Growing up, I thought that all brownies came from a box. That was the only way we baked them, whether for a random Tuesday night dessert or a special slumber party treat. While the brand varied, the method stayed the same: pull out the eggs, oil, and water; stir everything together in the huge mixing bowl; spread the batter into the warped metal pan and pop it in the oven.
That all stemmed from my mom’s first brownie baking experience. As a 2nd grader, she had to bring a plate of homemade ones to a church bake sale. She pulled out a cookbook, found a recipe, and started measuring, but when she mixed the eggs into the hot melted chocolate, it immediately cooked them and she ended up with chocolate-covered scrambled eggs!
She refused to bake brownies from scratch ever since.
So up until I started this food blog, I made mine the same way: box mix, oil, eggs, and water. Finally, a little over a year ago, I courageously stepped outside my brownie comfort zone and decided to develop my own from-scratch recipe for the perfect lightened-up fudge brownies.
After multiple rounds of testing, I came up with these beauties, followed by these a few months later (a version made exclusively with cocoa powder and no melted chocolate) and these (a dark chocolate variation on the cocoa powder ones).
But all of those included all-purpose flour and granulated sugar, and that thought started nagging at me a few weeks ago until I set out to create a “clean eating” fudgy brownie recipe, one with entirely wholesome ingredients: whole wheat flour, maple syrup, and the works.
I’m SO proud to say that these Peppermint Drizzled Chocolate Fudge Brownies far exceeded all of my brownie expectations! They’re rich, dense, moist, chocolaty… Everything a brownie should be. These dark squares literally taste like you’re eating fudge—and not a single person ever guessed that they were healthy!
This easy recipe is basically as simple as a box mix. Mix the dry ingredients in one bowl, the wet in another, and combine the two. You just need a fork. There isn’t any chocolate to melt! Because most of the chocolate flavor comes from cocoa powder, we’ll add equal amounts of that and flour for the richest, fudgiest taste.
Instead of refined granulated sugar, these healthier brownies are sweetened with maple syrup. No, they don’t taste like maple! Not even a hint or undertone. Make sure you use the real stuff—pure maple syrup—not the faux syrup I used to douse my pancakes in as a kid. You could probably substitute agave or honey if you preferred, although I haven’t tried myself.
For an extra bit of decadence, we’ll add a little chopped dark chocolate to the batter too. Choose a good-quality variety if you can; I went with Trader Joe’s red 72% pound-plus bar. Chocolate chips contain a stabilizer that prevents them from melting, but regular chocolate bars do melt while baking and create indulgent hidden pockets of chocolate. Ohmygoodness… They’re to die for!
For the fudgiest texture, we’ll bake these brownies low and slow, and try your very hardest to wait to cut into them for at least 8 hours. I know, I know… It’s pure torture seeing the pan on the counter! (It’s why I bake them the night before right before I head to bed: no temptations but lots of sweet dreams!) If you cut into them sooner, they’ll still taste a little cakey, but you can always seal the cut brownies inside of an airtight container and let them sit overnight to increase their fudge factor.
The peppermint drizzle is mindlessly easy: it’s just Greek yogurt, agave, and peppermint extract. Go easy on the peppermint extract! A little goes a long way, and you don’t want your drizzle to taste like toothpaste! You only need a drop or two. To make sure you don’t add more than that, measure the drops into a ¼-teaspoon measuring spoon, and pour any excess back into the bottle. Then drizzle over the brownies to your heart’s content!
So rich… So decadent… These Peppermint Drizzled Chocolate Fudge Brownies barely lasted 24 hours! The ultimate comfort food chocolate dessert, they disappeared much too quickly in our house full of chocoholics. Because really, who can resist brownies that taste like fudge?
I know I can’t… And I bet you can’t either!
These dark chocolate brownies are so dense and moist; they literally taste like you’re eating fudge! They’re best if drizzled just before eaten. Store any un-drizzled brownies in an airtight container on the counter for up to 5 days. Once drizzled, store in an airtight container in the refrigerator instead.
- Preheat the oven to 300°F, and lightly coat an 8”-square baking pan with nonstick cooking spray.
- To prepare the brownies, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl. In a separate bowl, whisk together the butter, eggs, and vanilla. Add in the maple syrup and Greek yogurt, and stir until no large lumps remain. Mix in the flour mixture, stirring just until incorporated. Fold in the dark chocolate.
- Spread the batter into the prepared pan. Bake at 300°F for 15-19 minutes (15 minutes yields the fudgiest brownies; 19 minutes yields slightly cakier brownies). Cool completely to room temperature in the pan, and let the brownies sit for at least 8 hours at room temperature for the fudgiest texture before slicing into squares.
- To prepare the drizzle, stir together the yogurt, agave, and peppermint extract in a small bowl. Spoon into a zip-topped bag, and snip off the corner. Drizzle over the sliced brownies.
Notes: For the gluten-free flour, I used as follows: ½ cup (60g) millet flour, 2 tablespoons (17g) brown rice flour, 2 tablespoons (15g) tapioca flour, and ½ teaspoon (<1g) xanthan gum.
When chopping the dark chocolate, try to make the pieces about the size of miniature chocolate chips.
For fun flavor variations, try substituting the peppermint extract in the drizzle with vanilla, almond, or butter extract instead.
{gluten-free, clean eating, low fat, low calorie}
I totally love this, Amy! Things were the same way for me growing up. All brownies were made from a box. I totally think it’s just the generation we grew up in. These brownies are so amazing though…and my tastebuds are so happy you branched away from the boxed stuff! xoxo
You’re totally right about our generation! Boxed brownies, boxed cakes, boxed cornbread, boxed banana bread, boxed (umm, or just mix) pancakes and waffles… But using a box takes half the fun out of baking! I love measuring out ingredients and mixing them all together; it’s my favorite part. 😉
Mmmmmmm, I am in love with these brownies! They look INCREDIBLE! Seriously, I just want to grab my fork and dig right in! Pinned 🙂
Thank you so much for the sweet comment and pin Jocelyn!! I’d gladly hand you a fork… And an entire pan too! 🙂
These chocolaty pepperminty goodness looks absolutely delicious; however, I was wondering if you have a recipe for cranberry orange muffins. With the fall setting in I was craving a nice cranberry orange (maybe with hints of ginger) muffin and I thought I would turn to my favourite food blogger for help. If you have a recipe (I have looked and not found) would you please direct me to it. If not would you please consider adding to you list. Thank you!
Thanks for your sweet words Emma! You’re right, I don’t actually have a cranberry orange muffin recipe… And that needs to change! It’s one of my favorite flavor combinations in the fall and winter; I can’t believe I haven’t made a muffin with it yet. Thanks for the suggestion, and I’ve already added it to my list! 🙂
Hey Amy! Great recipe, I’m going to try this out after dinner! One question though, I couldn’t get peppermint extract (I suspect it’s out of stock because it’s nearing Christmas), so I got peppermint compound instead. Any idea if peppermint compound can be used?
Thanks Sylvia! I haven’t heard of peppermint compound before. Is it like peppermint essential oil? Because I’d say yes, most definitely in that case! 🙂 I can’t wait to hear what you think of the brownies!
Oh no actually, it’s very different from peppermint essential oil or peppermint extract. Very much like a white substance that has a more gooey texture. I’ll just try it out later! If it doesn’t go well, maybe I’ll just substitute with vanilla extract! The brownie batter turned out very sticky and gooey and it was difficult to spread it out evenly in the pan. Is it meant to be this way?
Yes, the brownie batter is very thick! I generally shake the pan back and forth pretty hard to get it to spread out. It’s like a mini arm workout for me! 😉 As long as the compound can dissolve in yogurt, I think it should work. I’m excited to hear how everything turns out!