Candy cane brownies? Ho, ho… hold my calls!

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 13/12/2006 (7159 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

AS a child, I loved finding the mailbox stuffed with holiday catalogues. And while the reams of paper dedicated to the latest toys certainly contributed to the excitement, it was the food catalogues I spent the most time with.

The gift baskets were best. Big boxes heaped with lush fruit, rich candies and chocolates, the ubiquitous block of sharp cheddar, tiny bottles of preserves and maple syrup, salted nuts and cans of cocoa.

It didn’t matter that my family never ordered from such catalogues. It never occurred to me to ask for anything from them. It was a fantasy-type thing (and in retrospect, probably just a tad disturbing).

A couple of decades later, not a lot has changed. I still look forward to catalogue season. I still pore over the offerings. I still never order anything. Except now when I see something I really like, I try to make it myself.

Last year it was peppermint bark. Seemed to be “the” holiday candy of the year, if appearing in almost every catalogue counts as critical mass. Tinkering with some recipes, I made a fine version, including a vegan variant for my mother.

This year? Peppermint again, but the object of my lust this time was the candy cane-studded brownies I’d seen in the Stonewall Kitchen catalogue. What a brilliant — and decadent — idea.

If I was to craft my own version, I might as well create my dream brownie, which then could be made with or without candy canes. That brownie would be rich and fudgy. So fudgy, in fact, as to be just one or two grains of flour away from being fudge.

The result is a breathtakingly good brownie with just the right peppermint undercurrent. And an extra sprinkle of crushed candy canes over the top melts into a delicious crisp. You’ll need to loosen your belt for this one.

Candy cane brownies

375 ml (1 1/2 cups) sugar

1 ml (1/4 tsp) salt

250 ml (1 cup) all-purpose flour

175 ml ( 3/4 cup) unsalted butter

350 g (12 oz) chocolate chips, divided

150 ml (2/3 cup) unsweetened cocoa powder

3 large eggs, room temperature

5 ml (1 tsp) vanilla

125 ml (1/2 cup) warm milk

10 candy canes, finely crushed

Coat a 20-cm (8-inch) square baking pan with cooking spray.

In a medium bowl, mix sugar, salt and flour. Set aside.

In a double boiler or microwave-safe bowl, combine butter and half the chocolate chips. Melt, stirring often, then remove from heat. Whisk in cocoa, transfer to a large mixing bowl and set aside.

In a large measuring cup, whisk together eggs, vanilla and milk. Add to chocolate and cocoa mixture and whisk well to combine. Fold in flour mixture, then mix in remaining chocolate chips and all but 30 ml (2 tbsp) of the crushed candy canes.

Use a rubber spatula to transfer batter to prepared pan. Sprinkle top with 15 ml (1 tbsp) of crushed candy canes. Bake in a 180 C (350 F) oven for 45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the centre comes out covered with cakey bits. The centre of the brownies should be set.

Dust top of brownies with remaining crushed candy canes, then cool completely before serving.

Makes 9 generous servings.

— Associated Press