Peppermint Brownies

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These peppermint brownies are made from a fudgy scratch brownie base and topped with a creamy peppermint buttercream. Top them with drizzled chocolate and crushed candy canes for a festive holiday treat!

WOAH, friends. What. A. Year.

And I don’t just mean in the “2020” sense. I mean from a baking standpoint, y’all made this first whole year of blogging full time totally a dream come true and I have loved creating recipes week after week that you all bring to your kitchen to share with your family and friends.

I had no idea at the end of 2019 when I picked brownies as my monthly recipe for this year that I’d have so many of you enjoying them right along with me, baking one every month, and sharing your pictures with me through Instagram, Facebook, and emails.

It was a SUPER fun year of monthlies, and I’m SO looking forward to 2021’s series of NO BAKE recipes! Check back next year for fudges, dips, pies, ICE CREAM, and so much more!

Let’s recap 2020, because if you’re just joining us now, WELCOME! You have 11 other brownie recipes to get to (LOL).

In January, we kicked off the series with my homemade fudgy brownies, which have no secret been the base for every brownie recipe to follow it.

See my homemade fudgy brownies, which is the trusted base recipe for all of my brownies.

That go-to brownie base is so simple, so easy, and beings perfect results every time. It’s the only scratch brownie recipe I’ve ever used and will ever use.

And it has proved its merit throughout this series, as evidenced by its ability to hold all different kinds of mix-ins, toppings, and flavorings.

February, red velvet brownies, of course, graced us with their rich red swirls and deep chocolate flavor.

March brought us mint chocolate brownies, which also gave us a smooth layer of chocolate ganache to top our brownies, so we obviously owe a lot of “yum” to that month.

April was all about the coffee– coffee brownies with mocha frosting took the spotlight there!

In May, we swirled Nutella into our brownies and all was right in the world.

June was all about combining a cookie texture with brownies for the ultimate peanut butter and chocolate brownie combo.

July brought us our first layered brownie with tiramisu brownies. We also added a coffee soak to these ones, which was AMAZING.

In August, we used caramel sauce and sea salt to turn classic brownies into drool-worthy, drippy ones.

September, of course, was all about the pumpkin with pumpkin cheesecake brownies.

October was EPIC as we put chocolate chip cookie dough inside our brownies and in the buttercream on top ( SO MUCH COOKIE DOUGH!).

November was all about the German chocolate, and that coconut pecan frosting was my BFF for a few days.

Which brings us to December… And you probably saw brownies with candy canes coming a mile away, right?

This peppermint brownies recipe is super simple, and you’ve totally seen it before.

I took the framework of March’s mint chocolate brownies, swapped green food coloring for pink, and broke out my candy canes and drizzling skills.

Fun fact: these peppermint brownies were originally supposed to look more like candy cane brownies, hence the pink buttercream.

Just like my mint chocolate brownies, I envisioned a white chocolate ganache top layer, but as it turns out, white chocolate just doesn’t have the same sturdiness that semi-sweet chocolate does.

So I opted for this topping instead and left with zero regrets.

I still have a soft spot for white chocolate ganache, but we’ll leave that to the glaze on my strawberry bundt cake or whip it up for funfetti bundt cake.

Instead, these chocolate peppermint brownies rock a perfectly pink top with white and dark chocolate drizzles and a heavy hand of crushed candy canes on top.

I know you will be impressed and jingle all the way with them.

Of course, the pink tint is totally optional. You can leave it white, if you’d like! The color I used was AmeriColor’s “deep pink.”

The result of these layered, easy peppermint brownies is so much flavor and all the texture.

The dense and fudgy brownie bottom creates the perfect foundation for that creamy peppermint buttercream, and the drizzled chocolate on top with pieces of crushed candy cane bring crunch in a few different ways.

Let those crunchy bites sink into the brownie and buttercream and you’ve got yourself something like unto peppermint bark brownies that is unbeatable this holiday season.

So what do you say? End this year on a high note: grab this recipe, gather up your fam, and have one last brownie baking party to send 2020 off.

But first, tell me… Which Brownie of The Month installment was your fav?

5 from 6 votes

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Peppermint Brownies

These peppermint brownies are made from a fudgy scratch brownie base and topped with a creamy peppermint buttercream. Top them with drizzled chocolate and crushed candy canes for a festive holiday treat!

Prep Time15 minutes mins

Bake Time25 minutes mins

Total Time40 minutes mins

Recipe Author Lynn April

Servings: 16 brownies

Ingredients

BROWNIE BASE

• ▢ ½ cup (113g) unsalted butter cut into 6-8 slices
• ▢ 8 ounces (227g) semi-sweet chocolate coarsely chopped
• ▢ ¾ cup (150g) firmly packed brown sugar
• ▢ ¼ cup (50g) granulated sugar
• ▢ 3 large eggs room temperature preferred¹
• ▢ 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• ▢ ¾ cup (90g) all-purpose flour be sure to measure properly
• ▢ ¼ teaspoon salt

PEPPERMINT FROSTING

• ▢ ½ cup (113g) unsalted butter softened to room temperature
• ▢ 2 cups (240g) powdered sugar
• ▢ 2 to 3 Tablespoons (30-45mL) milk or cream
• ▢ ½ to ¾ teaspoon peppermint extract
• ▢ 2 drops red liquid or gel food coloring²

TOPPING

• ▢ 2 ounces (57g) semi-sweet, dark, or milk chocolate coarsely chopped
• ▢ crushed candy canes

Instructions

BROWNIE BASE

• Preheat the oven to 350ºF (177ºC). Line an 8" or 9" square baking pan with foil and spray with nonstick spray. Set aside.
• In a medium saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter and chopped chocolate, stirring frequently until completely smooth. Allow to cool for about 15 minutes.
• Whisk sugar into cooled chocolate mixture until combined. Add the eggs one at a time, whisking after each addition until smooth. Whisk in the vanilla. Add the flour and salt and stir gently until completely combined.
• Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Bake brownies for 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out mostly clean. Allow brownies to cool completely before frosting.

PEPPERMINT FROSTING

• In a large bowl with a handheld mixer, or a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter on medium speed until creamy, about 2 minutes.
• With the mixer on low, add in the powdered sugar, peppermint extract, and milk or cream. Add the food coloring, increase mixer speed to medium, and beat until completely smooth, about 3 minutes. If frosting is too stiff, add more milk. If it is too thin, add more powdered sugar.

ASSEMBLE THE BROWNIES

• When your brownie base is completely cool, use a spatula to spread the peppermint frosting evenly over the brownies. Allow frosting to set and crust over, about 15 minutes.
• When you are ready to cut the brownies, remove the brownies by lifting the foil overhang straight up. Peel back remaining foil and place brownie block onto a large cutting board.
• Use a sharp knife to cut the brownies with quick cuts, cleaning the knife off between each cut (this will help the frosting stay clean).
• Place the chopped chocolate in a microwave safe bowl. Heat in the microwave on HIGH in 20 second increments, stirring after each time, until smooth. Put chocolate in a piping bag or squeeze bottle, then drizzle over the cut brownies. Sprinkle with crushed candy canes before the chocolate sets. Store leftover brownies at room temperature, up to 5 days, or in the refrigerator, up to 1 week. Brownies freeze well, up to 3 months. Thaw in refrigerator overnight.

Notes

1. Room temperature eggs: these incorporate into batter much more easily than cold eggs, although this is not absolutely necessary.
2. Gel food coloring: I prefer AmeriColor.

Adapted from mint chocolate brownies

Did you make this recipe?Mention @freshaprilflours on Instagram or tag #freshaprilflours!

Nutrition Disclosure

All nutritional values are approximate and provided to the reader as a courtesy. Changing ingredients and/or quantities will alter the estimated nutritional calculations.

Serving: 1brownie | Calories: 349kcal | Carbohydrates: 42g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 19g | Saturated Fat: 11g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 5g | Trans Fat: 0.5g | Cholesterol: 62mg | Sodium: 55mg | Potassium: 139mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 34g | Vitamin A: 411IU | Calcium: 31mg | Iron: 2mg