Peppermint Brownies

I realize that the title of this blog is family dinners, but you can always use a dessert right? I'm not usually a fan of mint flavored things but these brownies are to die for. Don't be scared off by the length of the recipe, it really is quite easy to make. I made a couple adjustments at the bottom of the recipe, which I think make it better, but I will let you be the judge of that. Happy baking.

Brownies

1 19.5-ounce fudge brownie mix

½ cup butter, melted

¼ cup water

2 large eggs

¼ teaspoon peppermint

Peppermint Buttercream Frosting

½ cup butter, softened

1 ½ cups powdered sugar

1 tablespoon milk

¼ teaspoon peppermint

¼ teaspoon vanilla

Chocolate frosting

1/3 cup whole milk

¼ cup butter 1 12 ounce bag semi sweet chocolate chips

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 cup powdered sugar

Decorative Frosting

1 can white frosting with fine tip

1 can red frosting with fine tip

1- Preheat the oven to 325 degrees, then prepare a 9x9 – inch baking pan by spraying it with a light coating of non-stick spray. Cut a piece of parchment paper to the same width as the bottom of the pan, but make it longer than the pan so that the left to right ends go up and out of the pan on the left and right sides. This will create a ‘sling’ that will help you lift the brownies out of the pan after they’ve baked.

2- Make the brownie batter by first sifting the box of ingredients. This will remove the clumps. Add the melted butter, water, eggs and peppermint and mix the batter by hand until all the dry stuff is mixed in. Pour the batter into your prepared pan and bake it for 50-55 minutes, or until toothpick comes out clean. Allow the brownie to cool before frosting.

3- Make the buttercream frosting by beating together 1 cup of powdered sugar and the softened butter in a medium bowl with an electric mixer. Mix in another ½ cup powdered sugar, then add 1 tablespoon of milk, and the peppermint and vanilla. Mix for about 1 minute to make the frosting smooth. Add an additional ¼ cup of powdered sugar if the frosting is too thin and light. You want a frosting that can be spread easily, yet it should be firm enough to hold up the layer of chocolate. When the brownie has cooled, use a spatula to spread the frosting evenly over the top. Put the brownie in the fridge to firm up the buttercream frosting.

4- Make the chocolate frosting by bringing milk and butter to boil in a small saucepan over medium heat. Pour the chocolate chips into a heat-safe proof bowl. When the milk and butter come to a boil, pour the mixture over the chocolate chips and let it stand for a couple of minutes. Add the vanilla extract to the mixture and whisk until smooth. Use an electric mixer to beat in 1 cup powdered sugar until frosting is smooth. Spread the chocolate over the white frosting on the brownie. This recipe makes a little more chocolate than you need, so hold back about 1/3 to ¼ cup.

5- To add decorative red and white icing. Add the white to the cake in a sweeping motion diagonally across the top of the entire cake, then add the red icing over the white in the same sweeping motion in the same direction.

6- Stick the brownies back into the fridge for about an hour before removing it from the pan and slicing it into 9 equal portions.

*Stacey's adjustments

I halved the peppermint in the brownie portion--too much mint is not a good thing--and doubled the recipe to make it in a 9" x 13" pan.

Save some of the mint buttercream to use as your decorative frosting on top. I colored it red to make it festive but you could also make it green.

Only make 1 ½ times the chocolate frosting if doubling the recipe. It makes so much! Too much! I cannot believe I am saying that!

It says that it makes 9 brownies... but cut them smaller (like 18 small squares). The brownies are RICH and you don't want to be throwing away any half eaten ones at the end of the night.