As the Christmas season approaches so does the desire for Peppermint and Chocolate! This flavor profile is one of the most popular during the Christmas season and it is definitely a favorite in our home. We get our fix a lot of the time from hot cocoa and candy canes, but every once in a while, we want something a little more. This year we came up with a brownie recipe that was not only deliciously peppermint flavored, but also gluten free. Somehow, I managed not only gluten free but dairy free brownies as well which gained me extra brownie points with my daughter.

Why Cacao vs. Cocoa?

I choose to use cacao powder instead of cocoa powder in our hot cocoa mix for a variety of reasons. I will share a few with you.

• Cacao vs. Cocoa Cacao is the fruit in its raw form before it’s ever processed. Cocoa is the powder made from cacao that you normally bake with. It’s flavor isn’t as bitter as raw cacao, but it has more sugar.
• Cacao is anti-inflammatory and can actually help lower blood pressure.
• Some research shows the flavonoids in cacao may also improve your insulin resistance or change the way your body metabolizes glucose if you already have diabetes or are prediabetic.
• Cacao powder provides: Iron, Phosphorus, Manganese, Magnesium, Potassium and Fiber

Tips for Successful Peppermint Brownies

I am going to share three tips for successful and delicious, dairy and gluten free brownies.

1. Quality Ingredients – The better quality your ingredients are to start with the better the final product will be. This also means if you have clumpy ingredients, your brownies may be clumpy, don’t be afraid of the extra two minutes it takes to sift your cacao and coconut cream powder.
2. Use Parchment Paper – For the sake of your sanity, time and your poor dishes do not skip the parchment paper. Without the added butter your brownies will stick to your pan like crazy. There is something special that butter does for non-stick that Avocado oil cannot replace. So line your pan with parchment, you will thank me.
3. Oil Your Pan – The butter in traditional recipes not only stops the brownies from sticking but it also adds more moisture to your brownies giving them that chewy texture. The 2 tablespoons of Avocado Oil on top of your parchment paper mimics that butter and helps create a moist, chewy and delicious brownie. I like how neutral Avocado Oil is and highly suggest you use that instead of Olive Oil.

THE CHRISTMAS KITCHEN – A GLUTEN-FREE HOLIDAY MADE EASY (E-BOOK)

$10.00

We love to make memories building gingerbread houses or frosting cookies to give away. Making homemade ornaments or simmer pots that make the house smell better than a candle store. We gather together as a family and make things together. All the while laughing, talking, remembering and most importantly opening our hearts to one another.…

Category: E-Books

Tags: Christmas, E-book, Gingerbread, Gluten Free, Recipes

Sourcing Bulk Ingredients

Most of my ingredients I try to source in bulk. I do enough cooking and baking from scratch that it is more cost effective for me to purchase in bulk. If you are interested in building your pantry on a budget, I highly suggest checking out Azure Standard. I can order from them once a month if I want to, which I don’t need to do that, and meet a semi-truck at a specific drop location. Everyone purchasing helps unload all the product for that drop and then we take our goods and head home. I have saved so much money this way. For example, the items I have in bulk for this recipe are: powdered sugar, cacao powder, salt, gluten free flour, sugar, white chocolate chips, mini chocolate chips and avocado oil, all of which I get from Azure Standard.

I also have a great source for vanilla beans and make my vanilla extract and vanilla sugar in bulk. The coffee I used is Moka Java from Angelinos, which I also buy in larger quantities to save on the price per pod. If you have not started to purchase in bulk, I highly suggest taking the time to do a price comparison, especially on spices and flours, before jumping into your holiday baking. Now let’s get to the recipe…

Peppermint Brownies

Jennifer Padilla

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 15 minutes mins

Cook Time 50 minutes mins

Course Dessert

Servings 12

Calories 267 kcal

Equipment

• 1 Large Bowl
• 1 Medium Bowl
• 1 Silicone Spatula
• 1 Measuring Cups & Spoons
• Parchment Paper
• 1 Baking Dish

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

• 1 1/4 cup vanilla sugar*
• 2 large eggs
• 1/2 cup avocado oil plus 1-2 tbsp to coat baking dish
• 3 tbsp cold coffee
• 1/2 tsp peppermint extract
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 3/4 cup gluten free all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup powdered sugar
• 2/3 cup cacao powder
• 1/4 cup white chocolate chips
• 1/4 cup mini chocolate chips
• 3/4 tsp salt

Instructions

 

• Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
• In a large bowl mix sugar, eggs, 1/2 cup avocado oil, cold coffee, peppermint extract and vanilla extract. Mix together and let it sit while you prepare dry ingredients.
• In a medium bowl add flour, powdered sugar, cacao powder, white chocolate chips, mini chocolate chips and salt. (If your powdered sugar or cacao powder is clumpy feel free to sift it.)
• Stir wet ingredients and sugar one more time.
• Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients and stir until combined. You do not want pockets of powder in final brownies, but you also do not want to over mix.
• Line baking dish with parchment paper. I used a 9.5 inch glass pie dish, you can use a typical square baking pan as well.
• Add 1-2 tbsp avocado oil on top of the parchment paper, tilting the dish to spread it out.
• Pour Brownie batter into baking dish. You will probably see an oil line around the brownie batter, this is ok. **
• Bake at 325 for 40-55 minutes. This will depend on your pan and oven. I find about 50 minutes works well for me.
• Remove brownies from oven and allow them to cool completely.
• Slice and enjoy!

Video

Notes

• *Vanilla sugar can be replaced with regular sugar.
• **The trick to regular brownies is the butter in the pan, making this dairy free we are using avocado oil in place of the butter. It will absorb into the mix creating a crunchy edge and chewy brownie.
• If you do the toothpick test it should be mostly clean, a little on the toothpick is ok because it will continue to cook for a few minutes after it is removed from the oven.

Nutrition

Calories: 267kcalCarbohydrates: 39gProtein: 3gFat: 13gSaturated Fat: 3gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 7gTrans Fat: 0.01gCholesterol: 29mgSodium: 163mgPotassium: 97mgFiber: 3gSugar: 31gVitamin A: 49IUVitamin C: 0.04mgCalcium: 28mgIron: 1mg

Keyword Brownie, Cacao, Chocolate, Dairy Free, Gluten Free, Peppermint, White Chocolate

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