These Peppermint Brownie Parfaits are layers of brownies and peppermint white chocolate mousse. Such a fun, festive and fabulous dessert for the holidays.
Peppermint and the holidays are just like peanut butter and jelly. . .they just totally go together.
You can’t go through the holidays (at least I can’t) without enjoying something pepperminty. Just search “peppermint” on my site, and you’ll see how much I love it. Now throw in chocolate and peppermint together and you’ve really got a winning combination.
These Peppermint Brownie Parfaits instantly became a favorite from the first time I made them.
My son Zach definitely ate his fair share and if he could have gotten away with it, he would have single handedly eaten every one of them all by himself. The first time I made these I actually made one big trifle instead of individual parfaits and I’m pretty sure he ate at least half of it on his own.
Funny story about these parfaits. Zach’s friends love coming to our house because they know I always have something yummy to eat. Well the other night his friends were over and Zach came up stairs to get a drink. When he opened the fridge and saw there were a couple parfaits left he pulled one out, snarfed down a few bites and then headed back downstairs. He was not about to let his friends know there were brownie parfaits in our fridge.
So to Zach’s friends, I’m sorry he wasn’t a very good sharer the other night. Please forgive him.
Besides tasting amazing, I think these are so pretty and festive looking.
We love the brownie in these rather than cake pieces because the brownies are chewy and fudgy, and there is just something about taking a bite of chewy brownie with peppermint whipped cream. . .it’s absolutely delectable. I could eat these every day.
You won’t regret making these! Just remember to plan ahead because there is several hours of chill time required.
- 1 (21 oz) triple chunk brownie mix
- 4 cups heavy whipping cream, divided
- 1 (2 oz) white chocolate bar, chopped
- 45 Round peppermint candies, crushed to powder
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Prepare and bake brownie mix according to package directions (9x13 pan). Cool completely and cut into small chunks. Set aside.
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In a small saucepan, combine 1/2 cup of the whipping cream and white chocolate. Cook over low heat, stirring frequently, until chocolate is melted and smooth. Remove from heat, and let cool for 45 minutes.
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In a large bowl, beat remaining 3 1/2 cups cream at high speed until stiff peaks form. Add cooled white chocolate mixture and beating until stiff peaks form again. Very gently, fold in crushed peppermint candy. (The whipping cream will be a little "grainy" after folding in the candy, but after it chills for several hours, the sugar dissolves and it's just fine.) Cover and refrigerate for at least 4 hours.
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In parfait glass, layer brownies pieces, then a layer peppermint mixture. Repeat two or three more times, to fill glasses. Garnish with a soft peppermint candy if desired. Refrigerate several hours or overnight.
*You can use just a regular fudge brownie mix you like, but I love using the triple chunk brownie mix because I love the chunks of chocolate in it. If you only have a regular mix, you can throw some chocolate chips into the batter before baking the brownies. Here is a link so you can see which brownie mix it is I use.
If you'd rather have one large one, his can easily be made in a trifle dish as well. Just layer as the same way in a trifle dish.
This recipe will make about 5-7 depending on the size of parfait glasses you use. You could use really small parfait glasses and get probably closer to 10.
I like to fill a pastry bag and pipe in the peppermint mixture into the glasses, especially if I'm using taller glasses. I think it's easier to pipe it in and get it even, rather than spooning it in.
BE SURE AND PIN THIS TO YOUR PINTEREST BOARDS SO YOU CAN MAKE IT LATER!
Recipe Source: Adapted slightly from Paula Deen’s Christmas Magazine 2011
Jodi, I am sad the 12 days is coming to an end. And I am sad to tell you that we are not peppermint people in my family. LOL But, this recipe looks so great and we love white chocolate. I know it won’t look as pretty, but do you think I could make these without the peppermint. Would I still have to let it chill for 4 hours even though there are no peppermint sugar crunchies in the cream. What do you think. I have these perfect parfait glasses my mom gave me and would love to make these. Thank you.
Hi Teresa! I can’t believe you’re not peppermint fans (lol!)! If it’s just that you don’t like a super strong peppermint flavor, this is really mild and you could make it even more mild by using half the peppermint candies. . . just a thought (it’s really sooo good!). But if you just can’t stand peppermint you certainly could leave it out, but you’ll need to sweeten the whipping cream because the candy is what sweetens it. I’d start with using 1/2 cup sugar and adding more if you need it. Another idea you could do is add cocoa along with the sugar and make it a chocolate whipped cream, I think it would be delicious. Of course, still use the melted white chocolate, but add some cocoa too. You could also layer some chopped chopped candy bar in between layers (like Skor, Heath or Butterfinger). Anyway, just some ideas. It’s always great to hear from you.