Peppermint Brownie Bark

Ingredients

For the brownie:

1/2 cup all purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
2 large egg whites
1 cup sugar
2 Tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder I used Hershey's
1/4 teaspoon espresso powder optional, to enhance chocolate flavor
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon peppermint extract make sure it's peppermint, not just mint
1 Tablespoon non-fat dry milk powder
1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

For the toppings:

1/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1/4 cup andes peppermint white chocolate chips or other chocolate peppermint chips

For the white chocolate drizzle:

6 ounces white chocolate chopped
2 teaspoons shortening I use non-hydrogenated

Instructions

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F
Line a large jelly roll pan or baking sheet with a pan sized piece of parchment.(Do not use wax paper for this.) I used a half sheet pan. Spray the parchment with cooking spray and set aside.
In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, salt and baking soda.
In a medium bowl, whisk the egg whites until frothy. I used my stand mixer to do this, but I’ve also done it by hand.
Add the sugar, cocoa powder, espresso powder, oil, vanilla and peppermint extracts, beating until smooth.
Whisk in the milk powder, then the flour mixture.
Stir in ½ cup of chocolate chips.
Spread the batter on the parchment spreading it as thin as possible. Mine was about 14” by 10”.
Sprinkle the 1/4 cup of chocolate chips over the batter filling in any gaps where there are no chips from spreading the batter.
Sprinkle the 1/4 cup white chocolate peppermint chips evenly over the batter.
Bake the bark for 20 minutes. Remove it from the oven, and cut it into squares using a long sharp knife or pizza cutter. I used a pizza cutter and had no issues slicing through the batter. Do not separate the pieces once cut.
Return the pan to the oven, and bake for an additional 5 minutes. Remove it from the oven and cool on the pan.
Once cool, break it into pieces.
Melt the white chocolate pieces and shortening in the microwave stirring at 15 second intervals until melted. Store in an airtight container at room temperature. They stay chewy for at least two days, after that, they become Brownie Brittle, still delicious but no longer chewy, perfect for dipping in a hot cup of coffee or tea.

Recipe Notes

*Depending upon what quality of white chocolate you use, you may need to add more shortening to achieve a drizzling consistency. Don't overcook it trying to get it to become thinner. Just add shortening a little bit at a time until it is thin enough to flow freely from your spoon.

*Make sure you use peppermint extract. Mint extract tastes like spearmint.

*You can use anywhere from a 1/4 teaspoon to a 1/2 teaspoon of peppermint extract. 1/4 teaspoon will give you a lightly minted bark...I used the 1/2 teaspoon for more peppermint flavor.

Adapted from King Arthur Flour