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These Extra Fudgy Peppermint Brownies are rich and decadent. Layered with peppermint cream frosting and topped with melted dark chocolate and crushed candy canes; these peppermint brownies are the perfect holiday treat!
Christmas Eve is officially around the corner and these Extra Fudgy Peppermint Brownies are the perfect treat to make this holiday weekend!
Are you ready for Christmas?!
This year I am feeling ahead of the game- all my wrapping is done and now I am just finishing the last minute touches to some small details. Usually, I wait until Christmas Eve to wrap all the presents but this year I wanted to make sure I had more time to enjoy Christmas Eve.
Not only is it Christmas, but we are also celebrating a birthday! My youngest daughter was born on Christmas Eve, so needless to say we will definitely be busy celebrating all the things. This year she wanted a penguin cake, which goes perfectly for the month of December!
With all the holiday chaos I am trying hard to make room to rest, reflect and be. I’m thinking this holiday weekend will be full of card games, Christmas movies, delicious food and of course- holiday treats.
These Fudgy Peppermint Brownies are the ideal Christmas treat. They’re sweet, decadent, and the peppermint cream totally puts them over the top!
I’m not going to lie though- these brownies are very rich.
But if you’re a chocolate lover like me, you will absolutely love them.
Extra Fudgy Peppermint Brownie Details
Rich, decadent and chocolatey- these fudgy brownies are truly hard to beat. A layer of peppermint cream adds a bright peppermint flavor that is so festive and refreshing! Topped with extra melted chocolate and crushed candy canes, these Fudgy Peppermint Brownies are the perfect holiday treat.
Ingredients for Extra Fudgy Peppermint Brownies
Simple ingredients come together to make these delicious fudgy peppermint brownies, many of which you probably already have on hand!
Here is what you need to get started:
- flour– all purpose flour
- cocoa– unsweetened cocoa powder, preferably dark chocolate. The higher the quality the better!
- dark chocolate– use your favorite dark chocolate bar!
- butter– salted and at room temperature. (This recipe uses a lot of butter!)
- granulated sugar– for sweetening the brownies
- powdered sugar– for the peppermint cream
- eggs– large eggs at room temperature work best.
- vanilla– pure vanilla extract, no imitation vanilla!
- cream cheese– for the peppermint cream icing.
- peppermint extract– either peppermint extract OR a few drops of pure peppermint essential oil.
- candy canes– crushed, to top!
How to Make Extra Fudgy Peppermint Brownies
The secret to getting extra chewy and fudgy brownies is by first whipping the sugar and eggs together in a stand mixer until frothy. Another key to fudgy brownies is to add melted chocolate to the brownie batter. This gives you an extra fudgy brownie that is silky smooth and perfectly chewy.
Here is a quick rundown:
In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, and salt. Set aside.
In a heat-safe bowl, add the butter and chocolate. Melt in the microwave in 30 second intervals until smooth (should take about 60 seconds total). Set aside.
In an electric stand mixer, add the granulated sugar, vanilla and room temperature eggs. Beat over medium high speed until the sugar and eggs are creamy. Carefully pour in the melted chocolate/butter mixture until combined.
Slowly add the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients and mix until combined, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.
Peppermint Cream
In the bowl of a large stand mixer, beat the room temperature butter and cream cheese until smooth. Add the powdered sugar, vanilla, cream, salt and peppermint extract or essential oil. Beat over medium high speed for 1-2 minutes, until creamy and smooth.
Dark Chocolate Ganache:
In a microwave safe bowl add the chocolate and butter. Melt in the microwave for 30 second intervals, stirring between each addition until the chocolate is completely melted.
Assembling the Brownies
Once the brownies have completely cooled, spread the peppermint cream over the top. Place in the freezer to set for about 10 minutes. Top with the melted chocolate ganache, crushed candy canes and allow the ganache to harden, about 1 hour. Alternatively, you may place the brownies in the refrigerator for 20 minutes to speed up the process.
After the ganache is set, slice and enjoy!
These Extra Fudgy Peppermint Brownies would go great with a big scoop of vanilla beat ice cream.
We hope you love these Extra Fudgy Peppermint Brownies as much as we do! If you make these brownies, please be sure to leave a comment and/or rating below! I truly love hearing from you! And if you haven’t yet, be sure to subscribe to the Butternut and Sage newsletter so you never miss a delicious recipe! We have a lot of yummy content coming your way- you definitely wont want to miss it! 🙂
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More Holiday Treats You will Love:
- Dark Chocolate Oreo Truffles
- Soft Batch Peppermint Twist Sugar Cookies
- Fudgy Dark Chocolate Peppermint Cookies
- Dark Chocolate Sea Salt Brown Butter Shortbread Cookies
Recipe
Extra Fudgy Peppermint Brownies
Ingredients
Fudgy Brownies
- ¾ cup all purpose flour
- ¼ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 10 tbsp salted butter, room temperature
- 4 oz dark chocolate, chopped
- 1 ¼ cup granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs, at room temperature
- 1 tbsp vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon salt
Peppermint Cream
- 2 oz cream cheese, at room temperature
- ¼ cup salted butter, at room temperature
- 2 ¼ cups powdered sugar
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 tbsp heavy cream
- ¼ tsp salt
- ½ tsp peppermint extract OR 3-4 drops pure peppermint essential oil
Chocolate Ganache
- 3 oz dark chocolate, chopped
- 2 tbsp salted butter
- 5 crushed candy canes, to top
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350F and prepare a square 8×8 baking dish. Grease the inside with nonstick spray and line the bottom and sides with parchment paper, allowing some of the paper to hang over the edges.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, and salt. Set aside.
- In a heat-safe bowl, add the butter and chocolate. Melt in the microwave in 30 second intervals until smooth (should take about 60 seconds total). Set aside.
- In an electric stand mixer, add the granulated sugar, vanilla and room temperature eggs. Beat over medium high speed until the sugar and eggs are creamy. Carefully pour in the melted chocolate/butter mixture until combined.
- Slowly add the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients and mix until combined, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.
- Spread the batter into the prepared baking dish and bake for 20-25 minutes, or until puffy and set. Allow to cool for 15 minutes, then transfer the brownies to the refrigerator to cool completely, about 1 hour.
- While the brownies are cooling, make the peppermint cream. In the bowl of a large stand mixer, beat the room temperature butter and cream cheese until smooth. Add the powdered sugar, vanilla, cream, salt and peppermint extract or essential oil. Beat over medium high speed for 1-2 minutes, until creamy and smooth.
- When the brownies are completely cooled, spread the peppermint cream evenly over the top. Place in the freezer for 10 minutes to set. While the peppermint cream is setting, make the chocolate ganache.
- In a microwave safe bowl add the chocolate and butter. Melt in the microwave for 30 second intervals, stirring between each addition until the chocolate is completely melted. Pour the melted chocolate evenly over the peppermint cream and top with crushed candy canes.
- Allow the ganache to harden completely for 1 hour, or place in the refrigerator for 20 minutes to speed it along. Then slice, eat and enjoy!
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