Guest post from Michelle of The Willing Cook
Traditions are a big part of our Christmas celebrations and observances. Just saying that probably stirs up a few images in your head.
My Papaw was a hard worker and Godly man. He had one of the greatest Puritan libraries of anyone I’ve known, and he read every single book in it. At this time of year, his favorite work was ‘Twas the Night Before Christmas. He had every single word of it memorized. I love carrying on his tradition by reading it to my children on Christmas Eve. Perhaps over time I can memorize it just like my Papaw.
Traditions also come to us through food. I’ve shared several of my Granny’s recipes lately (Traditional Pumpkin Roll and Chicken & Dumpling Soup), made with my allergy-friendly twist.
After leaving the coalmines of West Virginia, my grandparents went to a boarding school where my Papaw was the groundskeeper and my Granny, the cook. The recipe I’m sharing with you today has its roots from the hallowed halls of that boarding school many decades past. The original brownie recipe can beat out any brownie recipe that I know with its perfect chewiness and thick, smooth chocolate icing.
I’ve given the recipe a seasonal twist by adding a peppermint flavor. I also converted the recipe to be free of gluten, dairy, peanut, egg, and so on.
Whatever the traditions in your home, enjoy every minute of them! Pass them on to your children and the friends with whom you share the joy and wonder of Christmas. Perhaps someday they’ll recite ‘Twas the Night Before Christmas” with their own children.
Peppermint Fudge Brownies
Makes one 9″ x 13″ pan of brownies.
Brownie Ingredients
- 4 eggs or EnerG Egg Replacer (6 tsp powder + 8 Tbsp water)
- 1 cup non-dairy butter/margarine or oil, softened
- 1/4 cup applesauce
- 1 1/2 cups brown sugar (or cut the sugar in half and replace with honey or maple syrup)
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 1/2 tsp peppermint extract
- 1 cup brown rice flour
- 1/2 cup tapioca flour
- 7 Tbsp cocoa powder
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp salt
Icing Ingredients
- 1 cup powdered sugar (make corn-free powdered sugar by grinding granulated sugar in a coffee bean grinder)
- 4 Tbsp non-dairy butter/margarine, softened
- 1/4 cup cocoa powder
- 1/2 tsp vanilla
- 2-4 Tbsp hot water or non-dairy milk
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Whisk egg or egg replacer in mixing bowl until frothy. Add softened butter (or oil) and applesauce; mix well. Add brown sugar; mix well. Add vanilla and peppermint extracts; mix well.
3. To the wet ingredients, add dry ingredients — brown rice flour, tapioca flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt. Beat well (batter will be rather thin).
4. Pour batter into a greased 9×13 pan. Bake for 35-40 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean. Allow to cool.
5. While brownies are cooling, chop your peppermints into bite-sized pieces. I used about 18-20 Soft Peppermint Puffs and chopped them with a knife. Set aside.
6. Make icing: Mix together the powdered sugar and cocoa. Add in your softened butter and vanilla; mix together. Slowly add in hot water or milk while stirring. Stir and add in more water until you achieve a creamy icing consistency.
7. Once brownies have cooled, spread icing on top and sprinkle with chopped peppermints. Refrigerate about 30 minutes so chocolate stiffens a little. Remove from refrigerator and serve at room temperature.
To Freeze:
I recommend leaving the brownies as a whole by removing them from the baking dish and wrapping tightly in plastic wrap. You could also leave them in the baking dish and cover tightly then freeze. Do not freeze the icing and peppermints. Remove the brownies from the freezer to thaw. Once thawed, add icing and peppermints.
Enjoy the wonderful flavors of Christmas in this Peppermint Fudge Brownie!
Michelle is blessed to stay home with her three children (ages 10, 7, and 4), while her husband works to provide. When she’s not experimenting with allergy-friendly meals, she’s blogging about it at The Willing Cook. Through the Willing Cook, her hope is that you gain peace of mind in your kitchen (and your pocket book) and are able to serve those you love who suffer with food allergies.
Thank you for sharing your lovely memories of your Papaw and Granny – I love family history, and family food history too! It’s amazing how allergy friendly you have made these wonderful brownies. They look seriously yummy!
Do you have a certain gluten free brand you like to use for the peppermint candies? I’ve had a hard time trying to find gluten free replacement candies that actually taste good (like gummy bears).
I read someone’s post recently about searching for gluten-free candy canes. I’m sorry that I can’t remember where that was now. She called several companies and found out that the Brach’s brand is gf. Now, I’m going on memory here, so you might want to call the company to confirm.
The Peppermint Puffs in the recipe I used were from Aldi. There wasn’t any gluten listed on the ingredient list but I did not call the company. My husband’s allergy is to wheat only and he isn’t so severe that I have to watch cross-contamination.
You should be able to find one out there. You might also try googling it. All the best!
All of the students in that boarding school loved when mother made those brownies, and when they graduated, she would give them the recipe. Great memories!!!
This comment was from my mom. She thought she was leaving a comment at The Willing Cook. Funny, Mom 🙂
Here is the original recipe in all it’s unhealthy {and yummy} glory 🙂
Cake Brownie with Icing
1 cup butter, softened
7 Tbsp cocoa powder
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
2 cups sugar
2 tsp vanilla
4 eggs
Mix together the wet ingredients; add in dry ingredients; mix well. Pour into a greased 9×13 pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 35-40 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to cool completely before icing.
Icing
1 cup powdered sugar
4 Tbsp butter, softened
1/2 tsp vanilla
1/4 cup cocoa powder
Mix together all the ingredients carefully. Add small amounts of hot water or milk to get a creamy texture. Spread over the brownies and allow to harden slightly before cutting into brownies.
Optional:
For a Peppermint Brownie – Decrease the vanilla in the batter to 1/2 tsp and add 1 1/2 tsp of peppermint extract. Crush 18-20 Soft Peppermint Puffs and spread them evenly across the icing before it hardens.
Other toppings – Try chopped pecans, almonds, or other nut, shredded coconut, or dried fruit.
Yum!!! This looks soooo good…. I also saw a book called “Cooking for Isaiah” at B&N the other day about cooking dairy free and gluten free!
That looks so amazing!
Yes, please provide the original recipe! Thank You for sharing!
Sally, I put the original recipe at the bottom of the comments. Enjoy!
Where do you find / buy your gluten-free flour – like the rice flour mentioned?
Hi Sarah! Good question. It depends on the flour and what stores you have access to. I actually buy the brown rice flour off amazon. It seems to be the best price and it is my one “splurge” flour, but I have absolutely loved using it since finding how great a gf flour it is. For oat flour, I grind my own from whole oats in a coffee bean grinder ( you can also use a food processor or blender). For tapioca flour/starch and others like it, including sweet rice flour, I get at an asian store. I get coconut flour from Tropical Traditions. I don’t use all of these flours often, but it’s been good for me to see what combinations work best. My favorite combination for 2 flours is brown rice & tapioca. Sometimes I’ll add a third flour like oat or chia seed flour. I hope that was not too confusing, but helpful!
Missed this, Michelle! They look great!
Hey, Friend! If you’re interested in the original recipe that I loved as a child, I put it in the comments. Miss you!!!
I’m a long time egg free baker due to my son’s egg allergy. Unfortunately, EnerG egg replacer is not suitable for replacing eggs in brownies. Not only are recipes requiring more than 3 eggs not good candidates for egg replacers, but brownies are a fickle creature. They are not a cake and not a cookie, but more like a chocolate custard. This makes replacing the eggs quite difficult.
I used real butter since my husband(he of the many food allergies) isn’t allergic to milk, and used canola in place of the applesauce since I didn’t think the peach applesauce we have would work. The verdict from my husband? He said it has the consistency of a normal brownie and, “I’m going to have more later.” 🙂 This was a nice treat for him after having to go to a work function today where the only thing safe for him was the coffee. Thanks, Michelle! 🙂
I’m glad to hear that he enjoyed them, Kate! Substitute away….that is my middle name 🙂
Thanks! Looks yummy and I know my son would LOVE these 🙂
Could you use regular flour in equal amounts, 1.5C total in this?
You can find the original recipe at the bottom of the comments. I hope you enjoy it!
Yes, please provide the original recipe! Tis the season for a decadent brownie! Yum, yum.
I’ll see if Crystal would like to publish the original recipe. It is a bit different than the allergy one, so it would be as easy just to give the equivalent substitutions.
Hi Rose. The original recipe is now in the comments. Just scroll down to the end and you’ll see it. I hope you enjoy it as I always did growing up!
What is the reci if you don’t have allergies? It looks delish.
Thanks for sharing this family favorite with everyone, Crystal! I’m happy to share the original recipe with your readers, if you’re interested. I made quite a few changes above to the original. I’m happy to share the original recipe here in the comments or provide another post for you. Just let me know! 🙂
Melissa, I’ve left the original recipe in the comments. Just scroll down. Hope you enjoy them as much as we always have!