Happy Christmas season everyone!!!
I have been itching to make Christmas desserts for a while now, and I have been listening to Christmas music for weeks. It is my firm belief that Thanksgiving is about food and family (and football if you ask my husband), and about being thankful for all that we have. To me, Christmas means much the same, with the addition of giving and sharing. It is just another step in the holiday season and there’s nothing wrong with Christmas decor/excitement/music/shopping coming before Thanksgiving. (I know Jennifer agrees with me!) My husband definitely does NOT agree, but he did bring in my decoration boxes last night, so I can officially get going into the holiday spirit properly.
To celebrate, I made brownies! Dark Chocolate Peppermint Brownies. Because nothing screams Christmas like the classic combo of chocolate and peppermint.
I found these gems at Cost Plus World Market right before Halloween. Snatched them up with the thoughts of brownies immediately!
I saw the Andes chips at Walmart last night so I know you can get them there too. (Yes I was at Walmart on Black Friday Thursday at 9pm. I survived. But for the record, I didn’t buy a thing – I will not give Walmart my money. I was with others who needed to get things there.)
Dark Chocolate Peppermint Brownies – adapted from Smitten Kitchen
Ingredients:
1 stick (1/2 cup) + 2 tbsp unsalted butter
1 1/4 cups sugar
1 tsp vanilla
2 eggs
3/4 cup + 2 tbsp special dark cocoa powder
1/2 cup flour
1/4 tsp of salt (omit if using salted butter)
1/2 package peppermint baking chips
Directions:
1. Spray 8×8 (or 9×9) pan with non-stick spray. Preheat oven to 325*.
2. Melt butter in microwave. Beat with sugar until it becomes a grainy paste.
3. Beat in eggs and vanilla.
4. In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, cocoa powder, and salt.
5. Slowly add to sugar mixture until mostly incorporated. Batter will be thick.
6. Mix in peppermint chips by hand. Pour into prepared pan and smooth out as best as possible. Sprinkle with crushed peppermint candy if desired. I desired.
7. Bake at 325 for 30-35 minutes or until toothpick inserted in the center comes out mostly clean.
8. Let cool completely to set before cutting.
I thought the chips would completely melt into these, but you can see some of them peeking through in my taste tester below. The peppermint flavor and smell magically soaked into the brownie itself too. It was just the perfect punch of peppermint without being overpowering.
The brownies themselves were dense but not super fudgy. Not cakey either. Almost like a dense, thick, rich cookie. Unlike any brownie I’ve ever had. They’re pretty spectacular.
Make these and get into the Christmas spirit with me!
Cookie Carrie 