These fun and easy peppermint brownie bites are festive and can be ready to eat in 35 minutes!
How were everyone’s holidays? I hope you had a great Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, Christmas, or whatever holiday you celebrate. I spent some time with my in-laws, and it was a great time as always. I baked two cheesecakes and even got to ice skate at a brand new facility new my in-laws’ house! (For those of you keeping score, this is only the second time I’ve ever brought my skates in ~20 years of traveling to their house)
Before we left, our neighbors had a small gathering at their house (<12 people) for our neighbors. Not surprisingly, my husband asked me to bake chocolate caramel bars for the occasion, but I had already made them some for their daughter’s birthday celebration a few months ago and for our outdoor fire pit christening. I had to bake something else.
I came across these easy peppermint brownie bites and loved it immediately. The recipe made 12, and my husband did not get a chance to sample one at the neighbor’s house. As a result, I had to make them again.
Now here’s where the fun began. I knew that I was out of eggs, so I used my Bob’s Egg Replacer. I read the ingredients and saw that baking soda was in it as an egg substitute. For whatever reason, that didn’t faze me. Well, fast forward 20 minutes into baking when I check on the oven… and I see that my brownies have bubbled over and splat onto the bottom of my oven.
The brownies did not set, and the baking soda essentially caused these guys to explode. I had a gross, burnt, hot and sticky mess on my hands. I was NOT a happy camper. Thankfully, it was pretty easy to clean up (yay for silicone pans!!). My husband suggested that we go out and buy some eggs, so I took him up on his offer.
When we returned from the store, I tried the recipe again. No mess. The only thing that I didn’t like about this recipe is how sticky the final product was. Although I used a silicone pan, the brownies stuck to the pan and didn’t want to unmold. I would suggest greasing your silicone pans for this one so your brownies come out in one piece.
I chose to top my brownies with a glaze and with some peppermint baking pieces as well. They were fun, festive, and wonderful to eat.
Enjoy, and remember that this recipe does NOT work with an egg replacer that contains baking soda!
Husband’s rating: 4.5 out of 5
Addie’s rating: 4.5 out of 5
My rating: 4.5 out of 5
Peppermint brownie bites
Ingredients
Brownies
- 1 stick (8 Tablespoons) unsalted butter melted
- 1 and ½ cups granulated sugar
- ½ cup brown sugar packed
- 4 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon peppermint extract
- 1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- ½ cup all-purpose flour
- 6 candy canes (or peppermints) crushed
Optional glaze and toppings
- ½ cup powdered sugar
- ½ teaspoon peppermint extract
- 2-3 teaspoons water or milk
- peppermint candy bits
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350°F. Generously grease or line a muffin pan and set aside (I used a silicone muffin pan and did not line or grease it).
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or in a large bowl if using a handheld mixer, mix the butter and sugars together on medium speed until smooth and combined, about 2-3 minutes.
- Add the eggs, vanilla and peppermint extract and mix well.
- Turn the mixer to low and slowly add in the cocoa powder and flour until a few dry streaks remain.
- Turn the mixer off and fold in the crushed candy canes by hand until everything just comes together.
- Transfer the batter into your prepared baking pan, filling each well at least ¾ full.
- Bake in your preheated oven for 25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Note that my muffins were VERY sticky and even stuck to my silicone pan.
- Once the brownies are cooled and you've removed them from the pan, you can glaze the top. In a small bowl, combine the powdered sugar with the peppermint extract and mix well. Slowly add the water, one teaspoon at a time, until you reach a medium glaze consistently. It should be liquidy enough to pour but not too thick.
- Drizzle the glaze on top of each brownie and top with additional crushed peppermints, peppermint baking bits, or other decorations as desired.
Since my workplace has limited the number of staff working at any one day, I can’t connect with the one gal I relied upon to supply me with Girl Scout cookies (Thin Mints). So, I’ll have to make this recipe & maybe top it with a chocolate glaze, because you know, you can’t have too much chocolate!
Author
Oh, Thin Mints are THE BEST. These peppermint brownies are a good alternative, but not quite the same as those cookies though! 😉