Rich and fudgey brownies topped with crush candy canes … what more do you want this Christmas! These brownies are made with chocolate chips not cocoa powder and then more chocolate chips melted together with peppermint extract and rippled throughout. Add some crushed candy canes for a crackly top and you have the best Peppermint Brownies ever!
My husband usually likes my baking but these.. well these he kept going on and on about. The mumbled words that I heard while he stuffed his face with these after I finished taking these pictures was something like sounded like “The Bomb”!
He is really wrapped up in his intermittent fasting quest and trying to stay in shape which is a good thing but he keeps asking me about these brownies. It is like he is having dreams about them. I am going to stand by my initial reaction as well that these may be the absolute best brownies I have ever eaten.
Now I am not going to take credit for this recipe entirely. I did find it in this year’s special edition Food and Wine Holiday Baking magazine but I have to say the instructions did not exactly work out so I adapted a bit. I had to redo the peppermint chocolate and they took longer to bake than what read in the recipe. But the brownie base worked out beautifully.
The brownies are fairly easy to make but here are a few tips that may help:
TIPS FOR MAKING PERFECT PEPPERMINT BROWNIES:
- Line the baking dish with parchment paper so that the brownies can easily be lifted out of the pan when cooled to easily cut
- Use a vegetable steamer over the pot of boiling water to set the heat proof bowl inside when melting the chocolate
- If you don’t have a vegetable steamer to use to melt the chocolate over water most microwaves have a “chocolate melting” setting. Even though chocolate is melted on a very low setting check on it often and stir before adding more time. It is easier to add more time than to deal with burnt chocolate you will have to throw out.
- Add the peppermint extract to the chocolate after it is melted otherwise I find that the chocolate will seize as soon as peppermint is added and won’t melt properly
- Let the brownies completely cool before cutting or else they will break apart
- To crush candy canes into small pieces cover with a tea towel and gently tap with a mallet to break into pieces. This way the candy cane pieces won’t go flying all over the kitchen.
Decadent brownie batter rippled with peppermint chocolate and sprinkled with crushed candy canes… these are going to be a regular edition to my holiday cookie platter for sure. Best part is they don’t take long to make either. Downside they take a few hours to cool before you can cut into them… Or you can dig on in with a fork right then and there if you just can’t wait!
… maybe just the corner and no one needs to know right? Just don’t burn your mouth!
PEPPERMINT BROWNIES WITH CANDY CANE CRACKLE
Decadent brownies rippled with chocolate peppermint and topped with pieces of broken candy canes. Absolutely the best peppermint brownies ever!
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter
- 1 lb semi-sweet chocolate chips divided
- 1 1/2 tsp pure peppermint extract
- 4 large eggs
- 1 3/4 cup light brown sugar packed
- 3/4 cups all purpose flour
- 1 tsp salt
- 4 candy canes crushed
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Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease 9 X 13 inch baking pan and line with parchment paper
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In medium bowl wish eggs and brown sugar until combined. Set aside.
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Set heatproof bowl inside vegetable steamer over top of simmering water. Add butter and 2/3 lb chocolate and stir until melted. Let cool slightly and then scrape into bowl with eggs and brown sugar and whisk until batter becomes thick and glossy.
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Sift in flour and salt and gently stir into batter just until evenly mixed. Spread brownie mixture into the 9 X 13 baking dish.
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Add the remaining chocolate to the heat proof bowl over simmering water and gently melt the rest of the chocolate. When melted add the peppermint extract and stir. Remove from heat and let cool slightly.
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Add dollops of the peppermint chocolate to the brownie batter mixture evenly over 9 X 13 baking dish. Gently run a knife through the brownie batter to swirl in the peppermint chocolate.
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Bake for 15 minutes. Sprinkle crushed candy canes evenly over top and then return to oven to bake for another 15-20 minutes or until a cake tester comes out with only a few moist crumbs. Let brownies cool for about 2 hours before cutting into bars to serve.
