The Holiday Brownie Mashup You Didn’t Know You Needed

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Peppermint bark brownies are an easy (and festive!) alternative to Christmas cookies! They have a fudgy dark chocolate brownie base and swirled white chocolate peppermint candy topping. Recipe includes a how-to video!

Overhead view of peppermint bark brownies just after cutting.

The Holiday Brownie Mashup You Didn’t Know You Needed

Peppermint bark brownies have been one of my top reader requests for years, and after years of testing, I finally have a recipe ready to go (just in time for Christmas!). Here’s what we landed on: fudgy, dark chocolate brownies with a candied, ganache-esque white chocolate/dark chocolate topping and crunchy candy canes on top. Think peppermint bark fudge meets brownies!

Why You’ll Love Them

Flavorful brownie base. While I typically use melted chocolate to flavor my brownies (like my white chocolate brownies), we found that Dutch cocoa alone did the trick here. In fact, I really love how well it works. It makes the brownies so easy and really flavorful, and they even taste great plain–no topping needed!
Fun textures! You have the fudgy, but not too dense brownies peppered with bits of chopped chocolate, a smooth candied ganache topping, and crunchy peppermint candy on top. Lots to love here!
Balanced peppermint flavor. We’ll add peppermint to the topping only so it’s not too overpowering (no extract in the brownies themselves). You get plenty of peppermint and chocolate flavor this way.
Easier than Christmas cookies. These brownies are just as festive as Christmas cookies, but there’s no scooping, rolling, waiting for butter to soften, etc. If you like the sound of that, I have plenty more Christmas desserts that aren’t cookies!

I can’t wait for you to try these, so let’s jump right in!

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The Holiday Brownie Mashup You Didn’t Know You Needed
Why You’ll Love Them
What You Need
How to Make Peppermint Bark Brownies
Frequently Asked Questions
Related Recipes
Peppermint Bark Brownies

What You Need

Lots of chocolate, some peppermint, and a few other key players. Let’s talk ingredients!

Overhead view of ingredients including cocoa powder, peppermint extract, white chocolate, and more.

Dutch cocoa powder. Blooming the cocoa in the melted butter intensifies its flavor. While many of my brownie recipes use a melted chocolate base, today’s cocoa-based version can still hold its own thanks to simple technique swaps like this one. Don’t have Dutch cocoa? See the FAQ section below.
Peppermint extract. Use peppermint, not spearmint or “mint” extract. Peppermint is the flavor we are going for here! We’ll add this in our topping but not our brownie layer–this is intentional. I wanted the flavor to be balanced!
Heavy cream. You’ll need this for the peppermint bark topping, as we are essentially making a fudgy chocolate ganache. Whipping cream or double cream will also work.
White chocolate. I prefer and recommend a white chocolate baking bar over white chocolate chips; the quality is higher and the results will be better. I also like to add some chopped white chocolate to the brownies themselves in addition to the peppermint bark topping, but you don’t have to do this. I just like the pop of color and texture it adds!
Dark, bittersweet, or semisweet baking bar. You can use whatever variation you prefer. Once again, a baking bar will yield the best results, so that’s what I recommend (though, yes, chocolate chips/white chocolate chips will work in a pinch!).

Remember, this is just an overview of the ingredients I used and why. For the full recipe please scroll down to the bottom of the post!

SAM’S TIP: While you typically don’t need to add baking powder or baking soda to brownies, I like to add just a bit of baking powder here. It keeps the brownies from being too dense, which contrasts nicely with the dense peppermint bark topping.

How to Make Peppermint Bark Brownies

Overhead view of a bowl of brownie batter in a bowl.

Step 1: Make the batter. Melt the butter, then whisk in the cocoa powder. Stir in the sugar, eggs, and vanilla, then gradually add the dry ingredients. Finally, fold in the chocolate (if using!).

Spoon spreading brownie batter into a parchment lined pan.

Step 2: Bake. Evenly spread the batter into a parchment lined pan and bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 32 minutes. Don’t overbake, or the brownies will be dry instead of fudgy.

Two bowls of melted chocolate, one white chocolate and one dark, beside a pan of brownies.

Step 3: Prep the topping. While the brownies cool, you can prep your ganaches. The process is the same for both; simply melt the chocolate and cream (slowly!) until smooth, then stir peppermint extract into both.

Overhead view of a pan of peppermint bark brownies with a swirled chocolate topping.

Step 4: Assemble, cool, and enjoy! Drizzle the chocolate over the slightly cooled brownies, starting with the white chocolate. Swirl the two together until you’re happy with the look. Let this sit for a few minutes, then sprinkle your crushed peppermint candy overtop.

SAM’S TIP: Give these brownies some time to sit before you try to cut into them, or you’ll mess up your swirl and will have a huge mess on your hands. You can put them in the fridge to speed things up, but you may melt the candy canes in the process.

Close-up view of peppermint bark brownies with swirled ganache tops.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I just use brownie mix?

I suppose you could, but I really, really recommend you make the recipe I’m sharing here instead. Not only was it specifically designed to pair with the topping used here, but it’s also SO easy to make and so good (in fact, these are my sister Nikki’s new favorites, she likes them even more than my top-pick on my website now).

My candy canes disappeared! What happened?

The candy canes will start to melt if left in the fridge (or if covered while the brownies/topping are still warm, or even if your kitchen is just very humid). If you want to refrigerate, keep the candy canes separate and sprinkle on just before serving; they won’t stick quite as well, but you can gently press them into the topping to help them stick.

Can I use natural cocoa instead?

Dutch cocoa gives a better peppermint bark flavor and darker color. Natural cocoa will work, but it just doesn’t pair as well with the topping, so opt for Dutch cocoa if you can find it. I talk more about the differences between the two in my post on natural vs. Dutch process cocoa.