These Peppermint Brownies are rich, chocolatey and easy to make from scratch. They have a gorgeous crinkly top with a gooey middle, and a chocolate & peppermint ganache. Christmas brownies make a great addition to any holiday cookie tray!
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F, grease an 8x8” baking dish, set aside.
Mix flour, cocoa powder and sea salt together in a small bowl; set aside.
Melt chocolate and butter together in a microwave safe bowl, or on the stovetop over low heat. Stir until smooth and glossy. Set aside.
In the bowl of a standing mixer, beat eggs for 1 minute or until pale and thick.
Add sugar and beat for an additional 30-60 seconds, until sugar is dissolved.
Add melted chocolate/butter mixture, vanilla, and peppermint extract and stir on low speed until batter is smooth and homogenous (uniform throughout).
Add dry ingredients, mix on low speed until just incorporated and there are no lumps.
Stir in in chopped peppermint bark until evenly distributed.
Pour batter into prepared pan; bake until the top is set and the brownies are only very slightly “jiggly”, 25-30 minutes.**
Place brownie pan on a wire cooling rack to cool completely.
Make the Ganache
Warm the heavy cream over medium heat, whisking every 30 seconds until it just barely starts to boil. The sides will bubble and boil, but you should turn off the heat before the middle comes to a rolling boil.
Turn off heat and whisk in chocolate, sea salt, vanilla and peppermint extracts until the mixture is smooth and begins to thicken.
Remove from the warm burner and let the ganache cool slightly while whisking.
Assemble
Pour the chocolate ganache over the cooled brownies and spread it evenly over the surface.
If desired, top with extra chopped peppermint bark.
Chill in the refrigerator for at least 3 hours, or until the ganache has set up.
Cut into squares and serve.
Video
Notes
If you'd prefer, you can use this chocolate buttercream frosting instead of a ganache. It hardens well and is perfect to use if you're making these to put on a cookie tray.Ingredient Substitutions
Salted butter. Unsalted butter, coconut oil or ghee can also be used in this recipe, but salted butter is my favorite.
Semisweet chocolate. Chips, chopped bars, discs, etc. all work equally well since it's being melted.
Granulated sugar. white sugar or organic cane sugar are good choices.
All-purpose flour. For a gluten-free version, feel free to substitute a 1:1 gluten-free all purpose flour blend.
Sea Salt. I recommend using pure, fine sea salt in baking and cooking! If you use iodized table salt decrease the amount of salt by half.
Doubling the RecipeDouble the ingredient amounts and bake in a 9x13" pan. Store/FreezeStore in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 5-7 days.To freeze, set individual brownies on a baking sheet and flash-freeze them until the ganache hardens. Then wrap them individually in plastic wrap and store in an airtight container or plastic bag in the freezer for up to 2 months.