Place a tray of theses beautiful and delicious treats on any table and you get instant holiday cheer!
The first time I made these brownies I was wowed by the flavor and texture that could come from such a simple thing to make. The chocloate in the brownie is just sweet enough without overpowering your tastebuds and when you combine it's fudgy texture with the creaminess of the ganache and the light crispness of the peppermint topping, you create a dessert made it heaven.
Ingredients
10 tablespoon butter, plus more for pan
6 ounces good-quality bittersweet chocolate, broken into large chunks
3 eggs
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 tablespoon vanilla
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
80 hard, round, red-and-white peppermint swirl candies (17 oz)
1/2 pound semisweet chocolate, chopped
1 cup whipping cream
Preparation
1. Preheat oven to 350°. Butter a 9- by 13-in. baking pan. In a medium saucepan, stir butter and bittersweet chocolate over very low heat with a heatproof rubber spatula until just melted (do not let simmer or boil). Remove from heat and let cool slightly, about 5 minutes.
2. In a large bowl, whisk together eggs, sugar, vanilla, and salt. Slowly pour chocolate-butter mixture into egg mixture, whisking constantly. Into a separate bowl, sift flour, cocoa powder, and baking powder, then whisk together. With a clean rubber spatula, gently fold flour mixture into egg mixture until just combined.
3. Spread batter evenly in the baking pan. Bake 20 to 30 minutes, or until brownies are firm, beginning to pull away from sides of pan, and a toothpick inserted in center emerges with only a few crumbs clinging to it. Let brownies cool completely in the pan on a wire rack.
4. Reduce oven temperature to 300°. Line a level, rimmed 11 1/2- by 16-in. baking sheet with parchment. With a pencil, draw a grid of 1 3/4-in. squares on parchment (5 rows of 8), leaving about a 1-in. border, and turn parchment over. Place a mint in the center of each square. Bake 15 to 25 minutes, or until completely melted into 1 large sheet, but remove before candy begins to turn yellow. Immediately score peppermint squares with a pizza cutter, using pencil lines as your guide. If scored lines don't hold, rescore quickly. Let candy cool completely. Gently break into squares along score lines. Arrange, bake, and score remaining 40 candies the same way (you'll have extra squares; pick the prettiest).
5. In the top of a double boiler or a metal bowl set over simmering water, combine chopped semisweet chocolate and whipping cream. Cook, stirring often, until melted and blended. Remove from heat and let ganache cool until just warm.
6. Pour ganache over cooled brownies in pan and allow to set until firm, about 2 hours at room temperature or 1 hour in the refrigerator.
7. Place peppermint squares bottom side up on ganache, leaving enough room between squares to cut brownies. Cut brownies into squares along edges of peppermint tops, wiping knife clean between cuts. Remove brownies from pan, discard (or eat) scraps, and return brownies to pan. Cover with plastic wrap, making sure wrap does not touch peppermint, and refrigerate 3 hours (to soften candy a bit). Serve slightly chilled.
*And a cheat note....if you are short on time or just want an easier way to make these irresistable treats, you can used boxed brownie mix and canned frosting!
Next you'll be visiting
Sharyn again for another wonderful project. I am sure you loved her first one, so get ready for this one!
By the way, have you visited the others and seen their wonderful projects today? Wow! What a team! I have had a blast working with
Sharyn,
Maya,
Laura,
Carrie and
Julie and have come away with so many great ideas to fiull up the rest of the season (and file away for years to come), I hope you have too. A sincere thank you for allowing us to share our passion for creativity with you.
Thanks for hopping with us!
Happy Holidays!
...and p.s. the "Blogover" is coming soon, I hope you'll come back and visit to see what I have been up to!
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