basic brownies with a peppermint twist

I spied this delightful little bits at Trader Joe’s and knew they had to come home with me. At the time, I didn’t know what I was going to do with them. And then it hit me.

Brownies.

You can’t go wrong when serving brownies as a dessert. Everyone loves them. You can make them with nuts, without nuts, serve them with ice cream, slather them in peanut butter, or top them with Peppermint bark baking chips.

One thing you should never do is make brownies from a box mix. If you have a reasonably stocked pantry, you should be able to whip them up in just a few minutes.

Here’s a recipe for Basic Brownies that’s certain to please even the pickest brownie lover.

What you’ll need:
2 cups granulated sugar
1 1/3 sticks melted salted butter
3 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract (the good stuff)
1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 cup flour
1/2 cup of Peppermint Bark Baking Bits

What you’ll do:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease your favorite brownie pan. I like to cook mine in a 9X12 pan. If you like thicker brownies, you’ll want to use a 9X9 or 8X8 pan.

In a large bowl, wisk the sugar, melted butter, and vanilla together. Add the eggs one at a time. Gently stir in cocoa powder and flour. You can stop here and pour mixture into your greased pan. OR you can add 1/2 cup of Peppermint Bark Baking Bits. Bake for 25 – 30 minutes, let cool for 5 minutes if you can. Enjoy!

Tip: If mixing by hand, it’s easier to incorporate the dry ingredients by adding them a half cup at a time.

If you don’t have Peppermint Bark Baking Bits on hand, you can substitute crushed candy canes, mini chocolate chips, chopped nuts, chopped chocolate pieces, and so much more! By using the recipe for basic brownies, you can customize your brownies to everyone’s preference.

See how easy?! You’ll never buy boxed brownie mix again. Will you?