Peppermint Hot Chocolate Brownie Bars

There’s nothing cozier than a hot chocolate during the holidays, and these Hot Chocolate Bar Brownies fit the theme perfectly. They’re rich, fudgy, deeply chocolatey, and topped with gooey marshmallows and crushed peppermint. The best part? It’s an easy mix by hand brownie recipe with optional browned butter for extra nutty, toasty flavour. Customize them with your favourite toppings and they’ll disappear fast.

Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 30-40 minutes

Ingredients:

• ⅔ cup unsalted butter (once browned it reduces to about ½ cup)

• If you prefer not to brown the butter, simply melt ½ cup unsalted butter instead.

• 1 cup granulated sugar

• 100 g semi-dark chocolate (about 70%) — roughly 1 standard bar

• 2 large eggs

• 1 tbsp vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste

• ½ cup cocoa powder

• ⅔ cup all-purpose flour

• ½ tsp salt

• ¼ tsp baking soda

• ¼ tsp peppermint extract (optional)

Toppings

• Mini marshmallows

• Crushed candy canes or peppermint candies

• Melted milk chocolate (optional)

Instructions:

1. Brown the butter by adding it to a saucepan over medium heat. Cook until melted and foamy, then continue stirring until it turns golden and smells nutty. Remove from the heat and you should end up with about ½ cup browned butter. Pour the hot butter over the 100 g chocolate in a large bowl (make sure to scrape up all the brown bits!) and whisk until smooth. (If you don’t want to brown the butter, simply melt ½ cup butter and pour over the chocolate.)

2. Preheat the oven to 325°F (165°C). Grease and line with parchment paper a 9×9-inch baking pan. 

3. In a separate bowl, whisk the eggs and sugar for 1–2 minutes, until pale and slightly thick. Whisk in the vanilla and peppermint extract (if using). Add in the melted chocolate mixture and mix until combined.

4. Add the cocoa powder, flour, salt, baking soda, switch to a spatula or wooden spoon and gently fold the batter together just until everything is incorporated.

5. Spread the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and sprinkle a generous handful of mini marshmallows on top, then return to the oven and bake for another 15–25 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean or with moist crumbs. (If you prefer not to add marshmallows halfway through, you can simply skip this step — the brownies will still bake beautifully.)

5. Let the brownies cool completely, then drizzle with melted milk chocolate. Add extra mini marshmallows, another drizzle of chocolate, and finish with crushed candy canes before slicing.

Tip for the Melted Chocolate Drizzle:

For an easy drizzle, add ½–¾ cup milk chocolate chips to a microwave-safe bowl. Microwave on low power in 20–30 second intervals, stirring well between each until smooth. Transfer the melted chocolate to a small zip-top bag, snip off a tiny corner, and drizzle over the cooled brownies.

Prefer the stovetop method? Melt the chocolate gently over a double boiler, stirring until silky, then drizzle with a spoon or piping bag.

• Make it extra hot-chocolate-y: Add ½ cup chocolate chunks into the batter.

• Go classic: Skip the peppermint extract and candy canes for a traditional brownie-and-marshmallow version.

• Add texture: Swirl in ¼ cup chocolate hazelnut spread before baking.

• Make it a mocha brownie: Add 1 tsp instant espresso powder to the dry ingredients.

• Holiday gift idea: Cut into squares, drizzle chocolate, add extra crushed candy canes, and package in clear treat bags.

If you want to keep things extra simple this holiday season, mix homemade with ready-made. The Farm Store sells three delicious take-and-bake cookies from Chef — Eggnog, Brown Butter Chocolate Chip & Walnut, and Ginger Molasses — and they bake up beautifully in minutes.

Fun tip: roll the Ginger Molasses cookie dough balls in granulated sugar before baking to give them the prettiest crackly, sparkly finish.

Pair a batch of these cookies with a tray of the Hot Chocolate Bar Brownies, and suddenly you’ve got the sweetest little treat boxes to drop off for neighbours, friends, or family. Heading to someone’s house? Bake a few cookies, slice up the bars, tuck everything into a festive tin, and you're good to go.

It’s the easiest way to bring a homemade touch to the holidays without spending all day in the kitchen.