Day 5 … Peppermint Brownie Bars

Can you do a bang up Christmas Cookie platter without something peppermint? Well, I would say yes because I think a lot of peppermint recipes make everything in the dang box taste minty so you’ve got to approach the flavor with caution. Let me amend that … you’ve got to approach peppermint extract with caution as it tends to overpower everything. Pack those cookies separately if you can. (Note I did a peppermint cookie in 2016 but skipped the flavor in 2017 for this reason.) That all said, I think I’ve found a way around this conundrum. For Day 5 of the 12 Days of Cookies, may I present Peppermint Brownie Bars. Oh you bet.

Did you think you could make a brownie out of a basic butter cookie dough? Turns out yes, yes you can. They won’t replace my favorite brownie recipes because unless you have the basic dough on hand they complicate what is essentially a simple recipe but they add a nice variation to the One Dough/Many Cookies repertoire and they’re really good! More importantly, the way around making everything taste like mint is to skip the extract and use Junior Mints. A good layer between a thin crust of butter cookie dough and a thick layer of fudgy brownie made from the basic dough + melted chocolate (plus a few other things) makes a fantastic cookie. It really is that simple and the mints add just enough minty flavor without making everything taste like mouthwash. Winner winner!

I made this recipe a few times to figure out the mint part. The first version used peppermint patties, which worked really well in a more classic brownie batter I made a while back (recipe here). Sandwiched as they were between two brownie layers, they were great but in this recipe the peppermint layer was too thick, too sweet and a bit too intense for my liking. So for the next round I tried Andes Mints, those classic little chocolate mint tiles with the green strip down the center. These mints created a rather firm chocolate layer between the crust and the brownie and were pretty good. Well, pretty good until I tried the next batch with Junior Mints.

Something magical happens during baking; something I didn’t expect. The mints melt and seep into the butter crust layer, sort of candying it into an immensely pleasing crunchy-chewy texture. It is delicious and something I was delighted to discover. They were clearly the winner – subtly minty with a great fudgy texture and that delicious crust. Bonus points for being the easiest of the bunch – no pesky unwrapping needed!

STRESS THERAPY BAKING FACTOR: JUST RIGHT. Christmas is a minty holiday like St. Patrick’s Day is a green holiday. You don’t have to but it makes sense if you do. With this one, I’ve found a way to do it rather nicely, almost delicately and it satisfies that rich, chocolate craving everyone seems to have this time of year (or always.) Plus, damn, you can make a brownie out of basic butter dough so there’s that.

2016 One Dough/12 Days of Cookies lineup: Jam Thumbprints, Mexican Chocolate Crinkles, Butter Rum Bars, Cranberry Pistachio Coins, Candied Ginger Spice Buttons, Russian Tea Cakes, Rosemary Apricot Shortbread, Chocolate Hazelnut Buttons, Dark Chocolate Mocha Sandwich Cookies, Coconut Lime Sticks, Pecan Triangles, Peppermint Crisps

2017 One Dough/12 Days of Cookies lineup: Cream Cheese Wreaths, Raspberry Linzer Bars, Lemon Poppyseed Buttons, Chocolate Cocoa Nib Wafers, Mexican Wedding Cookies, Orange Sandwich Cookies, Raspberry Chocolate Drops, Blueberry Lime Buttons, Cardamom Rose Coins, Banana Walnut Bars, PBJ Sandwich Cookies, Bourbon Glazed Fruitcake Buttons

2018 One Dough/12 Days of Cookies lineup to date:
Basic Butter Cookie Dough
Day 1: Jam Streusel Tarts
Day 2: Cinnamon Sugar Pinwheels
Day 3: Orange Sesame Crisps
Day 4: Almond Raspberry Strips

DAY 5: PEPPERMINT BROWNIE BARS

Basic butter cookie dough, room temperature – recipe here

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F and line a 9”x9” pan (or a 9”x13”) with a crisscross of foil.
2. For the butter crust: Measure ½ cup (for the smaller pan or 1 cup for the larger pan) of basic butter cookie dough, tightly packed and even with the rim.
3. Crumble the dough into the prepared pan and press it into a thin even layer. This is tedious and you won’t think it will work – keep at it. The dough will be a very thin even layer, which is exactly what you want.
4. Bake 10 minutes until just set, firm to the touch but not browned. Cool on wire rack.
5. For the brownie batter: Melt chocolate either over a double boiler or in the microwave in 45 second bursts at 50% power, stirring between bursts.
6. In the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, add the remaining butter dough, brown sugar, egg white, salt and melted chocolate.
7. Mix on medium until fully combined.
8. To assemble: on top of the cooled baked crust, arrange a single layer of junior mints.
9. Dot small spoonfuls of the brownie batter on top of the mints and gently spread with an offset spatula to an even layer. The mints like to wiggle about; have patience.
10. Bake 25-30 minutes until a toothpick inserted just off center comes out clean and the top is just firm to the touch.
11. Let cool completely on a wire rack.
12. Using the foil, remove the bars from the pan, remove the foil and cut with the sharp knife into squares. I usually cut the edges off first but that is entirely up to you.
13. Do Ahead: the bars can be baked and frozen up to 2 months. Once fully cooled, remove the bars from the pan and wrap in two layers of plastic wrap and slip into a labeled Ziploc bag.

 

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