Peppermint Mocha Brownies

Nov 29, 2022 · 1,124 Comments

With dark chocolate, peppermint and espresso, these frosted Peppermint Mocha Brownies are your favorite holiday drink in dessert form.

A single peppermint mocha brownie on a wooden cutting board covered with parchment paper. The brownie is pulled away from the rest of the brownies, swirled with dark chocolate ganache and sprinkled with crushed peppermint.

Truth be told, I’m more of a cinnamon sugar gal when it comes to holiday drinks and desserts. But even I cannot resist the cozy allure of a peppermint mocha around the holidays, and I’m even more susceptible to its charms when it’s in brownie form.

Enter the dreamiest winter dessert: peppermint mocha brownies. These bad boys are packed with minty, chocolatey, espresso-y flavor, then swirled with a truly outrageous mint chocolate ganache that takes them all the way over the top. Seriously, even mint chocolate fence-sitters are going to love these.

A full pan of peppermint mocha brownies, not yet sliced, pulled out and placed on a wooden cutting board covered with parchment paper.

What you’ll need to make these peppermint mocha brownies

Aside from a few specialty ingredients, these brownies come together with pantry staples. To make them, you’ll need:

Espresso powder. This puts the “mocha” in peppermint mocha! Mix it with a tiny bit of hot water to create a highly concentrated coffee flavor. I’ve had luck finding Delallo brand at major supermarket chains near me, or you can grab some here.
Butter. I always use unsalted butter in baking recipes. You’ll need a couple sticks.
Brown and white sugar. This recipe uses a mix of brown sugar and granulated sugar for that perfect balance of moist, fudgy texture and crackly crust.
Eggs. Since there’s no dry leavening in this recipe, eggs provide essential lift and act as an emulsifier for the batter. It’s best if your eggs are at room temperature, but honestly, if you didn’t pull them out of the fridge ahead of time, it’s no biggie.

A jar of instant espresso powder, a bottle of vanilla extract and a bottle of peppermint extract laid out on the counter.

Vanilla extract and peppermint extract. You probably already have vanilla extract in your baking cabinet, but peppermint extract might be a new addition. I love McCormick brand. Be careful with it, though — peppermint extract is particularly strong, so a little really does go a long way.
Cocoa powder. You can use either unsweetened or Dutch process cocoa powder in this recipe. I LOVE the depth of flavor Dutch process cocoa gives, but rest assured these brownies are plenty delicious with regular unsweetened.
Salt. A little salt is necessary to balance out all the rich, sweet flavors here.
Flour. You might be surprised to see such a small amount of flour in this recipe. I like to use more cocoa powder than flour in my brownies for an extra-chocolatey final result. Feel free to swap in a cup-for-cup gluten free flour blend to make these brownies gluten free!
Chopped chocolate and heavy cream. To take these brownies over the top, we’ll swirl on a heap of rich chocolate peppermint ganache.

A few tips for success

Measuring dry ingredients: Always measure your dry ingredients by spooning and leveling them, rather than scooping with the measuring cup. The latter method can pack significantly more into the cup, resulting in a drier final product. Just use a spoon to fluff up your flour and cocoa powder, then scoop it into the cup without packing it in. Once it’s full, use the back of the spoon to level it off.

A bowl of rich, shiny dark chocolate peppermint ganache with a whisk in it.

Perfecting your ganache: Making a ganache might sound intimidating, but it’s actually quite simple! You’ll just heat some heavy cream to a gentle simmer, then pour it over some chopped chocolate. Let the chocolate slowly melt in the hot cream for a few minutes. Once it’s melted, give it a whisk to combine. It will start out rather thin and then thicken as it cools. I like to make my ganache before my brownies so it has time to cool into a spreadable consistency.

For best results, use only chopped chocolate in your ganache — NOT chocolate chips. A high-quality baking bar really is best to achieve a smooth, well-emulsfied ganache. Chocolate chips will not melt as smoothly.

To make these ahead: Personally, I find these brownies even tastier on the second day. They keep well in an airtight container on the counter for up to 3 days, but after that, they should be refrigerated to keep the ganache fresh. If you’re looking to keep these around the house for a few days, I recommend either skipping the crushed peppermint topping, or coming to terms with the fact that it will melt into the ganache the next day, rendering it significantly less cute. (But it will still taste good!)

More holiday baking inspo:
A Very Good Apple Pie
Orange Olive Oil Cake
Chocolate Orange Shortbread Cookies

Did you make this recipe? If you loved it, please leave a ⭐5-star rating⭐ and/or leave a comment below the recipe card! And don’t forget to share a photo and tag me on Instagram, Facebook or TikTok — I love seeing you recreate my recipes.