For those not in the know, Santa loves brownies every bit as much as he loves cookies. Specifically frosted peppermint brownies with pecans. These are really just a riff on one of our favorite brownie recipes: the chocolate frosted brownies from a family reunion cookbook that I got decades ago. The brownie base is fudgy but extra easy since it’s just made with cocoa powder so you don’t need to chop or melt any chocolate for this one. And if you love the classic combo of mint chocolate, be sure to also check out our Dark Chocolate Mint Chip Cookies and classic BYU Mint Brownies as well!
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
Easy to customize. You can make these from scratch or use the semi-homemade approach with your favorite boxed brownie mix. If you love nuts in brownies, you’ll extra love these with some chopped pecans thrown in the batter (a must for me!) but they are just as good with semisweet chocolate chips for pockets of extra chocolate. Perfect amount of peppermint. We added peppermint extract to the brownie batter so there is the wintery taste of peppermint and chocolate throughout without it being overpowering. Prettiest brownies for a holiday event. These are dressed up with the sparkle of crushed candy canes and a pale pink frosting on top that gets its color from the crushed candy canes mixed right into the frosting.
What You’ll Need
Scroll down to the recipe card below this post for ingredient quantities and full instructions.
All-purpose flour Cocoa powder Granulated sugar Eggs Peppermint extract Chopped pecans Powdered sugar Salted butter Heavy cream Vanilla extract Crushed candy canes
How to Make Frosted Peppermint Brownies
Recipe Tips and Tricks
Candy cane shortcut. You can buy crushed candy canes in jars in the baking aisle or holiday aisle this time of year, which will save you unwrapping and crushing a box of candy canes yourself, if you prefer. Don’t overbake. I don’t look for a toothpick to come out clean when making brownies because that usually means they are overbaked and will end up dry. There should be crumbs on the tester, you just want to make sure it’s not coated in batter, which would indicate the brownies haven’t baked long enough. Cut with a plastic knife. You’ll actually get cleaner slices on your brownies if you cut them with a plastic knife. I also like to use a parchment paper sling so I can remove the brownies from the pan, which helps me cut straighter lines as well.
Storage & Freezing Instructions
Keep the brownies in an airtight container (or the pan they were baked in covered with plastic wrap) for up to 5 days at room temperature on the counter. You can also freeze these brownies, frosting an all. If you are freezing individual brownies, I recommend wrapping them each in plastic wrap to protect them, then transferring to an airtight container or resealable freezer-safe bag for longer term storage. The only downside to freezing and thawing these brownies is any extra crushed candy cane on top might be a bit sticky once they thaw.
More Peppermint Recipes
Peppermint Hot Chocolate Bombs Homemade Peppermint Patties Peppermint Marshmallows Peppermint Chocolate Chip Cookies Peppermint Bark Cheesecake
Candy Cane Peppermint Pie
Peppermint Ice Cream
Chocolate Peppermint Blossoms
Let me know what you thought with a comment and rating below. You can also take a picture and tag me on Instagram @houseofnasheats or share it on the Pinterest pin so I can see.
