Description
Crackly tops, deeply fudge-y centers, and a kiss of peppermint make these brownies amazing. (Be sure to read through the notes for best results!)
Ingredients
Scale
- 2/3 cup semi-sweet or dark chocolate chips
- 5 Tbsp coconut oil (can sub butter or vegan butter)
- 2/3 cup coconut sugar (can sub maple or white sugar)
- 2 eggs
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/2 tsp peppermint extract
- 2/3 cup almond flour
- 2 Tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 tsp baking powder (or paleo baking powder)
- 1/4 tsp salt
- Optional, but recommended: 2/3 cup additional semi-sweet or dark chocolate chips or chopped chocolate
Optional for topping: crushed peppermint candies, or sprinkles*
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
- Line an 8×8″ baking dish with parchment paper. (I like to cut mine 8″ wide but long enough to hang over the edges of the pan a bit, so I can use the excess as “handles” later to remove the brownies from the pan.)
- In a small saucepan, gently melt 2/3 chocolate chips and the coconut oil over low heat until smooth. Remove from heat and let cool slightly.
- While the chocolate is cooling, whisk together eggs and coconut sugar in a medium bowl until very smooth and *slightly* lighter in color. (When you lift your whisk, the eggs should fall in a steady stream, instead of in big lumps. If you rub the mixture between your fingers, it shouldn’t feel gritty. This step is crucial if you want the crackly top on your brownies, so don’t skip it!)
- Slowly whisk your egg/sugar mixture into the slightly cooled melted chocolate mixture and beat to combine. This will thicken the batter almost instantly.
- Stir in vanilla extract and peppermint extract.
- Add almond flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt. (You can sift in your cocoa powder using a fine mesh sieve to prevent clumps of cocoa.) Stir until just combined (overmixing can mess with the texture a bit).
- Fold in additional chocolate chips.
- Pour batter into your prepared baking dish. (Batter will be thick) Gently smooth out the batter with a spatula.
- Bake at 350 degrees 20-25 minutes, or until brownies have puffed up a bit and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out mostly clean with just a little chocolate. (Brownies will continue to set as they cool).
- Immediately sprinkle with peppermint candies (if using) or sprinkles.
- Note: the brownies will have more puff to them straight out of the oven than they will when cooled and cut. This is totally normal! (And how you get that crackly crust).
- Cool before slicing. Store any leftover brownies in an airtight container in the refrigerator (up to 5 days) or freezer (for up to 1 month).
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American