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Happy Cookie Season Reader!

Cheers to The 12 Days of Cookies!

For the several weeks I'll be sharing our favorite holiday cookie recipes along with info on shipping, make-ahead options as well as my favorite tips for each individual cookie (bars & confections count too!).

Why We Love These Brownies!

For this holiday gem, I have you crush candy canes and separate the peppermint chunks (that you see on top of the brownies) from the peppermint dust. The peppermint dust is sprinkled over the brownies mid-bake for flavor and texture.

The brownie base is my favorite, foolproof crinkly shiny brownies with a touch of peppermint extract is added.

The brownies are then covered in a simple, classic ganache and sprinkled with the larger candy cane bits.

They are ALL THE THINGS: rich and fudgy and cool and crunchy in one perfect bite!

Can We Ship 'Em?

Gift, yes. Ship, no. Not this one. The ganache will firm up when chilled but then soften and gloss-up when closer to room temp. I'm afraid our postal service won't treat them with the care they deserve.

Make-Ahead Options

You have several make-ahead options with these...

Several Days in Advance...

You can make them, start-to-finish, and stash in an air-tight container in the fridge for 2 to 3 days. Set on the counter to bring closer to room temp and then serve.

If you plan on serving them several days after baking, sprinkle the top with the crushed candy canes on the day that you're serving them (candy canes can weep and melt over time).

Several Weeks in Advance...

You can bake the brownies, let cool completely, wrap tightly and then freeze. The night before serving, place them in the fridge to defrost and then set on the counter the next day until they come closer to room temperature.

Proceed with the recipe by adding the ganache and then the crushed candy canes, allowing time for the ganache to set before cutting and serving the brownies.

More Tips

1. Baking Dish. This recipe can be made in a 9 x 13–inch (23 x 33–cm) baking dish or a 9×9 (23×23-cm) square baking pan. The former will make thinner brownies (that’s what I used in the photos) and the latter will yield a thicker, fudgy brownie with a thicker ganache layer.
2. Peppermint Extract. I'm a bit picky when it comes to peppermint extract as sometimes they can taste a bit antiseptic. I like Nielsen-Massey Pure Peppermint Extract.
3. The Candy Cane Tops. I love to use a fine-mesh sieve to separate the candy cane dust from the larger chunks. However, you can use your hands to sift if you don't have one! Lastly, some peppermint candies will weep and melt a bit with time. If you won't be serving for several days, see my note above regarding waiting to add them to the tops of the brownies.
4. Let the Brownies Cool & the Ganache Set. Let your brownies cool completely before adding the ganache and then set in the fridge to chill completely so that you'll get beautiful, sharp cuts.
5. Serving Ideas. LOVE these served as a holiday dessert with ice cream. They're perfect.

As always, leave any questions, comments, recipe notes on the actual recipe post and I'll respond asap. 💗

I hope your weekend is fab!!

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