Peppermint brownies with chocolate buttercream

A thick and chewy brownie is topped with the most luscious chocolate buttercream. Your friends and family will think this came directly from a bakery!

Holy cow, people. This brownie recipe is EVERYTHING. Yes, I already have a favorite brownie recipe, but this one ranks right up there too.

Addie and I went on our weekly mother-daughter date to the library one evening when I checked out Mark Bittman’s How to Bake Everything cookbook. Everything in this book sounded irresistible, and I couldn’t even pick out the first recipe to try because there were so many.

When I received an invitation for our skating club’s cast party (after the holiday show), I knew that I needed to bake something from the cookbook. I opted for something that wouldn’t take too much time, yet could feed a large crowd. Brownies was my answer.

I baked Mark’s recipe and opted to frost them with a chocolate buttercream, because why not? I adorned the tops with cute holiday colored sprinkles and brought them to the cast party after the show ended. The skaters thought that these were store-bought until I told them that I baked them that day.

These brownies were gone almost instantaneously, and for good reason. The brownies themselves are dense and chewy, with a bit of fudginess to them. The chocolate buttercream, well, was just so amazing on its own that I could have happily eaten that for my dinner. Since there were kids in the show, I kept the frosting as-is, but I imagine they would be pretty wonderful with a little bit of coffee or even alcohol mixed in.

Enjoy!

Peppermint brownies with chocolate buttercream

A thick and chewy brownie is topped with the most luscious chocolate buttercream. Your friends and family will think this came directly from a bakery!
Prep Time20 minutes
Cook Time20 minutes
Total Time40 minutes
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Keyword: Bars, Brownies
Servings: 16
Author: Eva Bakes

Ingredients

Brownies

  • 1 and 1/2 sticks unsalted butter
  • 1 and 1/4 cups granulated sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
  • pinch of salt
  • 1 teaspoon peppermint extract

Chocolate buttercream

  • 1 stick unsalted butter softened
  • 4 cups powdered sugar
  • 2 ounces dark chocolate melted
  • 4-5 Tablespoons milk of choice
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions

  • Preheat your oven to 325 degrees F. Generously grease or line a standard 8"x8" pan with parchment paper.
  • In a microwave-safe bowl, melt the butter completely. Add in the sugar and mix well. Then add the eggs, one at a time, and mix well after each addition. Then fold in the cocoa, flour, salt and peppermint extract until everything comes together and the batter is smooth and glossy.
  • Transfer the batter to your prepared baking pan and bake for about 20 minutes or until the middle are barely set (they will set as they cool).
  • While the brownies are cooling, make the buttercream. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or in a large bowl if using a handheld mixer, cream the butter on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 1-2 minutes. Turn the mixer to low and slowly add in the powdered sugar, about 1/2 cup at a time. Add in the melted chocolate and continue mixing until everything is uniform. Slowly add in the milk, 1 Tablespoon at a time until you reach your desired consistency. Finally, add the vanilla.
  • Once the brownies have finished cooling, frost with the chocolate buttercream and top with your favorite sprinkles or other decorations if desired.

Notes

Brownies should be stored, covered, at room temperature or in the refrigerator and will last a few days.
Source: Barely adapted from How to Bake Everything by Mark Bittman

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