What could be better than a fun giveaway to get you in the Christmas baking spirit?! This month, I’m partnering with Rodelle Kitchen to give away an amazing little holiday baking package that includes all of the ingredients you will need to make these rich and gooey dark chocolate peppermint brownies! Head to my Instagram for a chance to win a holiday baking package, compliments of Rodelle Kitchen – it’s our early Christmas present to you!
Thanks to my sponsor, Rodelle, for supplying the free product to help me write this post today, and for partnering with me for the Christmas Baking Kickoff Giveaway! This post contains affiliate links. This means I may earn a commission should you choose to make a purchase using my link. It’s okay – I love and use all of these products, and you will too!
These dark chocolate peppermint brownies always get me in the Christmas mood. They are just the perfect combination of festive flavors all wrapped up in one delicious, melty, dark chocolate brownie!
This recipe for dark chocolate peppermint brownies requires just a teeeeeeny bit of extra work but trust me, it is absolutelty, 100% worth it!
How to Make Dark Chocolate Peppermint Brownies
I really do think that the key to these gooey and rich brownies is using quality ingredients. I will always stand by my word that this Rodelle Cocoa Powder is my absolute favorite! It provides such a rich, dark chocolate flavor in all chocolate baked goods! If you are a chocoholic like me, you’ll want to get your hands on a bag of this cocoa powder.
To get a little kick of peppermint flavor in these festive dark chocolate brownies, you’ll want to use some good quality peppermint extract! Rodelle, once again, has one of the best peppermint extracts that I have found. Of course, you can always use what you have on hand!
A Few More Tips
Add in some chopped dark chocolate. This makes for the best gooey, melty pockets of chocolate all throughout the brownies. Trust me. Forego chocolate chips and use chopped dark chocolate instead! I like a dark chocolate that is 70% cocoa or higher.
Watch the oven! Brownies can quickly over bake, so be sure to watch your oven. They should be set around the edges but still gooey in the center. They will continue to bake once you take them out of the oven to cool, so better less time than more in the oven! Because who wants a dry brownie? Nobody.
Drizzle melted dark chocolate on top and add crushed peppermint candy. Trust me. Just do it! You can melt chocolate bars and drizzle them over the tops of your brownies. And for the crushed peppermint candies, you can just use crushed candy canes!
I hope that these dark chocolate peppermint brownies are the perfect kickoff to your Christmas! I love whipping these up anytime that I’m craving something festive and chocolatey. Enjoy!
And don’t forget to head over to my Instagram page to find out how to win some amazing Rodelle products to make your own dark chocolate peppermint brownies!
For other chocolate lover’s recipes, check out these below!
- Coffee Caramel Sheet Cake with Chocolate Espresso Buttercream
- Dark Chocolate Mocha Muffins
- Chocolate Sour Cream Snack Cake
- Flourless Chocolate Cake with Espresso Whipped Cream
- Fudgy Coffee Stout Beer Brownies
As always, be sure to tag me in your photos on Instagram if you make my recipe or use #bucketsofyum in your photos! I love to see what you are baking.
Dark Chocolate Peppermint Brownies
Ingredients
- 1 cup + 2 tbsp butter
- 2¼ cups granulated sugar
- 5 large eggs (room temperature)
- ½ tbsp Rodelle Organic Vanilla Extract
- 1-2 tsp Rodelle Peppermint Extract (use 2 tsp if you want a bolder peppermint flavor)
- ¾ cup +1 tbsp all purpouse flour (sifted)
- ¾ cup + 1 tbsp Rodelle Baking Cocoa (sifted)
- ¼ tbsp salt
- ½ cup dark chocolate (chopped)
- crushed peppermint candies and melted chocolate
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a 9×13 inch baking pan with parchment paper and spray lightly with cooking spray.
- In a medium saucepan, melt butter and sugar over very low heat, stirring occasionally.
- Once butter and sugar mixture is melted, let slightly cool and then transfer to a large bowl.
- Add eggs one at a time to the butter and sugar mixture. Mix well. Add the Rodelle Organic Vanilla Extract and Rodelle Peppermint Extract. Stir to combine.
- Sift dry ingredients (flour and Rodelle Baking Cocoa) together in a medium bowl and then gradually add to the egg mixture. Stir gently and minimally. Coarsely chop the dark chocolate bar and fold into the batter. Do not overmix.
- Pour batter into the pan and bake for about 35 minutes. Check the brownies often to be sure they don't overbake!
- Remove from oven and cool on a wire rack in the pan. Once cooled, remove brownies from pan and cut into squares. Serve and enjoy!
Notes
- This recipe was tested at high altitude (5,600 feet) and works perfectly as written
- I used about one 3 oz. chocolate bar and 4 candy canes for the topping
Do you add the crushed candies/candy canes before baking?
Hi Cheryl! I add the crushed candies after baking. Hope you enjoy these brownies!
Hmm not sure what I did wrong. Made a weird crust spot in center of brownies. Cooked exact amount of time
Hi Alicia! Hmmm… I am wondering if maybe your oven runs a bit hot? Mine is definitely on the less powerful side so I usually need to bake for the full time. You can try decreasing the bake time and watch your brownies closely. You will know when they are done if the batter is set with just a slightly gooey center. Or perhaps the ingredients weren’t fully incorporated – there may have been a little spot of egg or sugar in the middle that caused it to become crusty. I hope this helps!