Love and Olive Oil
Peppermint Bark Brownies

Peppermint Bark Brownies

Fudgy Peppermint Bark Brownies with White Chocolate and Peppermint

The holidays are officially and undeniably upon us, which means the internet is awash with everything peppermint. Just like one month ago it was everything pumpkin, and one month from now it’ll likely be a sea of red velvet.

That’s just how the internet works, apparently.

And while I am loath to contribute to the peppermint-ing of the blogosphere, I’ll be honest when I say that I have been waiting since June to share these brownies with you.

I mean, Christmas decorations appearing in stores well before Halloween is bad enough… so I figured you wouldn’t much appreciate me posting an all-out festive dessert in the middle of summer.

So I waited.

I sat on the idea, as visions of candy canes danced in my head in the 90-degree heat.

Until I finally had an excuse to make these divinely inspired brownies. Our annual food blogger holiday shindig last night was the perfect venue to debut their decadence. And now I can finally share them with you. Joy!

Fudgy Dark Chocolate Brownies with White Chocolate Peppermint Bark Topping

I’ve said before I like my brownies dense and fudgy (if I wanted something cake-like I’d bake a freaking cake). Well, I think the picture above shows you that these brownies go well beyond fudgy. They are perhaps the fudgiest brownie in the history of the world.

And I’m totally cool with that.

The brownies are then topped with, well, peppermint bark. A layer of smooth white chocolate studded with crushed candy canes. The peppermint bits are just bright enough to hold their own against the brick of dark chocolate brownie.

Now that I think about it, I should have shared these in June, gosh darn it. Candy cane or not, they are totally appropriate ANY time of year.

Note: This recipe has been re-tested and updated as of December 20, 2015, after receiving a few comments that the brownies came out crumbly. This new version is moist and fudgy and even better than before!

Peppermint Bark Brownies

Peppermint Bark Brownies

This perfect holiday dessert recipe combines two of your favorite desserts in one: rich, fudgy brownies topped with sweet white chocolate pepper mint bark.

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Ingredients:

  • 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1/3 cup dark or dutch processed cocoa powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 5 ounces dark or bittersweet chocolate (70-75%), chopped
  • 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, cut into cubes
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • 2 large eggs, at room temperature, lightly beaten
  • 3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1/4 teaspoon peppermint extract

For Topping:

  • 6 ounces good quality white chocolate, chopped
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons vegetable shortening
  • 3 to 4 candy canes, coarsely chopped or crushed (about 1/2 cup)

Directions:

  1. Preheat oven to 350ºF. Line the bottom and sides of a 8-by-8-inch pan with parchment paper, leaving a slight overhang on two edges.
  2. Sift together flour, cocoa, baking powder, and salt in a small bowl and set aside.
  3. Melt chocolate and butter in a double boiler or a medium-large bowl set over gently simmering water. Stir until smooth, then remove from heat. Whisk in sugar and stir until mostly dissolved and mixture has cooled slightly.
  4. Whisk in eggs, vanilla, and peppermint extract until just combined (do not overmix). Sprinkle flour mixture over top and fold in to chocolate mixture using a large rubber spatula until just incorporated. Pour into prepared pan.
  5. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean. Transfer pan to a wire rack and allow to cool completely.
  6. Gently melt white chocolate and shortening together in a double boiler or in short bursts in the microwave on low power (white chocolate is very fragile and so you want to be sure you melt it very gently; be patient, rushing is the quickest way to ruin it). Remove from heat before it is completely melted; the residual heat will be enough to completely melt it. Pour over brownies, spreading into a thin, even layer. Sprinkle with candy cane pieces. Chill until set, at least 30 minutes, or preferably overnight (these brownies are at their best and fudgiest when chilled in the refrigerator overnight).
  7. Remove brownies from pan using the edges of the parchment paper to lift the entire block out of the pan. Using a large sharp knife, cut into 9 squares, then diagonally in half into triangles. Brownies will keep, covered in the refrigerator, for up to 5 days.
All images and text © / Love & Olive Oil

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75 Comments

  1. I was JUST daydreaming this exact idea a few days before this was posted! They look amazing. I just have one question: is there any alternative to vegetable shortening? That stuff freaks me out.

    • You could use pure cocoa butter (be sure it’s culinary grade), which will help thin out the glaze in much the same way. It can be costly and hard to find though, which is why I used the shortening.

    • Lindsay – do you think coconut oil would also work? I’m tempted to try it.

      • In place of the butter in the brownies or the shortening in the bark topping? Definitely the later. I can’t speak to whether it’d work to swap for the butter as that’s a bigger part of the recipe, though I have made brownies successfully with olive oil so I imagine so? Do let me know if you try it!

  2. These look perfectly fudgy and I love the peppermint bark on top!

  3. Oh My Word!! I want these NOW!! (and I might try a cream cheese – peppermint – white chocolate frosting…) just to give in to my peppermint cream cheese fetish!! YUM!

  4. These look like absolute perfection!

  5. This is perfect for the holidays! Your peppermint bark brownies look gorgeous in the pics, I can practically smell the aroma. Thanks for sharing. And a big THANKS for organizing the Great Food Blogger Cookie Swap with Julie. You guys are awesome to be so generous with your time. Happy Holidays!

  6. Great cookies.
    Thanks a lot of the Great Food Blogger Cookie Swap from Italy. It helped not only to share cookies and recipes, also to build frienships.

  7. I wish I had seen these earlier today. I would have made them for my office potluck tomorrow. Oh well… guess that means I’ll just have to make them and eat them all myself… shucks.

  8. Oh my amazingness! yes to fudge. yes to brownies. yes to peppermint. yes, yes, yes!

  9. These brownies look so dense and chewy and delicious! I do need to use up a huge bag of peppermint candies that I recently found, and this might be just the way to do it!

  10. Oh, my gosh the brownie portion of this recipe looks so thick and fudgey and absolutely sinful! Yum!!!

  11. Gorgeous, as always! They look the perfect treat to serve at a holiday party!

  12. Its so funny how flavors /colors evoke different seasons in the blogosphere! These brownies look like a dream come true for any peppermint lover!

  13. Aww so pretty!

  14. Oh…I couldn’t agree more, you want cake..bake a cake! These little treats look ridiculously delicious! Perfect for the holidays, definitely making this weekend!

  15. LOVE this!

    I recently made a Peppermint Pattie Cake that this totally reminds me of – it’s a chocolate bundt cake topped with a chocolate ganache, thick peppermint glaze, and crushed candy canes – soooo easy to make, SO pretty anddd delish!!

  16. these look absolutely delicious! – gooey with a little candy cane crunch. :)

  17. I love how fudgy these look! :)

  18. I love peppermint bark than ontop of a gooey brownie..I have pinned and so want to make…now

  19. I know what I’m making this weekend! Love fudgy brownies as well.

  20. I LOVE your take on brownies! Every brownie should be shoved full of chocolate and just meeeeeelt in your mouth! And the pepermint aspect to the brownie sounds so festive and tasty!

  21. I just found your blog & your recipes look amazing!! Thanks for sharing!!

  22. These look delicious! :) Happy holidays!

  23. These would work just fine in my belly right now!!

  24. What an odd coincidence – we just made these yesterday! They are so delicious :)

  25. delish! a great dessert!

  26. fudgy brownie heaven!!! Yes yes yes please.

  27. So incredibly gorgeous and delicious looking!!!

  28. I just made peppermint bark for the first time this weekend & can’t stop eating it. These sound even better! Great idea.

  29. Wow, yours turned out beautiful!!

  30. How creative! I love them. . .
    Would be nice to serve my folks something different this year for Christmas. . .
    BTW This is where I found some good recipes this year. . .

    enjoy!
    Mathilda

  31. Even though I’m not really a peppermint fan, these look great.

    Oh, and I wouldn’t have minded seeing these in the summer. It’s always fantastic to have a little Christmas in July. :)

  32. Omg these look so perfect. It looks more like fudge than a brownie and trust me I’m not complaining! :)

  33. Very festive looking!!

  34. I’m with you on the cakey brownies thing. I’d rather eat no brownie than a cakey one. But these clearly have the perfect texture. :)

    These are magical looking! White chocolate and peppermint sounds awesome. We don’t seem to have peppermint anything here in Germany and seeing all these peppermint recipes the last week or two is killng me!

  35. eeee love these!! I think those candy cane kisses – I’m obsessed with – would be perfect on these too!

  36. I recently tried peppermint hot chocolate and loved it! Think these will taste pretty good too :D

    P.S. I reviewed your cookbook on my blog – LOVED IT! – please do check it out :)

  37. These look so yummy! And BEAUTIFUL!

  38. I was just thinking these looked like the fudgiest brownies in the world…and then you said it yourself! They look amazing and love the peppermint crust. Yum!

  39. I love that you married brownies and peppermint bark!

  40. I second the cake comment as well, brownies are dense, cake is fluffy, it’s just the way it is!

  41. Yum! I love peppermint bark and these brownies look amazing!!

  42. you just made my whole life.

  43. I am so with you on this “if I wanted something cake-like I’d bake a freaking cake” – Amen! I love dense, rich fudgy brownies and yours are perfect. Along with that thick layer of bark! Pinning – they are just so perfect!

  44. Mint and chocolate: a marriage made in heaven! I’m loving these brownies…

  45. There isn’t a better combo than peppermint and chocolate…well, I mean peanut butter and chocolate.. ok, there’s ALMOST no better combo than peppermint and chocolate..
    Anyway, these look fantastic!

  46. So festive! Love them!

  47. yeah, these work for me :)

  48. Those brownies look incredible – so rich and dense and gooey. I’m going to have to go and make these immediately.

  49. Looks excellent! Def on my holiday baking list now! I love peppermint bark and this combination seems just perfect!

  50. Why didn’t I think of this? I absolutely love peppermint bark, so adding it to a brownie base is just brilliant.

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