Recipe – Peppermint Brownies

Happy National Brownies Day! To celebrate, I’m posting a recipe for my peppermint brownies. With peppermint extract and peppermint flavor coming from candy canes and peppermint sandwich cookies and/or peppermint patties, these are the perfect treat for the holiday season. What makes these extra decadent are two things. First, the lack of chemical leavening agent (baking soda/powder) makes these brownies a bit denser. Second, using Droste Dutch-processed cocoa packs a ton of chocolate flavor. I’ve tried other Dutch-processed cocoa brands, but Droste definitely wins in terms of flavor and texture!

The Batter

First, make the liquid portion of the batter. Start by melting the coconut oil, olive oil, and 60% cacao baking bar in a microwave safe bowl for 1-3min at 70% power. Stir well afterwards to combine. I’ve tried developing this recipe with other percentages of cacao and I like the 60-72% range. 100% cacao produced brownies that were too bitter for us, and the batter tended to split.

Add the maple syrup, plant-based milk (yes, you can use other types of milk as well – this recipe is very forgiving!), eggs, and peppermint extract to the mixture in a mixing bowl and mix until homogenous.

Next, in a separate bowl, mix Dutch-processed cocoa, flour, and salt. Then, pour the dry ingredients into the mixing bowl containing the wet ingredients and mix until just combined. Overmixing brownies will result in a tough texture!

The Assembly

In a silicon mat-lined 8″x8″ baking dish/pan, pour in the batter. If you’re using peppermint sandwich cookies and/or peppermint patties, then pour 1/4 of the batter, then place a 3×3 grid of cookies/patties, then dollop the rest of the batter starting between the cookies/patties and edges and smoothing over with an angled spatula. Personally, I prefer a combination of cookies/patties and lay them in a random order – it makes eating these a bit more fun and surprising!

Next, sprinkle the crumbled peppermint sandwich cookies and candy canes on top of the batter. Here’s the final assembly before baking:

The Bake

Time to bake! Bake the peppermint brownies in a 325°F oven on the middle rack for ~25min or until a toothpick/chopstick comes out relatively clean (I like mine slightly under for even more fudgy goodness).

After it’s cooled, slice it up and enjoy! These will keep well in a sealed container for around a week (if they are not devoured before then!).

Peppermint Brownies

Materials:

Methods:

1. Preheat oven to 325°F.
2. Melt coconut oil, olive oil, and chocolate together in the microwave for 1-3min at 70% power. I recommend breaking up the chocolate into smaller pieces to make melting easier.
3. In a mixing bowl, mix maple syrup, plant-based milk, eggs, peppermint extract, and melted chocolate mixture until smooth.
4. In a separate bowl, combine Dutch-processed cocoa, flour, and salt, then add to the liquid ingredients and mix just until a batter forms. Be sure to break up any cocoa clumps.
5. Optional: if using peppermint sandwich cookies or patties, add 1/4 batter to an 8″x8″ baking dish, then line with a 3×3 grid of cookies/patties, then smooth over the remaining batter on top. I like to dollop the batter in the center and edges first, then smooth with an angled spatula.
6. Sprinkle crumbled peppermint sandwich cookies and candy canes on the top of the batter.
7. Bake ~25min, then cool before slicing and serving.

References

“National Brownies Day”. National Day Calendar. Accessed December 7th, 2021.