One of my favorite Christmas treats is the peppermint bark from Williams Sonoma. I tend to pick it up after Christmas when it goes on sale (I mean, that stuff is expensive as heck), and it’s absolutely delicious. So when I saw these peppermint bark brownies in a Christmas baking magazine by Delish, I just had to make them.

I adapted the recipe a bit to suit my own tastes, as I usually do, and they are indeed delish. I used a dark chocolate brownie recipe I’ve made many times before, but next time I’ll dial back the frosting – I think it was a bit thick compared to the brownie itself. The frosting would make a wonderful addition to dark chocolate cupcakes as well.

Ingredients

For the brownies

• 12 tablespoons butter
• 2 cups sugar
• 1 cup Dutch process cocoa powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 3 eggs
• 1 cup flour

For the frosting

• 1 cup butter, at room temperature
• 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon peppermint extract
• 1 1/2 cups white chocolate chips, melted and cooled*
• About 1/4 cup crushed cand canes

*Be careful when cooling your melted white chocolate chips – they can begin to harden faster than you might imagine! I let mine sit until they were just cool enough to blend into the frosting. 

Preparation

Preheat oven to 325. Lightly grease a 9 x 13 tin with baking spray.

In a large pot, melt butter over medium-low heat. Stir in sugar, allowing the mixture to become just hot, but not bubbly. Remove from heat and stir in cocoa powder, salt, baking powder, and vanilla. Whisk in eggs, then stir in flour.

Pour batter into the baking tin and spread evenly. Bake for 29-32 minutes, until a cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean or with just a few moist crumbs. Remove from oven and allow to cool completely before frosting.

To make frosting, beat butter on medium speed for about 1 minute. Add powdered sugar and beat on low speed until the sugar is fully incorporated into the butter. Add peppermint extract, then melted white chocolate chips. Beat to combine completely, until smooth.

Spread frosting over cooled brownies and sprinkle with crushed candy canes. Cut into squares; makes 24.