Are you a mint chocolate person? I one hundred percent AM. I love it, and not just around the holidays. Peppermint cheesecake brownies definitely are holiday appropriate but can be enjoyed year round.
Mint cookie ice cream is one of my favorite flavors. I love thin mints, and mint Oreos, and my mom always made Mint Chocolate Chip Cookies when I was a kid. I love putting mint and chocolate together in bakes that necessarily aren’t famously known for that flavor profile.
I think a mint chocolate brownie is pretty ubiquitous but mint cheesecake is less common. However, I also wanted to make a cheesecake brownie and I thought it could make a good combination. Mint Cookie Fudge sort of has the same vibe and I thought I could make something that felt similar. Clearly, peppermint cheesecake brownies won the poll. (It was me, I conducted and voted in the poll).
Baking Tips
Pan size is important. I baked these in both an 8×8 and 9×9 pan and the bake time was quite a bit different. If you bake these in an 8×8 pan, the brownies will take considerably longer and be little bit fudgier in texture. In a 9×9 pan they will take less time and be more chewy. Obviously, those in an 8×8 will be a little thicker and 9×9 will be thinner. Do with that what you will and how you enjoy brownies best. Personally, I prefer the larger pan. Baking times for both are notated in the recipe card.
If you are trying to make these and you aren’t in the holiday season, you probably won’t be able to find the Andes peppermint crunch baking chips. I know this because I tested this recipe in pumpkin season, and they just weren’t available, except online for extraordinary amounts of money. No thanks. You can easily swap them for traditional Andes mints and the flavor won’t be too different. Ghirardelli also has a mint chocolate cookie bar that would work. You also can just use crushed peppermints, and while they won’t have the same chocolate part, they will add just a little mint to the brownies.
These peppermint cheesecake brownies do take longer to bake than traditional brownies and you won’t necessarily be able to get a clean toothpick to judge doneness. You will know they are done when the center of the brownies is set, the edges have slightly pulled away from the pan and the brownies will smell very fragrant. If you’ve ever baked a cheesecake you know that often it looks underdone when it’s actually done, but will continue to cook in the pan. Brownies also do this to a lesser extent, so with both of them you will feel like they are underdone but they are not.
Peppermint Cheesecake Brownies Key Ingredients
- Peppermint Candies – I tested these peppermint cheesecake brownies with two kinds of Andes. Both with chopped traditional andes mints (which are creme de menthe not peppermint) and the peppermint crunch. I liked the extra little pop of color with the peppermint crunch, and it tastes ever so slightly different but if you are making these out of holiday season, regular andes mints are just fine.
- Cream Cheese – A regular block of full fat cream cheese is what you need for the cheesecake layer. Essentially we are making a pared down cheesecake and swirling and layering it into brownies.
- Peppermint Extract – Make sure you get extract and not oil. Peppermint oil is VERY concentrated and using half a teaspoon of it would most likely leave you very unhappy with what’s happening in your mouth after tasting.
Ingredients
Brownie layer
- 113 g Unsalted butter ½ cup
- 2 tbsp Neutral oil
- 200 g Granulated sugar 1 cup
- 100 g Dark brown sugar ½ cup
- 2 large Eggs room temperature
- 1 tsp Vanilla
- 40 g Dutch process cocoa
- 90 g AP flour ¾ cup
- 1 tsp Sea salt
- 100 g Andes peppermint crunch candies
Cheesecake layer
- 227 g Cream cheese 8 oz, room temperature
- 70 g Granulated sugar ⅓ cup
- ½ tsp Mint extract
- 1 large Egg room temperature
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350°F, line an 9×9 or 8×8 pan with parchment and set aside.
- Measure out your flour and salt in a small bowl, set aside.
- In a large bowl in the microwave or a small pot on the stovetop, melt your butter. It is helpful to have room temperature butter as it melts more evenly and quickly, but not necessary.
- Add your melted butter to oil, brown sugar and granulated sugar and mix together.
- Add in your eggs and vanilla and mix well.
- Add in your cocoa powder to your wet ingredients, mixing until no dry spots of cocoa remain.
- Add your dry ingredients to your wet and stir in with a rubber spatula until just combined.
- Add your peppermint candies and stir them to evenly distribute.
- Pour about 80% of your brownie batter into your prepared cake pan and smooth out into an even layer.
- In a medium size bowl add cream cheese and granulated sugar and mix with a hand mixer.
- Add your egg and mint extract and mix until smooth and no cheesecake lumps remain.
- Pour your cheesecake layer on top of your brownie layer and smooth out into an even layer covering all the brownie.
- Take the remaining brownie batter and add dollops around the pan, then use a knife to swirl the brownie layer into the cheesecake layer.
- Optional – Add a sprinkling of extra peppermint candy on top.
- Bake your brownies on the center rack of your oven for about 30 minutes in a 9×9 pan and about 45 minutes in a 8×8 pan, until the center is no longer wet. The brownies will still be jiggly when you remove them but if you lightly touch the center, it will be soft but set.
- Remove from oven and allow to cool in pan. Do not cut into until brownies have come completely to room temperature, which may take several hours.
- Store in an airtight container for up to 4 days, enjoy!
