These Peppermint Mocha Brownies are made for the holiday season!
With just a hint of coffee flavour, the chocolate flavour is enhanced so you get super fudgy brownies with a peppermint flavor twist.
These brownies are basically a peppermint mocha coffee drink, your favorite holiday drink, in dessert form!
I love peppermint and chocolate desserts like these peppermint oreo truffles. So, I knew I had to make a brownie version for the holidays!
These brownies would be the perfect addition to a Christmas cookie box or as a gift on their own. I highly recommend cutting into 20-24 small bite-sized pieces instead of 12 large brownies.
Why you’ll love these peppermint brownies
- Quick: Prep these brownies in just 10 minutes!
- Easy: When you need festive treats, these brownies come together in about 30 minutes.
- Gifting: These fudgy peppermint mocha brownies make a great holiday gift!
Ingredients needed
Butter: you’ll need unsalted butter for this recipe, 1 1/2 sticks of butter to be exact
Sugar: a combination of brown sugar and white sugar help to make the fudgy texture of these peppermint mocha brownies
Eggs: make sure you have 2 eggs to make this recipe
Peppermint: you’ll need peppermint extract and crushed candy canes for the peppermint flavour; in case you can’t find candy canes, crushed peppermint candy would also work
Espresso: the espresso powder enhances the chocolate flavor in these brownies
Cocoa powder: cocoa powder is a must in any brownie recipe
Flour: all-purpose flour is a needed to bring the batter together
Dark chocolate chips: I love the way the dark chocolate complements the espresso powder and peppermint flavours
How to make these peppermint mocha brownies
- Preheat the oven to 350F. Grease and line a 8 x 8-inch baking pan with parchment paper on all sides and set aside.
- Melt butter in a medium mixing bowl. Then add in brown sugar, white sugar, eggs, vanilla extract, peppermint extract, salt and espresso powder and whisk until smooth and combined.
- Sift in the dry ingredients (cocoa powder and all-purpose flour) into the wet ingredients and stir until just combined. Fold in the dark chocolate chips.
- Spread the batter evenly into the prepared pan
- Bake for 22-25 minutes or until the brownies are just set to touch (can take up to 30 minutes depending on your oven). A toothpick inserted into the middle still comes out with a bit of brownie batter on it. Immediately sprinkle the top of the brownies with crushed candy canes and gently press into the brownies.
- Let the brownies cool completely in the pan before removing from the pan and cutting into squares – 9 big brownies or 12 smaller brownies.
Tips & Tricks
- While candy canes are readily available during the holiday season, if making these outside of that season you could swap for other peppermint candies if needed.
- If you don’t have espresso powder, can use regular ground coffee instead, Use decaf espresso powder if you prefer.
- You can substitute the dark chocolate chips for semi-sweet chocolate chips if desired.
- Gift these brownies for the holidays by cutting into 16-20 small bite-sized brownies instead of larger brownies.
Common Questions
Instant coffee granules are generally larger than those in espresso powder so I don’t recommend using them as-is. Instead, you could grind up the granules to powder form and then use in this peppermint mocha brownies recipe.
The recipe was made to be peppermint and chocolate flavoured, however, if you don’t have peppermint extract you can omit it and you’ll still have delicious chocolate brownies.
If using a 9×9-inch pan instead of 8 inch pan, the brownies will be a bit thinner and you should start checking for doneness 5 minutes earlier, about the 17-18 minute mark.
How to store these peppermint brownies
Brownies will keep well in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.
More holiday desserts to make from the blog
Fudgy Peppermint Mocha Brownies for the Holidays
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup unsalted butter, melted (1 ½ sticks unsalted butter)
- 3/4 cup brown sugar
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 3 x eggs
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 tsp peppermint extract
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 2 tsp instant espresso or coffee powder
- 3/4 cup cocoa powder
- 1 cup all purpose flour
- 3/4 cup dark chocolate chips
- 2 candy canes crushed
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350F. Grease and line a 8 x 8-inch pan with parchment paper on all sides (slightly overhanging to easily remove brownies once cooled) and set aside.
- Melt butter in a medium mixing bowl. Then add in brown sugar, white sugar, eggs, vanilla extract, peppermint extract, salt and espresso powder and whisk until smooth and combined.
- Sift in the cocoa powder and all-purpose flour and stir until just combined. Fold in the dark chocolate chips.
- Spread the batter evenly into the prepared pan
- Bake for 22-25 minutes or until the brownies are just set to touch (can take up to 30 minutes depending on your oven). A toothpick inserted into the middle still comes out with a bit of brownie batter on it. Immediately sprinkle the top of the brownies with crushed candy canes and gently press into the brownies.
- Let the brownies cool completely in the pan before cutting into squares – 9 big brownies or 12 smaller brownies.
Notes
- While candy canes are readily available during the holiday season, if making these outside of that season you could swap for other peppermint candies if needed.
- If you don’t have espresso powder, can use regular ground coffee instead, Use decaf espresso powder if you prefer.
- You can substitute the dark chocolate chips for semi-sweet chocolate chips if desired.
- Gift these brownies for the holidays by cutting into 16-20 small bite-sized brownies instead of larger brownies.
Photography by: Kaeleigh Pugliese
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