My #1 top favorite holiday dessert! I’ve been making this mint brownie recipe since I was a kid and during Christmas time we love replacing the green food coloring with red, and giving them a festive sprinkling of crushed candy cane. This starts with a super rich and fudgy brownie, topped with a cool layer of peppermint frosting, and finished with a creamy chocolate ganache.
I made a jumbo batch of these yesterday to deliver to neighbors and think it’s worth the highlight here. These brownies have a few steps, and take a little extra planning, but they’re so, so worth it. You can even make them all the way, or part of the way, a day ahead of time and spread out the work. This is my Mother’s recipe, and something I requested from her often, so I have tender memories associated with it.
Ingredient and Recipe Notes
- Chocolate – This recipe calls for unsweetened chocolate. This is the unsweetened Baker’s squares, found near the chocolate chips on the baking aisle.
- Peppermint Flavoring – Extract or flavoring oil can be used here. You could certainly use this same recipe for other flavor profiles. Orange frosting and candied oranges or raspberry frosting and raspberry chocolate chips in the ganache would be delicious!
- Butter – Real butter is always best!
- Food Coloring – These AmeriColors gel colors are my new favorites. I LOVE that they conveniently squirt out instead of me having to get out a toothpick to dip into the little jar and then inevitably getting it all over my hands and counter.
How to Make Peppermint Candy Cane Brownies
Step 1: Make the Brownies
- You’ll start by making the brownie layer. You want to use unsweetened baking chocolate, which is sold in bars by the chocolate chips. Make sure it is unsweetened. Place it in a microwave-safe bowl along with 2 sticks of butter that you’ve chopped up. Melt in 30-45 second intervals, stirring in between, until melted and smooth. Set aside. Don’t accidentally stick your finger in the melted butter and chocolate combo because it will laugh at you for forgetting that it is unsweetened. I do it every. single. time.
- Beat eggs and sugar for a minute, until they’re nice and smooth. Then slowly pour in your chocolaty butter mixture and mix just until it’s combined.
- You’ll add a bit of flour and baking powder, and again just mix until it’s combined. You never want to over-mix brownies. I also always sift my flour for this recipe. You can just put it in a mesh strainer and shake it right into the batter. I’ve noticed when I don’t, I sometimes get little visible flour spots in my brownies.
- Bake those until a knife comes out clean. I’ve found that baking time really varies on these, so make sure to do the knife test. And I always line my pan with foil because it makes cutting and serving so much easier when you can just lift the whole sheet right out of there.
- Let those cool all the way. If it’s cold out, pop them outside, otherwise after they’ve cooled to room temp, I just stick them in the fridge.
Step 2: Make The Frosting
- Next layer is the frosting. Whip up some butter (real butter!) and then add powdered sugar.
- You’ll add a little milk (this frosting is on the firm side, don’t go crazy with the milk),
and quite a lot of peppermint extract. It will probably seem like too much, but it’s purposely strong. This is the only peppermint going into the brownies, and it’s a thin layer. So that one cool, creamy layer has to be enough to contrast all of the rich chocolate.
- Whip, whip, whip,
to creamy perfection.
- Add a couple drops of red food coloring.
A couple of drops will do it.
- Then carefully spread the frosting on your cooled brownies. You have to use a soft hand in order to not tear up the top of the brownie layer. If you get a few bits in there it’s okay though, because we’re going to cover that up anyway.
Pop that in the fridge again to chill.
Step 3: Make the Chocolate Topping
- Melt some semi-sweet (or dark) chocolate chips and more butter. I prefer to use unsalted in this top layer, but you can use either.
Melt it until it’s smooth and creamy. Remember in the first step when I told you to not accidentally let your finger fall in the chocolate butter mixture? Totally doesn’t apply to this chocolate butter mixture.
- Let it cool off so it’s still super spreadable, but not hot (if it’s hot it will melt your frosting and make a big gooey mess.
Just spread it on quickly and evenly.
- While it’s still wet, sprinkle on some crushed candy cane.
A little, a lot, whatever floats your boat.
You can make this whole pan a day ahead of time. Just cover well and place in the fridge (uncut) overnight.) When you’re ready to serve, pull the foil out so you remove the whole sheet of brownies and cutting is a cinch.
You get three distinct layers here of rich and fudgy brownie, cool creamy frosting, and smooth decadent chocolate.
The little bits of candy cane are icing on the cake. Or topping on the brownie. Whatever.
FAQs
- Can I make these ahead of time? Yep. Feel free to make them completely a whole day ahead of time. Just cover and keep in the fridge. You can also make the brownies a couple of days in advance and store in the fridge or freezer until ready to assemble.
- Can I double this recipe? The safest way to double recipes for baked goods is to simply set out two bowls and measure one-batch worth of ingredients into each as you go.
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PrintPeppermint Candy Cane Brownies
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Inactive Time: 2-3 hours
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Total Time: 3+ hours
Description
These Peppermint Candy Cane Brownies from Our Best Bites are the ULTIMATE holiday dessert! They require a few extra steps, but they’re definitely worth it!
Ingredients
Brownies
4 ounces unsweetened chocolate
1 cup butter (2 sticks)
4 eggs
2 cups sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 1/4 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
Frosting
2 cups powdered sugar
4 tablespoons butter, softened
1 1/2 teaspoons peppermint extract
1 tablespoon milk
pink or red food coloring
Chocolate Glaze
6 ounces (about a cup) semi-sweet or dark chocolate chips
6 tablespoons real butter (I suggest unsalted just for this step)
Topping
1/2–1 cup crushed candy canes (Use Bob’s or Brach’s; I don’t recommend Spangler’s)
Instructions
the Brownies
Preheat oven to 350 F. Line a 9×13″ pan with foil and grease the foil. Set aside.
Roughly chop baking squares and 1 cup of butter. Place them in a microwave-safe bowl. Melt in 30-45 second intervals, stirring in between, until melted and smooth. Set aside.
In a stand mixer or with electric beaters, beat eggs for about 3 minutes until thick and frothy. Add sugar and vanilla and beat to combine, then add in the reserved melted chocolate and butter combination. Combine flour and baking powder and whisk into brownie batter by hand until just combined. Pour into the prepared pan. Bake for 20-25 minutes. Test with a toothpick for doneness and don’t over bake! When a toothpick comes out clean, cool on a cooling rack. When completely cool, place the pan in the refrigerator to chill (this makes spreading the peppermint icing easier).
Frosting
Combine all frosting ingredients and beat until light and fluffy. Add extra milk by teaspoonful if you need a little more. Spread evenly over cooled/chilled brownies and place back in the fridge to chill again while you do the final step.
Chocolate Glaze
Place chocolate chips and butter in a microwave-safe bowl and melt in 30 second intervals until smooth.
Set aside for a few minutes, stirring occasionally, so it can cool off just a bit. Quickly spread on top of brownies. You need to work quickly so the chocolate glaze doesn’t melt the peppermint frosting.
Sprinkle the crushed candy canes on top and return to the fridge until chocolate is set on top.
Remove from fridge a few minutes before cutting into squares. Enjoy!
Sara – So I did try these with the cream cheese, but instead of baking the brownies with a cheesecake sort of topping (totally going to do that next time – I didn't have enough time to do that when I made them this week) I made cream cheese frosting for the frosting layer. I looked for an OBB cream cheese frosting recipe and didn't find one – you guys should post one some day. 🙂
The one I made worked, but I know there are better ones out there. I just used 1 brick of cream cheese, 1 cup powdered sugar, 2 tablespoons (about) of butter, 3/4 teaspoon of peppermint extract, and some red food coloring. It was SO good. The tang of the cream cheese against the dark chocolate brownie, with the sweet chocolate on top and the minty crunch of Bob's candy canes…..oh my.
Also, for what it's worth our brownies were done in 20 min. They were chewy deliciousness. Thank you for this incredible recipe. You guys rock our kitchen.
Tried these today and they were so much fun…I cheated and used a brownie mix and chocolate confectioners sugar for the glaze and it worked out just fine. Thanks for the inspiration 😉
Fondly, Roberta
http://con-tain-it.typepad.com/my_weblog/2010/12/foodie-friday-lizzie-borden-is-back.html#tp
Just want to reiterate that my brownies need 30 or so minutes. At 20 min they are still batter except for just around the edges. So if people are thinking that they need to take it out at 25 max to not over bake that is not necessarily the case. They are fabulous though and well worth the extra effort and time!
Laura- they'll be just fine on a plate, they're just very gooey!
Elle, it makes a 9×13 pan, so it makes however many you cut 🙂
about how many does this make?!
I made these on Saturday & they couldn't be better — possibly the most delicious treat to ever come from my kitchen!
Agreed with previous comments about a slightly longer cooking time: recipes often burn in my ancient oven before the minimum cooking time, but my brownies were just done at 25 minutes.
Also, Sara isn't kidding when she says to cool the brownies *completely*; I tried to rush the frosting on and ended up tearing the top layer of the brownies up with the first stroke of my spatula! I forced myself to put the utensils down and the brownies back in the fridge, and was able to come back and fix my mistake later. Patience first, delicious brownies later!
Heaven! You mentioned not taking these out of the fridge until a few minutes before you served them. Does that mean they wouldn't hold up well to put on a plate and take to school? Would the chocolate top get too melty?
Made these the other day when we had some friends over for dinner. OH. MY. GOODNESS. They are divine! We served them with peppermint ice cream and homemade hot fudge. Everyone raved about them! This may just be my new favorite brownie recipe ever!
Just made these yesterday!! OMG…YUM!!!! Just to make you feel a little better Christen, at 20 minutes mine were definitely NOT ready, but 5 more minutes they were perfect!! It was actually odd 5 minutes made that much of a difference, but it did. It's all about the toothpick test:)
Anyways, wanted to tell you I loved them and sent some to my husbands office and got raves all around. I also am wondering why you guys aren't huge as there is so much butter in all of this stuff… it's gross LOL
Melissa- never tried it, but it sounds yummy! Let me know if you try it!
Christen- always a good idea to test baked goods with a toothpick or knife before you take them out of the oven. Better luck next time!
totally disappointed with the turn out. Brownies were underdone. They needed to be cooked atleast 40 minutes. But I followed the directions for 25 minutes and they came out way underdone. Next time I will cook them longer and I am sure they will turn out just fine.
I’ve made these multiple times since my first try. Don’t know why the first ones didn’t turn out, I wasn’t thinking when I was cooking. They’ve turned out perfect each time after. Thanks for the delicious recipe!!!
Have you tried making a cream cheese/cheesecake type layer between the brownie and the chocolate where the frosting layer is? I'm just wondering if that would be delicious or a total disaster with the peppermint. These look awesome though, and we are going to make them this weekend. Yum! 🙂
Oh my goodness! These are absolutely delish! I actually cheated a bit and used a boxed Ghirardelli brownie mix (today is baking day and I just don't have time to do brownies from scratch). It appears I will need to make more before the Airman Dorm Resident cookie/cake drive on Thursday. LOTS more!!
I can't wait to make these – YUMMY!!!!!
i am a chocolate and peppermint fanatic
made these to sell at festival of the trees!
It's definitely a very dense, fudgy brownie, so it will be very moist on the inside. And the top does gets a bit crackly, but if it was overly so maybe you mis-measured something?
Hi
I made the brownies last night. The top of the brownie mixture became very meringue like in the oven while baking. It seemed done on top but the centre was still gooey according to the toothpick test. Is this normal?
Sara-
I did try doing this in a jelly roll pan. They look fabulous! I ended up using a family favorite recipe for homemade brownies (mostly because I was too lazy to chop and melt chocolate squares! and this recipe was simpler) and what I did was make 1.5 the recipe. It bakes for about 20 minutes in the jelly roll pan. Then I doubled your recipe for the peppermint frosting and the chocolate glaze and the amount was perfect. These look amazing and I can't wait to sink my teeth into them!
Katie, you can definitely use milk chocolate chips. I personally like my chocolate dark dark dark so I think the darker the better! The brownies are so sweet that I like the contrast of a not so sweet chocolate, but if you prefer milk it would totally work.
I made these a few weeks ago and really enjoyed them, but my husband thought the glaze on top was a little to rich/dark. Have you ever used milk chocolate chips for the glaze and would it be good?
Kanani- ya know, I really should configure it for a jelly roll pan because they do take a bit of time to make and it would be nice to get more brownies out of the process! If I were just guessing I'd say you might want to 1 1/2 the brownie part and definitely double both the frosting and the chocolate topping. And it would definitely take less time to bake since it would be thinner. If you try it out I'd love to know how it goes!
This sounds soooo delicious. Have you ever made a thinner variety by baking the brownies in a jelly roll pan? Any suggestions for how long to bake it and would I need to make more frosting?
I don't think you need to adjust anything for altitude on these. I've made them both at sea level and up in the mountains and they've been great every time! It's a dense, thick brownie, so you don't need to worry too much about delicate rising.
Do you think any alterations need to be done for high altitude? Would hate to make a mess out of the brownies….
I have been searching far and wide for a recipe just like this! None of them were quite what I was looking for. These look perfect!! There's nothing better than chocolate and mint during the holidays. THANK YOU for posting this; I cannot wait to make them!!
Just made these…they are AMAZING!!! And I think I'm going to do cupcakes with that frosting, because it is too good not to use more often during the holidays! Thanks!!
Oh my I have provided a link to this brownie on my web page. Brownie recipe. If you are not happy with this let me know and I will remove it.
Hi, I made these last Saturday for a holiday luncheon. I enjoyed them. I’m thinking everyone else did as well as there were no left overs! Thanks for sharing the recipe!
Happy 2009!
~ingrid
I just made these brownies over the weekend and they were SO YUMMY! Thanks for the great recipe! It will be one I will make every Christmas!