There’s nothing like chocolate and candy canes to signal the holiday season. Rather than serving big, elaborate desserts at your cocktail party, these mini brownie bites are just the sweet nibble your guest will crave. A simple dark chocolate brownie batter, topped with store-bought vanilla frosting (which also comes ready in a container with its own piping tip attached) and crushed candy canes, this will be perfect for adults and kids alike.
Makes one 8x8-inch dish
Ingredients
| ½ cup | unsalted butter (1 stick), plus more for baking dish |
| ¾ cup | dark chocolate chips/chunks |
| 2 | eggs, large |
| 1 cup | sugar |
| 1 tsp | vanilla |
| 1 tsp | instant espresso powder |
| 1 cup | all-purpose flour |
| ¼ tsp | sea salt, plus more to taste |
| ½ tsp | baking powder |
| ¼ tsp | sea salt |
| 1 canister | cupcake icing (with piping tip attached for easy-ness) |
| 5 | peppermint candy canes, crushed |
Directions
- Preheat oven to 350°
- Butter an 8x8” baking dish and line with parchment, leaving a 2-inch overhang on both ends. Spread a little butter onto the parchment as well.
- Set a heatproof bowl (think tempered glass or stainless steel) over a small pot of gently simmering water. Add the butter and chocolate to the bowl and melt them together until smooth. Stir occasionally and use a kitchen towel to protect your hands from the heat if needed.
- Meanwhile, in a mixing bowl whisk together the eggs, sugar, vanilla, and espresso powder until eggs are pale yellow and thick – put a little muscle into it. Add the melted chocolate and butter mixture, whisk to combine.
- Add the flour, baking soda and salt to the bowl and stir with a rubber spatula just until fully incorporated. Transfer to prepared baking dish, smooth the top with the spatula, and bake on the centre rack of the preheated oven for 30-35 minutes until set and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with moist crumbs (rather than with a smear of batter, because that would be too undercooked). Let cool on a wire rack in the pan about 30 minutes then lift out of the pan using the parchment and onto a cutting board.
