Dark Chocolate Peppermint Brownies

These taste *delicious*, and yes, are better after they've "ripened" a little bit. The hint of peppermint extract in the brownie itself is great. They freeze well. The candy topping of mine completely separated from the brownies, probably because I had more than the picture shows and it sort of became a solid layer of deliciousness on top. When I tried to cut them after they'd just cooled, it broke in pieces that did not match the brownies and pretty much just came off. It was so hard I don't see how it could ever really be cut. That meant each brownie arrived on a plate, naked, with it's own little chocolate/peppermint candy sitting next to it. Same thing when I cut the rest after cooling over night in the fridge. It didn't matter to me, BUT it would matter to you if you were going for an impressive presentation.

Delicious! Even though I inadvertently mixed the dark chocolate in with the brownie mix instead of the bittersweet. Decided to drizzle the bittersweet on top so the combination of chocolate was still there. Turned out just fine :). Definitely tastes better/fudgier the second day as noted in write-up.