Christmas is right around the corner, y’all! It’ll seriously be here before we know it. It always has a way of sneaking up on me! I’ve already been pulling out my Christmas gift list (and checking it twice) and making notes here and there of what I’d like to give my friends and family as gifts this year on the big day. It’s always fun to make sweets and package them up and give to others. It’s also fun to receive sweet treats (just in case you needed an idea of what to get me!) 😉

One of the first things I associate with the holidays is food – particularly sweet treats. I’ve always loved to be in the kitchen, but I especially love to be in the kitchen during this time of year. Once Thanksgiving has come and gone, I start putting away the pumpkin and break out the peppermint! I’ve always loved chocolate and peppermint together. My husband is not a fan, but that doesn’t stop me from digging in! 😉

One chocolatey and pepperminty dish that’s so easy to make is Double Mint Brownies. They’re so delicious, and they are perfect to wrap up to give as a little gift to someone on your Christmas list! I think instead of baking Santa cookies this year, we might be leaving him and his reindeer some of these beauties. Who knows, maybe he’ll leave us a little something extra special!

I have been using essential oils for over a year now. I’m always amazed at how many different uses each oil has! This time of year, I really love to use peppermint essential oil when baking. In this recipe, I use it in place of mint extract.

Note: If you would like to learn more about essential oils, my sister has a really informative post that may help you out! You can find it here.

Ingredients:

• 1 1/4 cups all purpose flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 2 cups sugar
• 3 eggs
• 2/3 cup cocoa powder
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 2 sticks butter, melted
• candy cane or peppermints
• semisweet morsels – optional
• 5-6 drops peppermint essential oil. (*Note- If you don’t have or don’t want to use an essential oil, you can use 1 tsp mint extract. BE SURE to use the proper amount of essential oil if you decide to use it. It does not measure the same as using mint extract.)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 F
2. Combine dry ingredients in a bowl
3. In a separate bowl, combine wet ingredients
4. Combine wet and dry ingredients and pour into greased 9X13 pan
5. Crush candy cane/peppermints in a ziploc bag using a meat mallet  or hammer
6. Sprinkle a few crushed mints and a handful of semisweet morsels on top of batter
7. Bake for 22-25 minutes
8. Remove from oven and allow to cool. If desired, sprinkle additional crushed mints on top.
9. Enjoy!

Just FYI – If you’re in a time/ingredient crunch, you can also accomplish this pepperminty awesomeness by buying a box of brownie mix and just adding the peppermint to it. I won’t judge!  Don’t you ever let anybody tell you that store bought isn’t fine. 🙂

To give these brownies as a gift, put them in a cute little holiday tin and put a bow on top! I actually stacked them and placed them in a clear plastic cup. I covered the cup with cellophane, tied it together with ribbon, and added a name tag. Easy as pie, y’all!

Have you ever cooked using essential oils before? Do you love chocolate + mint like I do? If you try this recipe for peppermint brownies using peppermint essential oil, I’d love to hear how it turned out!