Fudgy, rich and chocolatey, these mint brownies make a delicious holiday treat. They’re dusted with sugar and then drizzled with a peppermint icing. Perfect for a Christmas dessert!
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Brownies are one of my favorite desserts. Not only are they easy and quick to make, but they always turn out so indulgent.
These 30-Minute Vegan Brownies are my go-to recipe. But today I wanted to create brownies with a more festive flavor, and I wanted them to be vegan and gluten-free too! Because why not?
Each bite of these mint brownies tastes like Christmas. The peppermint flavor is subtle and elegant (think candy canes, not toothpaste!) and helps add a hint of freshness to the moist, chocolatey base. Plus, they’ll make your kitchen smell incredible.
These mint brownies are:
- Rich and fudgy
- Perfect for the holidays
- Super chocolatey
- Vegan
- Gluten-free
- Great for sharing
- Delicious mint and chocolate flavor combination
Let's get baking!
Ingredients & Substitutions
These peppermint brownies and icing require a few special ingredients to make them vegan and gluten-free, but most of them you probably already have in your cupboard!
- Ground flaxseed. We’ll mix this with water to make flax eggs.
- Coconut sugar. I love coconut sugar as it has more benefits than regular sugar.
- Rice flour.
- Cornmeal.
- Baking powder
- Cacao powder.
- Xanthan gum. If you’re gluten-free baking then this is a staple ingredient as it helps bind the brownies together.
- Salt.
- Vegan butter.
- Dark chocolate. Most dark chocolate is naturally vegan but always check the label.
- Peppermint extract. Use this sparingly, otherwise you may get an artificially minty taste.
- Icing sugar.
- Plant based milk. You can use whichever, as long as it’s unsweetened.
- Green food coloring. For some festive color!
Make Mint Brownies (Step by Step)
First, preheat the oven to 180 degrees C/350 degrees F and lightly grease a square baking tin with vegan butter.
Then, in a large mixing bowl, combine the ground flaxseeds and water. Set this aside for 10 minutes – these are your flax eggs.
In a different mixing bowl, whisk together the coconut sugar, rice flour, cornmeal, baking powder, cacao powder, xanthan gum and salt.
Next, add the melted vegan butter, melted dark chocolate and peppermint extract and whisk together once more.
Then, pour the batter into the baking tin and bake in the preheated oven for 25 minutes. Try not to overbake as this will make the texture less fudgy.
Meanwhile, prepare the icing by stirring together vegan butter, icing sugar, plant based milk, food coloring and peppermint extract.
Finally, allow the brownies to cool for 5 minutes before drizzling with the icing, slicing and serving.
Tips and Tricks
Add the peppermint extract gradually to ensure the flavor is subtle and elegant – we don’t want brownies that taste like toothpaste!
Make sure you don’t overbake the brownies otherwise they’ll lose their fudgy texture. Your brownies continue to bake once they’re out of the oven so even if they look a little underdone, the likelihood is, once they’ve cooled they’ll be perfect.
To ensure the brownies hold their shape and the icing sets properly, make sure they’re completely cooled before cutting and icing.
If you don’t care for peppermint, you can try out these Olive Oil Brownies, or these Snickers Cheesecake Brownies, or my Black Bean Brownies instead!
Storing and Freezing
As long as they’re in an airtight container, these vegan peppermint brownies last for quite a few days after baking. If you keep them in the fridge they’ll last 4-5 days, or 2-3 if left at room temperature.
If you want to freeze the brownies, then let them cool completely after baking. It’s better to leave them uncut, and wrap the whole, cooled slab in foil or plastic wrap. Remember to defrost thoroughly before eating.
More Delicious Recipes
If you love these mint brownies, be sure to check out these other delicious dessert recipes:
Recipe
Mint Brownies
Ingredients
For the brownies
- ½ cup ground flaxseed
- 1 cup water
- 2 cups coconut sugar
- ¾ cup rice flour
- ⅓ cup cornmeal
- 3 tbsp cornmeal altogether you'll have ⅓ cup and 3 tbsp of cornmeal
- 1 tbsp baking powder
- ¼ cup cacao powder
- 1 tsp xanthan gum
- ½ tsp salt
- ½ cup vegan butter melted
- 6 oz dark chocolate melted
- 2 tsp peppermint extract
For the icing
- 1 cup icing sugar
- 3 tbsp plant-based milk
- ½ tsp green food coloring
- ½ tsp peppermint extract
Special Equipment
- Conventional oven
- Square baking tin
- 2 large mixing bowls
- Whisk
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 180 degrees C/350 degrees F and lightly grease a square baking tin with vegan butter.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine the ground flaxseeds and water, and set aside for 10 minutes.
- In a different mixing bowl, whisk together the coconut sugar, rice flour, cornmeal, baking powder, cacao powder, xanthan gum and salt.
- Add the vegan butter, dark chocolate and peppermint extract and whisk together once more.
- Pour the batter into the baking tin and bake in the preheated oven for 25 minutes. Try not to overbake as this will make the texture less fudgy.
- Meanwhile, prepare the icing by stirring together the vegan butter, icing sugar, plant based milk, food coloring and peppermint extract.
- Allow the brownies to cool for 5 minutes before drizzling with the icing, slicing and serving.
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