Tender bite-sized brownies are topped with mint-flavored chocolate candies to create Peppermint Brownie Bites, a festive dessert that will be right at home on any holiday cookie plate.

While you can find me in the kitchen baking just about any time of year, when Christmas is in sight, the baking energy really ramps up. We’ve stocked our pantry with holiday favorites – peppermint extract, chocolate in all its forms, plenty of sugar, and the sponsors of today’s post, Clabber Girl® Baking Powder and Crisco® All-Vegetable Shortening.

Although I hate to choose favorites, these sweet bite-sized chocolate and peppermint treats are my favorites this holiday season (barely beating out these Peppermint Hot Cocoa Cookies). Because they use ingredients that I trust, and that both my mom and my grandma brought out every holiday season, they offer a good dose of Christmastime nostalgia too.

How to Make Peppermint Brownie Bites

1. Mix up the batter. A stand mixer or hand mixer are great for this, but you can even mix them up by hand with a little muscle.
2. Roll into even balls.
3. Place in mini muffin tin. Place the brownie dough into the spaces of a mini muffin tin.
4. Bake until rounded and cooked through. Bake just until the tops are rounded and the centers are just set, about 10 minutes at 350°F / 177°C.
5. Add peppermint candy kisses. Working quickly so the brownies are still warm, add peppermint candy kisses. They will melt into the brownies. You can go back after a few minutes and gently press down to smooth out the tops (or leave the tops pointy).

Ingredients

• Crisco All-Vegetable Shortening – Crisco Baking Sticks are super easy to slice and measure. And the biggest perk – no need to wait for them to soften to room temperature. I keep these in the pantry for consistent, delicious results every time. 
• Clabber Girl Baking Powder – My go-to brand turns out to be the go-to brand of most Americans too – Clabber Girl is the #1 brand of baking powder in the U.S. and has been around since 1850 (!). Baking powder helps to increase the volume of the brownies as they bake, resulting in a light, tender texture. 
• Unsweetened Cocoa Powder – Any type of unsweetened cocoa powder will do the trick. I often use dark cocoa powder for an even more rich chocolate flavor. 
• Peppermint Extract – Use peppermint extract to add peppermint flavor to the brownie batter. A little goes a long way to give the dessert that classic chocolate-peppermint flavor. 
• Egg, Sugar, All-Purpose Flour, Salt – Standard baking ingredients you’ll need to finish this recipe. 
• Candy Cane Mint Flavored Candy Kisses – You can fill these bite-sized brownies with any chocolate or peppermint candy that you like. Be sure the candies are at room temperature and are unwrapped so that you can press them into the warm brownies as soon as you pull them from the oven.

More Peppermint Cookie Recipes

Chocolate Peppermint Blossoms

Peppermint Hot Cocoa Cookies

Candy Cane Meringues

Chocolate Candy Cane Truffles