peppermint brownie-cakes

Last night I made these peppermint brownie cupcakes.  They're so simple and got audible yum sounds :) 

I started with:

• A boxed brownie mix -- I personally prefer either Betty Crocker Gluten Free Brownies or King Arthur Gluten Free Brownies.  This was made with the latter. 
• 1/4 cup (4 tablespoons) melted butter
• 3 large eggs -- I used my parents' duck eggs
• Mini peppermint patties 
• Chocolate chips or chocolate syrup -- I'll explain in Step 7 :)
• 2-3 crushed candy canes

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and place cupcake wrappers in a muffin pan - either regular or mini in size.  I used both, just to test it out.  They both work.

2. In a medium bowl, stir the mix with the melted butter and eggs. 

3. Divide the batter between cupcake cups, leaving more room in the cup than you normally would.  Tip: Use an ice cream scoop to measure the batter.

4. Place an unwrapped peppermint patty on top of the batter and press it down about halfway into the cup.  If it's too near the top, the peppermint patty will puff out.  If it's on the bottom, the peppermint filling with stick to the bottom of the wrapper. 

 5. Bake 18-22 minutes if making full-size cupcakes.  I baked my minis for about 15 minutes.

6. Cool completely on a cooling rack for roughly an hour. 

7. Melt the chocolate chips in a double boiler.  I've heard the microwave for 1 minute will work, but my chips only became grainy, and I didn't have the time for a double boiler.  In a hurry, I turned to chocolate syrup, which doesn't harden the way I wanted. 

8. Drizzle the chocolate over the cupcakes and sprinkle with the crunched-up candy canes.


Happy eating!