Peppermint Brownies
If there's one flavor that represents the holiday season around Christmas, it's peppermint. (And gingerbread, but I covered that in my Gingerbread Muffins post.) Anyway, peppermint is an iconic flavor of Christmas. It's in candy canes (obviously), mochas, cupcakes, cake pops, and now it's in brownies.
Last year I bought some peppermint extract because I needed to make some minty desserts, and I have never regretted that purchase. I've tried buying a lot of different extracts, because there's a million out there, but I honestly think peppermint is my favorite. The others are good, but peppermint..well, it's peppermint. That speaks for itself.
I know its the holidays and everyone's really busy, but these are as easy as pie. The brownies take one bowl, then you just drizzle and sprinkle for the decorations. Yum! You could even make these with boxed brownie mix: just folow the instructions on the box and add the same half teaspoon of peppermint extract.
So here's the recipe guys. Hope you enjoy!
TIME: 50 minutes YIELD: 9x13 inch pan SERVES: 12 large pieces
INGREDIENTS
For the brownies:
1 cup unsalted buter
8 ounces semi-sweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
4 large eggs
1/2 teaspoon peppermint extract
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup + 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
For the decoration:
1/4 cup white chocolate
2-3 candy canes, crushed
1. Melt the butter and chocolate over medium-low heat, stirring constantly until smooth. Pour into a large mixing bowl and allow to cool slightly.
2. Preheat oven to 350 F. Line a 9x13 inch pan with parchemnt paper or aluminum foil, leaving an overhang on all sides.
3. Whisk sugars and eggs into chocolate mixture. Add eggs one at a time, whisking well after each addition. Add peppermint extract, mix. Fold in salt, flour, and cocoa powder just until mixed. Pour into prepared pan and bake for about 35 minutes or until a toothpick comes out with only a few moist crumbs.
4. Let brownies cool slightly. Melt white chocolate over a double boiler, stirring constantly, just until melted. Transfer to a small piping bag or Ziploc bag and snip off the end. Drizzle chocolate over cooling brownies. Top with crushed candy cane pieces and cut into squares. Cool completely before removing from pan.
