Peppermint Truffle Brownies

I have been waiting for the day that I can blast Christmas tunes and watch How The Grinch Stole Christmas and Elf on repeat since December 25^th of last year.

There are so many things I want to make for the upcoming season, I’m not sure 25 days will be a sufficient amount of time!

On the first day of December, I welcomed the holiday season with a baking extravaganza. It looked like a bomb went off in the kitchen.

In fact, I’m pretty sure I still have ganache in my hair.

Anyway, one of the first holiday baked goods I wanted to share was Peppermint Truffle Brownies. They’re rich, indulgent, gooey, squares of peppermint-y fudge.

I think the pictures speak for themselves.

Peppermint Brownies recipe adapted from Tea for Six:

155g unsalted butter

1 ½ cups sugar

3 eggs

½ cup dark cocoa powder

½ cup plain flour

¼ teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon vanilla extract

½ teaspoon peppermint extract

Peppermint Truffle Ganache by The Bite-Sized Baker:

1 tablespoon unsalted butter

2 tablespoons heavy whipping cream

5 ounces coarsely chopped peppermint dark chocolate truffles (Lindt)

1. Preheat the oven to 335 degrees F. Line an 11×8-inch baking dish with foil; coat with cooking spray.
2. Melt butter and mix with the sugar. Add eggs one at a time and whisk. Stir in the vanilla essence and mix to combine.
3. Add sifted cocoa, flour and salt and mix.  Pour into a tin and bake for 40 – 45 minutes or until dry and crackled on top and slightly squidgy in the middle.  Put on a wire rack and leave to cool.
4. To make the ganache, melt 1 tablespoon butter, in a small saucepan set over medium heat; stir in cream. When mixture starts to bubble, reduce heat to low, and stir in chopped truffles, until melted, and smooth. Pour ganache over brownies, and smooth the surface, using a rubber spatula.
5. Freeze the brownies until ganache is set, about 15 minutes. Lift the foil-lined brownies out of dish, and slice into bars, using a sharp knife.