December 21, 2016

Extra Fudgy Peppermint Bark Brownies

I know — You have like five minutes to read this.

But these brownies are TOO GOOD to ignore, so please indulge me. Because not only are they super simple (9 ingredients), super fast (30 minutes), and taste amazing (!!!!!), they’re the easiest festive dessert you’ll ever damn eat.

When it comes to the cookie vs. brownie conundrum, I’ve always been partial to cookies. Perhaps it’s my penchant for circular-shaped food — have you seen this place? — or my insatiable need for on-the-go sweets. But whatever the reason may be, cookies have always held my heart. Yet somethings changed since I’ve made these brownies. Because after baking them not once, not twice, but FOUR times this holiday season, I’ve reached a major realization.

And it’s that baking brownies is SO much easier than cookies!

Like, by a million.

With cookies there’s a ton of sifting, chopping, and dough chilling, then eventually scooping them into shape. But with brownies all those annoying little steps are eliminated. Instead you go straight from stirring right into baking and then licking the bowl. It’s a much more streamlined process, so rather than bake yet another batch of cookies before Christmas, bake these!

Your cookie-worn guests will thank you.

I like my brownies extra thick and fudgy — hi, the recipe title — and these are exactly that. The batter portion doesn’t deviate much from traditional recipes, but I did use butter instead of oil, and that was a major change-up. Because not only does the butter produce brownies that are denser, thicker, and more luscious than EVER, it does magical things with the peppermint bark filling.

To make these extra festive I decided to incorporate peppermint bark not just on top of my cooked brownies, but within the brownie batter as well. And let me tell you — that was a BOSS decision. The buttery brownie batter gently melts the peppermint bark to create flowing ribbons of peppermint, it’s downright amazing. And not only does this liquid crunch practically ooze from the edges, it makes every bite literally melt on impact.

It’s a thing of glory, frankly. One that’s made even better by warmed fudge sauce and extra peppermint bark on top.

For added ease I used jarred fudge sauce here (Trader Joe’s and Smuckers both have great options) but if you’d like to make it from scratch, there’s a recipe I trust below. Just remember that whether you make the fudge or not isn’t the most important part. What matters is that you DOUBLE what I’ve written here, so you can save a whole batch for yourself!

As if these couldn’t get any better, they freeze incredible too.

and because I won’t see you before then — MERRY CHRISTMAS!!

Cheers to your holiday being merry & bright 🙂 xo

Extra Fudgy Peppermint Bark Brownies

Yield: 9 - 12 brownies

Prep Time: 10 mins

Cook Time: 25 - 30 mins (+ cooling)

Total Time: 40 minutes (+ cooling)

Print Recipe

Ingredients:

1/2 cup all purpose flour, sifted
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder, sifted
1/4 tsp salt
9 tbsps salted butter, melted
1 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1 lb peppermint bark, chopped & divided
10 oz fudge sauce (buy it jarred or use this recipe!)
Crisco for greasing
parchment paper for lining

Directions:

Pre-heat oven to 350F. Lightly grease a 9″ x 9″ baking dish with Crisco, then line with parchment paper.
In a medium-sized mixing bowl combine the flour, cocoa powder, and salt, whisking until combined. In another, large mixing bowl combine the butter, sugar, eggs, and vanilla, whisking vigorously until smooth. Slowly add the dry ingredients to the wet, stirring until the batter takes shape. The batter will be thick, which is exactly what you want.
Spread approximately half the batter along the bottom of your greased & lined baking dish, using a spatula to spread to the edges as evenly as possible. Sprinkle half the chopped peppermint bark on top, then cover with the remaining batter — Spreading this top layer can be annoying, but just do your best! As long as it’s even, you’re good.
Bake the brownies on oven middle rack for 25 – 30 minutes until a toothpick comes out of the center clean. Cool for at least thirty minutes, then gently remove from baking dish. Smother the top of the brownies with warmed fudge sauce — if using from a jar, microwave instructions will be on the label — then top with remaining chopped peppermint bark. Slice and EAT!