Peppermint Bark Brownies

These peppermint bark brownies just look and taste like the holidays! Fudgy chocolaty brownies full of gooey chocolate chips, and then topped with white chocolate and a generous sprinkle of peppermint candy on top of the brownies. Gooey and delicious!

 

Why We Love Peppermint Bark Brownies

• Pure Holiday Deliciousness– Perfect for Christmas, Thanksgiving, cookie trays, and parties, these brownies are always a hit this time of year!
• Perfect for Peppermint Fans– We take all the best parts of white chocolate peppermint bark and use it as the topping on a gooey brownie. The candy cane pieces on top are little Christmas decorations.
• The Fudgiest Brownie- This recipe starts with my classic fudgy brownie recipe, and then we take it up a level for the holidays. These brownies are perfect for those who love all things peppermint chocolate. We loved these so much that we also made an Andes mint brownie version!

Ingredients For Peppermint Bark Brownies

• eggs
• butter unsalted, melted
• brown sugar
• white sugar
• vanilla extract
• peppermint extract optional
• all purpose flour
• unsweetened cocoa powder – this is not the same as the sweetened hot chocolate mix, find unsweetened cocoa powder in the baking aisle
• salt
• chocolate chips semi-sweet, I prefer semi-sweet but you could also use dark chocolate, white chocolate or even milk chocolate.
• white chocolate chips
• coconut oil or shortening can also work
• crushed peppermint candies you can use round peppermint candies or candy canes

How To Make Peppermint Bark Brownies

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a square 8×8 pan with aluminum foil and lightly oil with spray oil. You can also line the pan with parchment paper instead and skip the oil, which I do often.
2. Add the eggs to a large mixing bowl and whip with a whisk until the yolks break. Melt butter in the microwave or in a medium saucepan. Add melted butter, brown sugar, white sugar, vanilla and optional peppermint extract to the bowl and mix well.

3. In a second bowl, mix together the flour, cocoa and salt until combined. Add this mixture to your wet ingredients and mix until just combined with a silicone spatula to make the chocolate mixture into a brownie batter.

4. Fold the chocolate chips into the batter.

5. Pour batter into the prepared pan. Use your spatula to spread the batter evenly in the pan.

6. Bake brownies for about 25-28 minutes or until when you insert a toothpick in the center, the brownies are fudgy but not wet with batter. Allow the brownies to cool but leave them on the foil.
7. Melt the white chocolate and coconut oil together in a microwave-safe bowl at half power in the microwave for 30 seconds at a time. Stir in between with a dry spoon until a smooth white chocolate sauce forms. This method is a lot easier than using a double boiler, just be sure not to get any water or liquid in the chocolate as you are melting the chocolate.
8. Pour white chocolate over the fudgy brownies and smooth from the center. Sprinkle the melted chocolate on top of the brownies with crushed peppermint.

9. Place in the refrigerator 30-45 minutes to set the chocolate, but can be left overnight. Slice and enjoy!

Why Do you Use Unsalted Butter?

I like to use unsalted butter as it gives more consistent results. The amount of salt in salted butter can vary a lot which can change the final brownie flavor a lot.

You can test your luck with salted butter though, I recommend taking out the salt in the recipe when using salted butter.

How Long Do Peppermint Bark Brownies Last?

This peppermint bark brownies recipe will taste it’s best within three days if stored in an airtight container on the counter. The brownies can still be eaten four to five days after baking but will taste freshest within three days.

Can I Make These Brownies Using A Boxed Brownie Mix?

You can use your favorite boxed mix brownies for the base to make these brownies, though the homemade chocolate brownies won’t disappoint!

To use boxed brownies, make the brownie batter according to the package directions adding the peppermint extract to the batter when you add the wet ingredients. (If you choose to use peppermint extract, you can go without it.

Fold the chocolate chips into the batter at the end of mixing, then bake the brownies according to the box directions. Add the white chocolate and peppermint topping after the brownies have cooled to finish this peppermint bark brownie recipe.