My husband requested my baking assistance for his company’s holiday party and spent weeks deciding what treat he would like to bring. Then, as soon as our trusted Williams-Sonoma catalog arrived with what appeared to be a complicated yet amazingly delicious treat on the cover he knew that’s what he wanted. Okay, I guess I’ll figure that out. They are surprisingly easy when based off of my go-to brownie recipe (tweaked over many years of handwork) topped with peppermint bark achieved by melted chocolate and crumbled candy cane. If you have any room left for holiday baking, definitely try these.

The key to serving these and not creating a disaster of brownie and candy crumbs is ensuring they’ve been refrigerated for several hours (preferably overnight if you have the time). I cut them with the sharpest knife in my arsenal and individually wrapped them with cut up candy bags and tied with baking twine, which helped to keep them all together and more appealing to enjoy. Happy baking!

peppermint bark brownies

 

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Author: Lesleigh

Ingredients

• For the brownies:
• Three sticks of real, unsalted butter
• 2 ½ cups of semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 1 ½ cups granulated sugar
• One cup all-purpose flour
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
• Six eggs
• ½ tablespoon vanilla extract
• ½ tablespoon peppermint extract
• ¾ cup milk chocolate chips
• For the peppermint bark:
• Eight ounces white chocolate, chopped
• 1 ¾ tablespoon vegetable shortening
• One cup (at least!) chopped candy cane

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350°. Generously butter a 9"x13" baking dish and parchment paper. Place the parchment paper in the baking dish so it comes up over the edges (this will make it easier to remove the brownies once finished). Set aside.
2. Melt butter and semisweet chocolate chips using a double boiler. Stir with wooden spoon until completely combined.
3. Stir in the eggs and extracts.
4. In a separate bowl whisk together the sugar, flour, salt, and baking powder.
5. Add the chocolate mixture to the flour mixture and stir until combined. Then fold in the milk chocolate chips.
6. Pour mixture the baking dish and bake for 30-35 minutes (these will be fudgey!).
7. Let cool completely on a cooling rack.
8. Create double boiler and melt chocolate and shortening over simmering water.
9. Pour mixture over cooled brownies.
10. Sprinkle candy cane crumbles onto brownies.
11. Refrigerate immediately and at least for three hours prior to cutting.

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