Some recipes just scream “Christmas!” and one of those recipes is Maida Heatter’s Palm Beach Brownies with Chocolate-Covered Mints (aka: Peppermint Patty Brownies). I stumbled upon this recipe while flipping through her post-humous book, Happiness is Baking. The second I saw the ingredients — the normal brownie stuff + 2 1/2 12-ounce bags York chocolate-covered Peppermint Patties — I was in. Who wouldn’t be thrilled at that combination, especially on a chilly night in December?
First You Melt Your Chocolate and Butter
Like all great brownie recipes (notably: Alice Merdrich’s), this one begins over a double boiler. But whereas that one uses cocoa powder that “blooms” with the butter, this is all dark chocolate, baby. As in unsweetened chocolate. Don’t worry, the sugar comes later.
Now We Beat the Eggs
Hope your KitchenAid mixer is holding up okay, because you’re about to beat five large eggs with lots of sugar for ten minutes.
There’s also vanilla extract and almond extract in there. Oh and espresso powder (though I just used actual espresso). Once it beats up it gets all fluffy; and that’s when you realize there’s no baking powder or baking soda in this recipe. So all of the lift comes from the air you work into those eggs.
Once the ten minutes are up, you add your melted chocolate and butter until it’s incorporated.
Finally, you fold in walnuts. I know what you’re thinking: “Ew, walnuts!” But they provide the health and more texture.
Like a Chocolate Peppermint Lasagna
Now it’s time to layer into your foil-lined pan. First, goes one half the brownie batter.
Once you’ve spread that out, you add your Peppermint Patties. Now, full confession: I read the ingredients wrong and thought it was 2 1/2 cups of York Peppermint Patties, not 2 1/2 12-ounce BAGS. That’s insane to me because 2 1/2 cups was plenty.
Anyway, she says you won’t use all the Patties so I think it worked out fine. Then you top with the rest of the brownie batter.
Bake for Exactly 35 Minutes
I love recipes that are hyper specific, and this one is no exception. She tells you to bake these brownies for 35 minutes.
And 35 minutes later, they’ll come out looking like this.
A knife will still come out wet, but that’s what makes them so fudgy. The key step is to let them cool and then to refrigerate them until they’re cold (for a few hours).
Slice and Serve
Once chilled, you flip them out on to a cookie sheet then flip on to a cutting board.
Now you slice them into 32 bars using a mathematical formula that you’ll see in the recipe itself.
These are incredible for a myriad of reasons. (1) One brownie goes a loooong way in that it’s rich and packed with Peppermint flavor. (2) This recipe makes a LOT… I gave so many of these away and we still have a ton in our fridge. (3) They’re festive and wintry and beautiful on a little platter to serve your guests after a warming meal. So if you’re looking for a wintry, surprising treat to serve this holiday season, I’ve got good news: you’ve found it.
Peppermint Patty Brownies
Ingredients
Method
- Adjust an oven rack one-third up from the bottom and preheat oven to 425 degrees. Line a 13 X 9 X 2-inch pan as follows: Invert the pan and center a 17-inch length of nonstick aluminum foil, shiny side down, over the pan. With your hands, press down the sides and corners of the foil in the pan and very carefully press it into place in the pan. Now, to butter the foil, place a piece of butter (additional to that in ingredients) in the pan, and put the pan in the oven. When the butter is melted, use a pastry brush or a piece of crumpled plastic wrap to spread the butter all over the foil. Set the prepared pan aside.
- Place the chocolate and butter in the top of a large double boiler over hot water on moderate heat. Stir occasionally, until the chocolate and butter are melted. Stir to mix. Remove from the heat and set aside.
- Break any walnuts halves into large pieces; set aside.
- In the large bowl of an electric mixer, beat the eggs with the vanilla and almond extracts, salt, espresso, and sugar at high speed for 10 minutes. On low speed, add the chocolate mixture (which may still be warm) and beat only until mixed. Then add the flour and again beat on low speed only until mixed. Remove the bowl from the mixer.
- Stir in the nuts.
- Spoon half the mixture (about 3 1/2 cups) into the prepared pan and smooth the top.
- Place a layer of the mints, touching each other and the edges of the pan, all over the chocolate layer. (You will not use all the mints; there will be some left over.)
- Spoon the remaining chocolate mixture all over the mints and smooth the top.
- Bake for 35 minutes, reversing the pan front to back once during baking to ensure even baking. At the end of 35 minutes the cake will have a firm crust on top, but if you insert a toothpick in the middle it will come out wet and covered with chocolate. Nevertheless, it is done. Do not bake any longer.
- Remove the pan from the oven; let stand until cool. Cover the pan with a cookie sheet and invert the pan and the sheet. Remove the pan and foil lining.
- Cover the cake with a length of wax paper and another cookie sheet and invert again, leaving the cake right side up.
- Now the cake must be refrigerated for a few hours or overnight before it is cut into bars.
- When you are ready to cut the cake, use a long, heavy knife with a sharp blade. Cut the cake into quarters. Cut each quarter in half, cutting through the long sides. Finally, cut each piece into 4 bars, cutting through the long sides.
- Pack in an airtight box, or wrap individually in clear cellophane, wax paper, or foil. These freeze perfectly and can be served very cold or at room tempearture.
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