Chocolate Peppermint Brownies

These chocolate peppermint brownies are wonderful fudgy bites that will remind you of one of your favorite Girl Scout cookies, Thin Mints... only much fudgier. 

These brownies are super fudgy and are glazed with a deep chocolate ganache that is decorated with a white chocolate drizzle. 

You can make these brownies in the morning and serve them in the afternoon... and the white chocolate drizzle, which is easy to add to the topping, will make the brownies look very "professional."

These brownies, without any leavening except egg, are very dense. They actually get better over time, becoming more and more like candy. 

You definitely need to make these if you have chocolate lovers in your life... plus, these are perfect for mailing to loved ones over the holidays!

Ingredients:

Chocolate: You will need unsweetened chocolate for the brownies along with semisweet chocolate for the ganache. For the white chocolate drizzle, you can use actual white chocolate or white candy melts. I used white candy melts because it was easier to melt and a brighter white. 

You can also add a little peppermint oil and green food coloring gel to the white chocolate/melts to bring out more of the minty-ness. 

From the Fridge: Butter and eggs. 

From the Pantry: Granulated Sugar, flour, salt, and corn syrup. 

Process to Make these Brownies:

First, melt the butter and the unsweetened chocolate in a double boiler. 

Next whisk together the eggs, peppermint extract, salt, and sugar and then fold in the melted chocolate butter mixture. Bake this mixture in a parchment lined 9" by 13" baking pan. 

When the brownies have cooled, melt the ganache ingredients and spread the mixture over the brownies and then drizzle the white chocolate in rows across the ganache. 

Using a skewer or toothpick, drag the toothpick or skewer crosswise, in one direction and then the other, to create a chevron-style pattern. 

Finally, cut the brownies into about 30 squares with a large sharp chef's knife. Run the knife under hot water and dry it after each cut. The warm knife will make cutting through the icing easier.

Choctober Chocolate Recipes: 

• (Whole Wheat) Chocolate Chip Banana Bread from Art of Natural Living
• Chocolate Covered Strawberry Cookies from A Kitchen Hoor's Adventures
• Chocolate Falooda from Magical Ingredients
• Chocolate Peppermint Brownies from Karen's Kitchen Stories
• Hungarian Chocolate Torte from That Recipe

We share Recipes From Our Dinner Table! Join our group and share your recipes, too! While you're at it, join our Pinterest board, too!

Chocolate Mint Brownies

Yield: 30 brownies

Author: Karen Kerr

Prep time: 30 MinCook time: 30 MinInactive time: 2 HourTotal time: 3 Hour

These chocolate peppermint brownies are wonderful fudgy bites that will remind you of one of your favorite Girl Scout cookies, Thin Mints... only much fudgier.

Ingredients

• 10 ounces, 2 1/2 sticks, unsalted butter
• 10 ounces unsweetened chocolate
• 4 large eggs
• 3 teaspoons peppermint extract
• 2 cups granulated sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 4 1/2 ounces (1 cup) unbleached all purpose flour
• 2 ounces semisweet chocolate
• 2 tablespoons corn syrup
• 2 ounces white chocolate or white candy melts

Instructions

1. Heat your oven to 350 degrees F. Line a 9 inch by 13 inch baking pan with parchment paper and spray the paper with nonstick spray.
2. In a double boiler, heat 8 ounces of the butter, 8 ounces of the unsweetened chocolate and cook over low, stirring regularly, until melted, six to seven minutes. Turn off the heat. Set aside.
3. In a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs, peppermint extract, salt, and sugar. Add the melted chocolate and stir. Slowly fold in the flour.
4. Spread the batter in the pan and bake for 30 to 35 minutes. Cool in the pan for 2 hours and then, using the parchment, lift the brownies to a cutting board. Remove the parchment from under the brownies.
5. To make the ganache: in the double boiler, combine the semisweet chocolate, corn syrup, remaining butter and unsweetened chocolate and melt, stirring regularly, until smooth. Set aside.
6. Melt the white chocolate or candy melts and set aside until ready to drizzle.
7. Spread the chocolate ganache over the cake while still warm.
8. Drizzle the while chocolate with a spoon or a pastry bag lengthwise in stripes. Then drag a skewer or toothpick crosswise back-and-forth to create sort of a "chevron" pattern.
9. Place the brownies in the refrigerator to chill and set the ganache for about an hour.
10. Cut the brownies into 30 squares. Store in an airtight container.

Karen's Kitchen Stories

 Recipe adapted from Fine Cooking, 2002. Recipe by Greg Case.