Peppermint-topped Brownies

great recipe, good brownies and nice decoration on top. However, I found that it was easier to cut brownies first and then add ganache and peppermint candies. Also, I found that the peppermint if left our on the brownies will totally melt back into the ganache and disappear. I also tried using a very small snowflake cookie cutter to cut out the peppermint candies and placed them on top of brownies. It was very pretty and easier to cover then trying to make squares.

These make beautiful brownies that look really festive for the holidays. One thing I didn't like about the candy layer was that it was too thick. It made eating the brownies kind of awkward. I did a little experiment that seemed to work nicely. I melted the candies on a piece of parchment paper. After I took them out of the oven, while still piping hot, I put another piece of parchment on top of the melted candies and rolled them with a rolling pin. This made the layer thinner and also pushed any candies together that were still not touching after they were fully melted....then, I gently pulled the top layer of parchment off the candies which took about 1/2 the candy thickness with it. It left a very thin layer of candy on the pan. I then scored the candy while still hot. I tried this on a small amount of candies (about 12). I think it would be too difficult to do successfully on a full baking sheet of candy. Worked like a charm and the candies retained their pretty design.

I tried melting the candies. Didn't turn out well. So when I make them with the peppermint I put the candies in my food processor. Remember you can also use other candy to top or omit the candies and just have the ganache layer!

I made these for a small group at Christmas thinking we could eat them for dessert all week. They are beautiful and everyone loved them... until they were about two days old... the candy got very soggy and turns almost to a liquid. Literally you could touch it and it looked like had marshmellow stuck to my finger. This is a great recipe, but I wouldn't make more than your going to use.

I really, really wanted these to work as the other reviewers said but found them to be a bit too difficult for my liking (& I am not against a challenge!). These make very intensely chocolate brownies as well. Perhaps crushing candy canes like one reviewer mentioned would have been a better choice for me as that mint top was a bit of a whip!

I made this recipe according to the directions and it turned out great! I heated the peppermints for maybe double the time it says to try to get them to connect as best as possible. My one complaint would be that the peppermint layer was a tad on the thick side which made for a bit of an odd eating sensation (hard layer, super soft layer, and then brownie). The 2nd time I chopped up the peppermints and spread them on the top instead; was much easier and still very pretty!

Wow! What an amazingly delicious, gorgeous treat! They were of course a bit time consuming, but they were simple. I did make a trial batch of mints, and I found with the Brachs starlights, they need to be placed closer together in order to melt into a sheet. They scored and cut easily, and the delicate little crunch on top of the brownie did not detract from your typical brownie experience. I did not make a huge batch of mints to choose the prettiest (why waste the time and candy?).I made one tray, it was plenty, and even the less-than-perfect mints still made a gorgeous brownie. These taste really gourmet and look like you've had intensive pastry schooling--perfect to whip together before the mother-in-law comes for a visit.

Beautiful brownies that all my guests adored looking at. The only issue I had was the inevitable run-off from the peppermint layer melting. Other than that, they were well-received.

Truly one of the best things I've ever made! I followed the recipe exactly, except that I crushed candy canes and sprinkled them over the top instead of melting the peppermint candies. I thought the melted peppermint candies would make too hard a top. The crushed candy canes added just the right amount of peppermint taste and crunch. They taste best right out of the refrigerator, although my husband says the ones I froze taste the best. Either way, these are keepers.

LOVE this recipe, its a bit hard the first time but worth perfecting. I took it to a cookie exchange last year and everyone raved about them. This year I am bringing them for Thanksgiving and Christmas dinners. ***I cheat and use boxed brownies 2 boxes in a big glass dish so they are super think.

These brownies are DELICIOUS!!! Although they do take time to make, the result is amazing! The thin sheet of peppermint on top of the ganache is sooo good, and the actual brownie part is very moist, also. The only helpful hint I'd give is that they tell you to make much more peppermint squares than you need. All my friends and family and I loved these brownies. The peppermint and ganache really make these brownies great!

I loved, loved, loved these brownies!! they will be a part of my holiday traditions from now on! Those that tried them were so impressed and were fascinated by the peppermint tops. Christmas was the perfect holiday to hand these out but I think I could extent them all the way to valentines day because of the red and white. Since I saved my gridded parchment paper, making several batches will be a snap. I did't turn the mint squares over when placing them on the top because I liked the glossiness . The underside of the mints had a matte finish and was pitted. When melting the mints, I found it easier to melt an area of4 mints x 5 mints. I used a knife to score to keep the lines nice and strait. I loved these brownies and I can't wait to try the other toppings suggested!

My new favorite! Here's something to try. Instead of a 9x13 pan put the brownie batter in a 15" cookie sheet. You get almost twice as many brownies and the size(height)is much more "elegant". Just reduce cooking time to 15-17 min. Also, I couldn't decide which topping to put on so I decided to divide the pan into three sections. On one section I put the raspberry jam. Then I spread on the granache. While warm I sprinkled toffee onto the middle section and put the mints on the final section. I made the mint tops a little smaller and was able to get about 15-20 brownies out of each section! My friends thought I took all that time to make three pans of brownies! I will do it this way everytime. It is so nice to have a selection. Favorite? Raspberry. Second? peppermint.

These are SO fun to make, and not as difficult as you might think! I used two bags WalMart Starlight Mints - 16 oz for $1. I suggest spacing them a tiny bit closer together - about 1.5 inches instead of 1.75 inches. After baking, it's impossible to see your grid lines through the candy, so make sure you draw them all the way out to the edge to have a guide. Bubbles are okay, since you won't see that side on the finished product. The beautiful end product makes the extra effort worth it!

I made this and found it to be a bit hard to make but very beautiful. I listened to the other reviewer and used the walmart star mints and they melted very nice. I will mention that after about 14 min of the star mints in the oven I noticed bubbles forming on the mints! If you see this, take them out early, those bubbles stay on the mints as they dry when you score them. I tossed those mints and kept the best looking ones to put on the brownies. Don't forget to flip the mints over when you place them on your brownies.