butter, softened
- 1 cup sugar
- 2 eggs
- 1 cup sour cream
- 1 3/4 cups all purpose flour
- 1/2 cup cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup chocolate chips
- 1 tsp peppermint extract
Chocolate Glaze Topping:
- 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
Using an electric mixer, 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: While bread is baking, make the chocolate glaze. (You can see detailed instructions on how to make this glaze here- it’s my favorite recipe for chocolate ganache. I list just the basic steps in this recipe.)
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 into any cracks. 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.
Inspired by Taste of Home but adapted from Chocolate, Chocolate & More’s recipe here.
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!
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
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!
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup butter softened
- 1 cup sugar
- 2 eggs
- 1 cup sour cream
- 1 3/4 cups all purpose flour
- 1/2 cup cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup chocolate chips
- 1 tsp peppermint extract
- Chocolate Glaze Topping:
- 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
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. (You can see detailed instructions on how to make this glaze here- it's my favorite recipe for chocolate ganache. I list just the basic steps in this recipe.)
- 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.
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!!