It’s Christmas season! And in my opinion, it couldn’t have gotten here fast enough. This year has been TOUGH and all the little things about this time of year bring a smile to my face. One thing I love about this time of year is the desserts. The peppermint. The spices. The straight up sugary-ness. It’s all about indulgence, and I am her for it. The first Christmas dessert I made this year are these peppermint mochi brownies. They have the yummy flavor of peppermint mixed with indulgent dark chocolate. This is a classic flavor combination with an Asian twist. And the best thing about this recipe is that it is gluten free!
Ingredients, Substitutions & Adjustments
- Unsalted butter – I almost always use unsalted butter because it helps me control the amount of salt I use in my recipes.
- Dark chocolate – You can use any kind of dark chocolate you want. I just used the first chocolate I could find at the store.
- Cocoa powder – Any kind of cocoa powder should work. If you want a richer, darker chocolate flavor, I would recommend using dutch processed cocoa powder.
- Brown sugar – Light or dark brown sugar should work for this recipe. The only difference between the two is that dark has more molasses in it. I prefer to use light brown sugar because I like that it’s less sweet than dark brown sugar.
- Granulated sugar – Adds sweetness to the recipe.
- Vanilla extract– Adds flavor to the brownies. I actually use vanilla paste almost exclusively now, but vanilla extract works just as well. Another substitute you can make is to use 1 vanilla bean.
- Peppermint extract – Adds the peppermint flavor to these brownies. Use any kind of peppermint extract you can find.
- Eggs – Adds richness to the brownies.
- Salt – Salt helps balance out the sweetness of the brownies.
- Sweet rice flour – I use Mochiko brand sweet rice flour for my recipes, but any kind of sweet rice flour should work. Note that sweet rice flour and glutinous rice flour are the same thing.
Making my peppermint mochi brownies
First prepare your baking pan. Grease a 8×8 baking pan with butter and line with parchment paper. The butter helps the parchment paper to stick to the pan. Next make your brown butter. Heat your butter over high heat until it melts. Lower the heat to low and cook until small brown bits start to appear. Set aside. Add dark chocolate to a small bowl. Pour the brown butter over the chocolate and cocoa powder. Mix until the chocolate melts. Set aside to cool for 2 minutes.
While the chocolate is cooling, add brown sugar, granulated sugar, vanilla extract, peppermint extract, salt, and eggs to a large bowl. Use a hand mixer or stand mixer to beat the batter until thick and creamy (~5 minutes). Stream in the chocolate ganache and beat until well mixed. Lastly, sift in the sweet rice flour and cocoa powder. Use a spatula to mix until a dark brown batter forms. Spoon into the prepared baking pan. Use the spatula to smooth it out. Bake for 20 minutes. After 20 minutes, take out the brownies and smack it on the counter. This will remove any air bubbles in the brownies, creating a more fudgy texture. Bake for another 10 minutes. Let cool for 10 minutes before serving.
Tips on how to make the perfect peppermint mochi brownies
Use a light colored pan to brown butter
It is a lot easier to brown butter using a light colored pan because it helps you see the color of the butter as it cooks. You are less likely to burn the butter.
Beat sugar and eggs until thick and creamy
Beating the eggs and sugar incorporates air into the brownies, creating a lift in the final product. This helps provide lift without any type of leavening agents like baking soda or baking powder.
Smack the brownies on the counter
This helps get rid of air bubbles in the brownies and creates a more fudgy texture.
Did you make this dish?
If you made this dish, I would love to see!
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Peppermint Mochi Brownies
Equipment
Ingredients
Peppermint Mochi Brownies
- ½ cup unsalted butter
- 4 oz dark chocolate
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- ¼ cup light brown sugar
- 3 eggs
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- ½ tsp peppermint extract
- ½ tsp salt
- 1 cup sweet rice flour
- 1 tbsp cocoa powder
Toppings (optional)
- 1 tbsp white chocolate
- 1 candy cane crushed
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
- Grease 8×8 baking pan with butter and line with parchment paper. Set aside.
- Heat the butter over high heat until it melts. Lower the heat to low. Heat the butter until small brown bits start to appear. Remove from the stove.
- Add chocolate to a small bowl. Pour the brown butter over the top and stir until all the chocolate melts. Let the mixture cool for 2 minutes.
- In a large bowl, combine granulated sugar, brown sugar, eggs, vanilla extract, peppermint extract, and salt. Beat with a hand mixer or stand mixer until thick and creamy (~5 minutes).
- While mixing, stream in your chocolate ganache from step 4. Mix until well combined.
- Lastly, sift the sweet rice flour and cocoa powder into the bowl. Use a spatula to combine.
- Spoon batter into your prepared baking pan. Smooth it out with your spatula.
- Bake for 20 minutes.
- Take out the brownies and smack them on the counter to get rid of some of the air bubbles. Put them back in the oven and bake for another 10 minutes
- Let cool for 15 minutes.
- Melt the white chocolate in the microwave and crush up the candy canes. Once the brownies are cool enough, drizzle the white chocolate on top and sprinkle with the crushed candy canes.
Notes
- Use a light colored pan to brown butter – It is a lot easier to brown butter using a light colored pan because it helps you see the color of the butter as it cooks. You are less likely to burn the butter.
- Beat sugar and eggs until thick and creamy – Beating the eggs and sugar incorporates air into the brownies, creating a lift in the final product. This helps provide lift without any type of leavening agents like baking soda or baking powder.
- Smack the brownies on the counter – This helps get rid of air bubbles in the brownies and creates a more fudgy texture.
Can’t wait to try these!
But…grease pan and then put parchment on top?!?
You can do one or the other. My parchment paper usually only covers 2 sides of the pan. I use it to lift the brownies out of the pan. Greasing it allows the brownies to release from the other 2 sides and it helps the parchment paper stick to the pan. That’s why I do both.