These rich and fudgy Peppermint Brownies are finished with festive candy canes and a white chocolate drizzle for the perfect holiday treat!
When I think of Christmas, I automatically think of PEPPERMINT and CHOCOLATE. Well, I think of chocolate all the time, but with peppermint? Well, that’s reserved for the holiday season. This is my most beloved brownie recipe, which my family has declared the best brownies ever, so they’ve become a Christmas tradition for us. Like my Vegan Brownies and Gluten Free Brownies, they are rich, chewy and fudgy, but it’s that fab candy cane topping that really makes them a standout.
Why These Brownies Are the Perfect Holiday Dessert
Christmas is so close and these peppermint brownies need to be made in your kitchen. Whip up two batches so you can gift one, and eat one all by yourself.
- Fudgy, gooey texture. These brownies have a low flour to chocolate ratio, which means they are supremely fudgy. Sorry cake-y brownie lovers, you’re going to have to go elsewhere for your fix! (But who really likes cake-y brownies anyway? I’ve yet to meet anyone!)
- Festive peppermint flavour. Peppermint extract is cooling and fresh, which instantly makes me think of snow and chilly weather. Now, we don’t get snow where I live, but these brownies make me feel like I’m in a winter wonderland!
- Vegan but crowd-pleasing. This is not the kind of recipe that only the vegans will eat. Everyone will love these peppermint brownies! They’re awesome for homemade gifts and cookie platters.
Notes on Ingredients
If you bake regularly, you probably have a lot of these ingredients in your pantry right now! Scroll down to the recipe card to find the ingredient quantities and recipe instructions.
- Chocolate chips – For double the chocolate goodness, I melt some chocolate chips for the batter then fold in more chocolate chips for pockets of chocolatey goodness.
- All-purpose flour – I have successfully made these peppermint brownies with gluten-free flour too. Use a 1:1 gluten-free flour for baking.
- Sea salt
- Baking soda
- Flax eggs or egg replacer – Here’s how to make a flax egg.
- Brown sugar – Brown sugar makes for a moister brownie, but cane or coconut sugar is fine too.
- Peppermint extract – This recipe was formulated with peppermint extract, not peppermint oil. Make sure you grab the right bottle!
- Coconut oil – A fantastic swap for butter because it’s an oil that’s solid at room temperature. You could use another oil if you prefer, though.
- Water
- Vanilla extract
- White chocolate – Use a quality brand! Some white chocolate has a waxy flavour and texture.
- Candy canes – Or Starlite mints, which have the same flavour. You can also buy crushed candy canes instead of crushing your own!
How to Make Peppermint Brownies With White Chocolate Topping
These festive brownies are super easy to make! Here’s a brief overview of the process.
- Melt the chocolate. Heat the chocolate chips in the microwave or over a double boiler until melted and smooth.
- Mix the dry ingredients. Whisk the flour, sea salt, and baking soda in a bowl.
- Mix the wet ingredients. Combine the flax eggs, peppermint extract, sugar, and oil, and then mix in the vanilla extract and water.
- Combine wet and dry. Add the dry mixture and melted chocolate to the wet ingredients and mix until combined. Fold in the chocolate chips.
- Bake. Spread the batter into an 8×8 pan and bake at 325°F for 35 minutes.
- Cool completely. Let the brownies cool fully in the pan on a wire rack.
- Add the topping. Melt the white chocolate in the microwave, then stir in the coconut oil and peppermint extract. Drizzle the brownies with the melted white chocolate and sprinkle the crushed candy canes on top. Slice and enjoy.
Tips and Variations
- Use high-quality chocolate chips. Choose chocolate chips with cocoa butter for a glossy, crackly top. Don’t use baking chocolate, which is unsweetened!
- Don’t swap the pan size. An 8×8 pan gives the perfect thickness. Changing the size will change the bake time too.
- Let them cool completely. The brownies set as they cool; cutting too early leads to a messy texture.
Serving Suggestions
Add these peppermint brownies to a holiday dessert platter with White Chocolate Peppermint Bark, Vegan Sugar Cookies, and Gingersnap Molasses Cookies. We also love to warm them up in the microwave and add a scoop of Vegan Ice Cream on top. Bliss!
How to Store and Reheat
- Room temperature: Store peppermint brownies in an airtight container for 3 to 4 days. I like to place wax paper between the layers to keep them from sticking to each other!
- Refrigerator: In the fridge, these brownies keep well for up to 1 week. Let them come to room temperature before serving for the best texture.
- Freezer: Freeze these brownies for up to 3 months. Wrap them tightly and then place them in a freezer bag or airtight container to prevent freezer burn. Let them thaw at room temperature or in the fridge. You can also warm them in the microwave.
More Vegan Brownie Recipes
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Peppermint Brownies
These rich and fudgy Peppermint Brownies are finished with festive candy canes and a white chocolate drizzle for the perfect holiday treat!
Servings 9 servings
Calories 458kcal
Ingredients
- 1 cup chocolate chips melted for batter, (188g)
- 1 cup all purpose flour (133.75g)
- ½ teaspoon sea salt (2.5ml)
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda (1.25ml)
- 2 flax eggs Learn how to make a flax egg or see notes* OR Two Bob's Red Mill Egg Replacer, my preferred choice
- ¾ cup brown sugar or cane sugar or coconut sugar, (158g)
- ½ teaspoon peppermint extract (2.5ml)
- ½ cup melted coconut oil or any other neutral oil, (100g)
- ¼ cup water (60ml)
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract (5ml)
- 1 cup chocolate chips unmelted for mix-ins, (188g)
WHITE CHOCOLATE CANDY CANE TOPPING:
- ¼ cup white chocolate (32g)
- ½ teaspoon coconut oil (2.5ml)
- a small drop of peppermint extract
- 2 crushed candy canes
Instructions
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Preheat oven to 325°F/160°C.
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Melt chocolate chips in microwave for a minute, stirring after to see if chips have melted. If not, microwave in increments of 30 seconds until completely melted. Alternatively, you can melt it over a small pot of boiling water (Not a lot of water in the pot) and put the chocolate chips it in a heat proof and melt proof bowl over the pot and stir until melted.
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In a medium bowl, whisk the flour, salt and baking soda until combined. Set aside.
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In a separate bowl, add the flax eggs, peppermint extract, sugar and oil and mix until combined for about 2 minutes. If you have a hand mixer, really whip it all together on high speed, or by hand very vigorously. Add the water and the vanilla extract and mix.
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Add the dry mixture from earlier to the wet mixture along with the melted chocolate chips and stir for about 3 minutes until combined.
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Stir in 1 cup chocolate chips. Pour into a greased, parchment lined, or a greased foil-lined 8×8 square pan. Bake for 35 minutes.
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When finished, remove from oven and allow to cool completely in the pan on a wire rack.
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After brownies have cooled, Prepare white chocolate candy topping. Drizzle over brownies then sprinkle candy canes on top.
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Slice into 9, 12 or 16 slices. Enjoy!
WHITE CHOCOLATE CANDY CANE TOPPING:
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Melt 1/4 cup white chocolate in the microwave for 30 seconds. Stir in coconut oil and peppermint extract and mix until smooth. Place in a ziplock bag and cut off a corner.
Notes
- *Flax meal is ground up flax seeds. You can buy flax meal or you can ground flax seeds up in a coffee grinder or NutriBullet. Measure the tablespoon after the flax is ground up. Since flax meal has natural oils in it, it can produce a slightly oil bottom, so I would highly recommend using the egg replacer if you can! I’ve been making this lately with Bob’s Red Mill Egg Replacer, and the results
are phenomenal! I make two eggs as per the package instructions! - TO MAKE GLUTEN FREE: You can use gluten free all purpose flour mix.
- VERY important notes re the brownies: It’s up to you what type of chocolate chips you would want to use, but do not use baking chocolate (which is without sugar). You can use semi-sweet or dark chocolate based on the brownie you would like to achieve. I recommend semi-sweet since it’s the best of both worlds. If you’d like a mix use semi-sweet for the base, and either milk or dark for the chips in the brownies. I highly recommend chocolate chips with cocoa butter as a primary ingredient for that crackly top (I love enjoy life or Guittard dairy free chips
for this). - Oil instead of vegan butter in products tends to create a moister product. If you want to use vegan butter though, all you have to do is switch out equal parts of the butter for the oil.
- The pan size makes a huge difference! If you do not use an 8×8 pan, e.g. if you use
smaller, your brownies will not be ready in the right amount of time. If you use a larger pan, they will be ready faster. - PLEASE allow your brownies to cool completely! This can take about 2 hours. This is crucial for delicious, set and finished brownies. You can slice them about halfway
through cooling with a plastic knife. - Ensure your oven is properly calibrated, and remember your brownies will not be
properly set until they are cooled down.
Nutrition
Calories: 458kcal | Carbohydrates: 56g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 28g | Saturated Fat: 19g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 1mg | Sodium: 169mg | Potassium: 69mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 39g | Vitamin A: 1IU | Vitamin C: 0.03mg | Calcium: 83mg | Iron: 4mg