Peppermint Crunch Brownie Bites

After five finals and a generally tough semester, I am SO happy to be back home for the holidays...and back home to my kitchen! I have been accumulating holiday recipes and since I've been home, I've been baking like a mad woman...I LOVE IT!

This first recipe comes from one of my favorite blogs to follow, Two Peas and Their Pod. The site is home to TONS of fabulous recipes, including lots of cookies!

Now I know Christmastime is alllllll about the cookies (trust me, I've got some coming for you!), but I was dying to make these adorable Peppermint Crunch Brownie Bites. They were just too cute and too festive to pass up!

I chose to make my Brownie Bites in a big pan and cut them into itty bitty squares, instead of using mini muffin liners like Maria at Two Peas and Their Pod did, but feel free to adapt however you'd like. Also, unlike Maria, I chose to use a brownie box mix so I could save time and move on to baking more goodies! But, if you have a favorite brownie recipe, feel free to sub it for the box.

These are bite size and delicious. Mint and chocolate is a perfect holiday combo, rich and fresh! Serve this at a party and guests will never know how easy it was to pull of such a pretty dessert! Enjoy!

Peppermint Crunch Brownie Bites
Recipe from Two Peas and Their Pod

• 1 box brownie mix + ingredients to prepare it (I used Ghirardelli's Triple Chocolate Mix which called for 1 egg, 1/3 cup water, and 1/3 cup oil)
• 1/2 tsp. peppermint extract
• 2 cups white chocolate chips
• 10 large candy canes, crushed

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a 9x9 or 8x8 pan with cooking spray. Set aside.
2. Prepare brownie mix according to package directions, adding 1/2 tsp. peppermint extract to the mixture. Pour into prepared pan and bake according to package instructions.
3. While the brownies are cooling, melt white chocolate in the microwave, in a microwave safe bowl, or by using a double-boiler. Spread the melted white chocolate over your pan of brownies, like frosting. Sprinkle the white chocolate with the crushed candy canes, until the whole pan is coated. Let white chocolate harden before serving your bite sized beauties.