Minty Brownie Bites

Welcome to day #2 of Christmas Week, a multi-blogger event co-hosted by Kim of Cravings of a Lunatic and Jen of Juanita’s Cocina. Today’s theme for Christmas Week is “Peppermint Surprise”.

This one wasn't quite so easy for me, as I'm not a huge peppermint fan. My daughter suggested some peppermint brownies, so I poked around a bit and ran across a recipe from Ree Drummond, The Pioneer Woman. Chocolate Mint Brownie Bites. Oh boy...I might like peppermint after all...

Minty Brownie Bites (adapted from The Pioneer Woman)

Ingredients:

2 oz unsweetened chocolate
8 whole Andes Chocolate Mints
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
3/4 cup all purpose flour
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate or white chocolate chips
1/4 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup crushed peppermint bark or candy canes

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.; spray a mini-muffin tin with cooking spray.

Place the unsweetened chocolate in a small bowl and microwave until just melted, about 1 minute. Stir in the Andes mints until all melted; set aside.

In the large bowl of a stand mixer, cream the butter and the sugar until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add the eggs, one at a time, until incorporated. With the mixer on low, drizzle in the chocolate. Add the flour and mix thoroughly.

Spoon the batter into the muffin tin, filling the cups about half full. Bake for 15-18 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool for ten minutes before inverting the pan and releasing the brownies.

For the glaze, place the chocolate chips in a small bowl. Heat the cream in the microwave for 20-30 seconds or until hot. Pour the hot cream over the chocolate chips and stir until smooth. Spoon the chocolate over the tops of the brownies and sprinkle the crushed candy over the tops.

As you can see, I was having a bit of an issue deciding what kind of peppermint treat to make.

When microwaving chocolate, keep an eye on it. Chocolate is too precious to have go up in smoke.

Ree talks about how she over-filled the muffin tin...I did the same thing.

But, they turned out ok....

I decided I really liked the taste of this Peppermint Bark, so I used it to top the brownie bites. Crushed candy canes might have been prettier.

Put a drip pan under the brownies when you pour the glaze on, or you will have a mess.

I experimented with the batter, just a smidge. Here, I topped a mini brownie with a Peppermint Kiss.

Box them up and give them as gifts....

....or just plate them up and enjoy!

Make sure you visit all the participating bloggers today to see what special dish they whipped up for you.

• Peppermint Marshmallows from Kim of Cravings of a Lunatic
• Peppermint Chocolate Chip Cookies from Jen of Juanita’s Cocina
• Candy Cane Blossoms from Liz of That Skinny Chick Can Bake
• Candy Cane Cocoa in a Jar from Anuradha of Baker Street
• Peppermint Brownie Trifle from Kristen of Frugal Antics of a Harried Homemaker
• Candy Cane Mocha from Isabelle of Crumb
• Peppermint Hot Chocolate from Erin of Dinners, Dishes and Desserts
• White Chocolate Peppermint Covered Pretzels from Erin of Spiffy Cookie
• Candy Cane Milkshake from Ramona of Curry and Comfort
• Peppermint Fudge from Heather of Girlichef
• Minty Brownie Bites from Cathy of The Dutch Baker’s Daughter
• Candy Cane Oreo Cheesecake Cookies from Chung-Ah of Damn Delicious