Peppermint bark brownies are the perfect combination of fudgy chocolate brownie and rich white chocolate frosting with a crunchy peppermint topping. Even better? This recipe is simple and quick to put together thanks to a few foodie shortcuts.
Peppermint Bark Brownies
Can I just start by saying that these peppermint bark brownies are absolutely amazing? In fact, they are so good that I literally had to hide them from myself because I couldn’t stop snacking on them.
There is something about the combination of chocolate and peppermint this time of year. It just tastes like Christmas…but that doesn’t necessarily stop me from eating them in the summertime. 🙂
Peppermint Bark
Peppermint bark on its own is one of my favorite holiday treats. Pair it with gooey, fudgy brownies, and you have the best of both worlds—crunchy peppermint layered on top of rich chocolate. Yum!
I have had brownies that are similar to these peppermint bark ones that have a layer of actual hard white chocolate. These brownies are bit different—the “bark” is a soft white chocolate frosting sprinkled with crunchy peppermint pieces.
How to Make These Easy Brownies
The best part about these brownies is that they are super easy to make. Want to know a secret? You actually use a brownie mix to make these, but I have a secret to share with you that makes them taste like they are from scratch. No one will ever be able to tell that you took short cuts, and that’s fine! We’ll keep it our little secret. Ready to hear it?
Buy your favorite brownie batter mix. Make it as directed on the box when it comes to eggs and oil. Instead of water, however, use a combination of half water and half sour cream. I know it sounds odd, but I promise, it makes all the difference!
Need an example? If you need 1/2 cup water for the brownie mix, use 1/4 cup water and 1/4 cup sour cream. Whatever amount of water the brownies call for, use half that amount and then add the sour cream.
More of Our Favorite Christmas Treats:
Since it’s likely that you’ll be making these peppermint bark brownies around the holiday season, I thought you might like some ideas for other sweet treats that are perfect for Christmas!
- Mom’s Christmas Caramels – Sweet and chewy homemade caramels are the best at Christmas! Make them for your neighbors and they will love you forever.
- Andes Mint Cookies – These delicious chocolate mint cookies will get you on Santa’s “nice” list!
- Dipped Caramel Pretzel Bites – Pretzels dipped in caramel and chocolate are pretty much the best thing ever. I have to warn you, they are addicting!
- Christmas Crunch – A sweet and salty treat that only takes 15 minutes to make. Perfect to munch on while watching your favorite Christmas movie.
- Dipped Ritz Cookies – Ritz Crackers never tasted so good! Spread peanut butter or caramel between two crackers then dip them in milk or white chocolate.
- Easy Crock Pot Peanut Clusters – Only 4 ingredients and 1 hour in a crock pot. It doesn’t get any easier than that!
How to Make Peppermint Bark Brownies
Ingredients
For the Brownie Layer:
- 2 brownie mixes *see Recipe Notes
For the White Chocolate Frosting:
- 8 oz. cream cheese softened
- 1/4 c. butter softened
- 1/2 tsp. vanilla
- 1/2 tsp. almond extract
- 1 c. white chocolate chips or bark
- 2 c. powdered sugar
- candy canes
Instructions
For the Brownie Layer:
- Mix all the ingredients well and pour into a cookie sheet lined with cooking spray (NOT a cake pan).
- Bake at 325 degrees for 25 to 30 minutes, or until a toothpick a few inches from the edge comes out mostly clean. Cool completely before frosting!
For the White Chocolate Frosting:
- Beat together the cream cheese and butter, then add the vanilla and almond extract. Melt the white chocolate and slowly blend it in. Then add the powdered sugar and mix until thoroughly blended.
- Spread over the cooled brownies. Unwrap some candy canes and place them in a plastic bag. Use a kitchen mallet or rolling pin to crush the candy cane into small pieces.
- Sprinkle the candy cane pieces over the frosting.
Sam says
What are the measurements for a “standard size baking sheet “?
Echo Blickenstaff says
11 x 17 baking sheet/cookie sheet size. Thanks for asking!
Angela says
YUM! My whole family loved these brownies!
Laura says
What a great secret! The combination is fantastic
Rebecca says
such a great idea to combine these two classic desserts! they’re soooo delicious
Marie-Charlotte Chatelain says
These look so festive and pretty – I want to jump right through the screen!
Lynn says
I made these at Christmas and loved them. I was wondering why not a glass cake pan? I was wanting to take them camping, but wanted a smaller batch. Would one box of mix work if I baked in a 9×13?
Thanks!
Favorite Family Recipes says
Hi Lynn– You can definitely use a glass pan if you wanted to! Just keep checking for done-ness. You should be fine just using one box if you did a 9×13. Hope this helps!
Andrea Metlika says
A classic flavor combination made better! These are not going to last in my house!
Randi says
Do you pour this all in just 1 cookie sheet? seems like it would be too much, so just curious. thanks!
Emily says
Yes, all in one big (standard size) cookie sheet! Not a cake pan.
Jenn@eatcakefordinner says
These sound yummy. I love your trick with the brownie mix, I’m going to have to try that one 🙂
Jan says
Looks yummy, but what size cookie sheet?
Emily says
Just the standard size, the metal kind with the rim around the edges.