Peppermint Bark Brownies
Gooey, decadent chocolate brownies kissed with peppermint and studded with beautiful bits of peppermint bark.
The holidays are here, and so are the treats! This season is all about indulgence, sharing, and having warm, cozy moments, so what better to make than a gooey, decadent chocolate brownie? I’ll tell you what— a gooey, decadent chocolate brownie, kissed with peppermint frosting and studded with beautiful bits of peppermint bark inside and out, seals the deal.
The brownie base is super fudgy and dotted with semi-sweet chocolate chips, along with the peppermint bark (but you could add more peppermint bark in place of the chips, if you’d like). The brownie gets topped with a silky, incredibly delicious Swiss meringue buttercream flavored with a combination of vanilla and peppermint. This frosting works so well because the brownie is, of course, quite rich, and, even though it’s frosting, it gives this beautiful feeling of lightness to each bite. If you haven’t made a Swiss meringue buttercream before, this recipe might convert you from here on out!
In essence, you’re taking egg whites and sugar, heating them up until they become food safe and the sugar dissolves, then whipping them up in your mixer until you have the most incredible meringue with stiff, marshmallowy peaks. You’ll add the butter in drop by drop until it’s fully incorporated. Keep giving it a mix until it turns thick and spreadable, and then you can flavor it however you please! It is a blank canvas, perfect for decorating, and it is so amazing because it’s not too sweet and really lets other flavors come through.
If this frosting process sounds intimidating, I walk you through each step with ways to troubleshoot common issues, below. But this is one of the most forgiving types of frosting! A standard buttercream is relatively easy to overbeat and turn grainy or greasy or get lumpy from unsifted sugar, both of which are hard to fix. This method, while it takes a little time, has a wide margin for error correction. The texture is superior, and it’s hard to mess up— a win-win!