Cream Cheese Peppermint Brownies

Enjoy the holidays with these rich dark chocolate Cream Cheese Peppermint Brownies topped with a delicious cream cheese frosting, ganache, and crushed candy cane. 

Christmas eve is two days away and I still haven’t wrapped and placed presents under the tree! Mostly out of laziness but also because I’m worried my 3 year old and 18 month old will open them. Everyday, sometimes multiple times, Carly asks if she can open her gifts (there are two under the tree from others). The other day Nick said how he loved  that it’s “Christmas time” and Carly immediately perked up and said “Can I open my presents?!?” We had to clarify that she has to wait until Christmas “DAY”. Being a kid is rough! At least she gets to eat yummy treats like homemade caramels these Cream Cheese Peppermint Brownies in the meantime.Oh boy are these brownies good!  I took one of my mom’s brownie recipes but added in more than twice the amount of melted chocolate to make it more moist and fudgy. It worked! Perfect fudge brownie right here people. Oh and I used Hershey’s Special Dark cocoa powder for a darker color and more intense chocolate flavor like in my Chocolate Peppermint Blossoms. It is also flavored with peppermint extract. There’s no resisting these babies!

On top of those amazing fudge brownies is a thick layer of cream cheese frosting because… why not?! Everything tastes better with cream cheese. 

I still wanted some color contrast against the white and red candy cane so that’s my excuse for adding the chocolate ganache drizzle. So pretty and a I’ll always take more chocolate!

You only need 1 candy cane for the top. Just make sure you place it in a bag before hammering away at it. 

These are best eaten the same day they are made. The moisture from the frosting makes the candy cane kind of ‘melt’. Still tastes awesome but you don’t have as much of a crunch or sharp texture contrast. But I’m pretty sure everyone will gobble these Cream Cheese Peppermint Brownies up before you can go back for seconds. Enjoy!

Cream Cheese Peppermint Brownies

Print Recipe

Peppermint Brownies

Prep Time20 mins

Cook Time33 mins

Total Time53 mins

Servings: 16

Author: Garnish and Glaze

Ingredients

For the Brownie:

• 5 ounces bitter sweet chocolate
• 1/2 cup butter
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 2 eggs
• 3/4 teaspoon peppermint extract
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 tablespoons dark chocolate cocoa powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt

For the Frosting:

• 4 ounces cream cheese, softened
• 1/4 cup butter, 1/2 stick, softened
• 1 3/4 cups powdered sugar

For the Ganache:

• 3 tablespoons heavy whipping cream
• 1 1/2 ounces bittersweet chocolate chips
• 1 candy cane, crushed

Instructions

For the Brownie:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and line a 8x8 inch pan with parchment paper or foil (greased).
• Place chocolate and butter together in a bowl and microwave in 30 second increments until melted and smooth. Mix in the sugar and then the eggs and extracts. Add the flour, cocoa powder, and salt and mix until combined. Spread into the lined pan and bake for 30-33 minutes until toothpick comes out with moist crumbs. Cool completely.

For the Frosting:

• Beat the cream cheese and butter together until smooth. Mix in the powdered sugar and then spread over the cooled brownies.

For the Ganache:

• Heat the cream in the microwave until it starts to boil. Pour the chocolate chips in the cream and cover the bowl for 2 minutes and then whisk until smooth. Place in a bag and let it cool for 5-10 minutes and then drizzle over frosting and immediately sprinkle with the crushed candy cane.
• Pull out the parchment paper to remove the brownies and then cut into 16 squares. (If you want each brownie to look a little cleaner, cut before drizzling the ganache.)

Did you make this recipe?Tag @GarnishandGlaze on Instagram and use hashtag #GarnishandGlaze

I first shared this recipe on Spend With Pennies where I am a contributor.

More Christmas Treats to Enjoy: 

White Chocolate Raspberry Truffles

Hot Chocolate Cupcakes