Full of chocolate chips, white chocolate chips, and peppermint bark, these Brown Butter Peppermint Bark Blondies are a decadent dessert to serve for your holiday meal!
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These brown butter peppermint bark blondies are a cross between a really fudgy cookie and a cakie brownie. The brown butter gives them a depth of flavor and as a result, makes them super delicious!
When making these blondies, don't skimp on the peppermint bark. You want high quality peppermint bark. I used Trader Joe's, but this Ghiradelli Peppermint Bark is amazing as well!
Jump to:
- What is a Blondie?
- Ingredients You'll Need
- What is Peppermint Bark?
- Equipment You'll Need
- Let's Make Brown Butter Peppermint Bark Blondies!
- Preparing the Dough
- Baking the Dough for your Brown Butter Peppermint Bark Blondies
- Cutting the Blondies
- Variations
- Storage Tips
- Frequently Asked Questions
- Other Recipes To Try!
- 📖 Recipe
What is a Blondie?
A blondie is the cousin to a brownie, essentially. Instead of cocoa powder, blondies have sugar and brownie sugar. I like to think of them as a chocolate chip cookie bar.
These are made with brown butter. Brown butter gives these blondies a nutty texture that you can't get from regular butter.
Ingredients You'll Need
- Butter. Room temperature is best but if you only have cold butter that will work too.
- Packed Brown Sugar. You'll want to make sure the brown sugar is packed so it's measured properly.
- Granulated Sugar
- Vanilla
- Large Eggs
- All Purpose Flour
- Baking Powder. No baking soda necessary!
- Salt. To counteract the sweetness just a little.
- Peppermint Bark cut into small chunks, your favorite variety.
- White Chocolate Chips
- Semi Sweet Chocolate Chips or chocolate chunks.
What is Peppermint Bark?
Peppermint bark is a classic holiday treat. Its made with chocolate, topped with white chocolate and then sprinkled with crushed candy canes. You can find lots of different brands of peppermint bark in the grocery store during the holidays.
Equipment You'll Need
Let's Make Brown Butter Peppermint Bark Blondies!
Cut the butter into large chunks. Put them in a pan and cook them on medium heat until the butter solids brown and the butter smells nutty and stay close, stirring continuously. This should take about 15 minutes. Pour it into a separate bowl and let it cool for about 15 minutes.
Don't skip the cooling step. If the brown butter is too warm when you add it to the batter, the blondies will be greasy and you run the risk of cooking the eggs before they are incorporated into the dough.
While the butter cools, mix the flour, baking powder, and salt in a bowl. Set aside.
In a stand mixer, add the brown sugar, granulated sugar, and browned butter. Beat on medium speed for 2-3 minutes. Add the eggs, one at a time. Add the vanilla and continue to mix. Be sure to scrape the bowl to get everything off the edges of the bowl. With the mixer on low speed, carefully add in the dry ingredients. Mix until combined and then turnoff the mixer. Add in the peppermint bark, white chocolate chips, and chocolate chips. Mix those in by hand as to not overmix.
Preparing the Dough
I find the easiest way to ensure that the blondies do not stick to the pan is to lightly butter the pan and then place a piece of parchment paper in the pan. Leave a little bit of an overhang so you can easily lift out the blondies when they are done baking and allow them to cool on a wire rack. This Reynold's wrap parchment paper gets the job done perfectly every time!
It's also important not to overmix them. I have you mix the peppermint bark, white chocolate chips, and chocolate chunks by hand. The dough can be a little heavy so it might take some elbow grease but you can do it! Burn some calories before you eat some blondies!
Baking the Dough for your Brown Butter Peppermint Bark Blondies
When you put the dough in the pan to bake it, I find the easiest way to spread it out is to wet your hands with a little bit of water and quickly spread out the dough with your fingers. The water prevents the dough from sticking to your fingers and you can get the blondies to be nice and even in the pan.
These guys cook for about 35 minutes, depending on your oven. The easiest way to check if they are done is to insert a toothpick into the center and see if it comes out clean. If you hit a chocolate chip, don't worry about it! Just poke it again in a different spot which is mostly crumb.
Cutting the Blondies
These guys are super moist and can easily fall apart. The easiest way I found to cut them is to wait. I know, I know, it's hard to wait because they smell so good and look amazing, but it's important! The chocolate needs to set a bit and the crumb needs to cool. Use a serrated knife and cut the blondies gently on a cutting board.
Variations
I added peppermint bark to these, but you could easily leave that out and substitute any other fun ingredients. In the Spring, you could add white chocolate chips and some pastel sprinkles. Maybe some chopped up Reese's peanut butter cups and some semi sweet chocolate chips. The base of this recipe is what's important, the add in's are just icing on the cake, or chocolate in the blondies!
Storage Tips
Keep these blondies stored in an airtight container for up to 4 days.
You can freeze them in a gallon sized Ziploc bag or a freezer safe container. Freeze them for up to 3 months. To defrost them, place them right on the counter and let them come to room temperature.
Frequently Asked Questions
It's important that the brown butter is cooled before you add it to the sugar. If it's not cooled completely, the blondies will be too greasy.
No! You can use softened butter and mix it right into the sugars. Skip the step of browning the butter completely!
Blondies should not go in the refrigerator once they are baked. You can keep the dough in the refrigerator until you are ready to bake them, but once they are cooked they should stay in an airtight container.
Other Recipes To Try!
- Sourdough Discard Blondies
- Brown Butter Blondies
- Chocolate Brownie Biscotti
- Cake Mix Brownies
- Peppermint Bark Brownies
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📖 Recipe
Brown Butter Peppermint Blondies
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 Cup Butter Unsalted
- 1 Cup Packed Brown Sugar
- ½ Cup Granulated Sugar
- 1 tablespoon Vanilla
- 2 Large Eggs
- 2 Cups All Purpose Flour
- 1 ½ teaspoon Baking Powder
- ½ teaspoon Salt
- 1 Cup Peppermint Bark cut into small chunks
- ½ Cup White Chocolate Chips
- ½ Cup Chocolate Chunks or Chips
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees and grease an 8x8 brownie pan with butter or cooking spray and line the pan with parchment paper to avoid sticking.
- Cut the butter into large chunks. Put them in a pan and cook them on medium heat until the butter solids brown and the butter smells nutty and stay close, stirring continuously. This should take about 15 minutes. Pour it into a separate bowl and let it cool for about 15 minutes.
- While the butter cools, mix the flour, baking powder, and salt in a bowl. Set aside.
- In a stand mixer, add the brown sugar, granulated sugar, and browned butter. Beat on medium speed for 2-3 minutes. Add the eggs, one at a time. Add the vanilla and continue to mix. Be sure to scrape the bowl to get everything off the edges of the bowl. With the mixer on low speed, carefully add in the dry ingredients. Mix until combined and then turnoff the mixer. Add in the peppermint bark, white chocolate chips, and chocolate chips. Mix those in by hand as to not overmix.
- Pour the mixture into the prepared pan and cook for 35-40 minutes, depending on your oven. A toothpick should be inserted and come out clean. Let the blondies cool for a few hours before cutting. Serve immediately, or store in an airtight container for 2-3 days once cooled.
Video
Notes
- Parchment paper helps lift the blondies out of the pan without the blondies getting stuck.
- Make sure the butter is cooled before you add it to the sugars.
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