After Eight Brownies with crushed candy canes

Decadently rich, dense and fudgy, these festive Candy Cane and After Eight Brownies embrace the season. They are sure to please chocolate and peppermint lovers of all ages. They can be oven-ready in 10 minutes.

Incidentally, these peppermint After Eight brownies partner well with my candy cane hot chocolate.

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It’s fair to say that although I was late to the brownie loving game, I’m now 100% onboard. Today I’m delighted to be sharing these candy cane brownies that have luscious After Eight chocolates baked into centre.

I’ve always had a soft spot for mint chocolate, so these After Eight Brownies topped with crushed candy canes are my idea of festive chocolate heaven. I hope you get seduced by them too.

Don’t miss my fudgy chocolate chip mint cake or my indulgent mint chocolate fridge cake which comes loaded with all kinds of chocolate mint goodies.

And for a more straightforward brownie recipe give my triple chocolate brownies a go.

Why make this recipe?

Candy canes are a long-standing symbol of Christmas. And by symbol of Christmas I mean the same way that a gingerbread houses or fairy lights might be. Traditional. Fun. Merry.

Though the exact origin of the candy cane is open to debate, there is no denying that this festive treat can be used to great effect when baking.

In this recipe for After Eight brownies, pieces of crushed candy cane are scattered on top of a white chocolate drizzle. Not only does this give the brownies a truly festive and fun presentation, it also enhances the peppermint flavour.

Believe me, with their undeniably playful style, these candy cane brownies will be snatched up in a flash by hungry chocolate lovers.

Ingredients notes

The list of ingredients for these After Eight brownies is straightforward:

• Butter
• Dark chocolate
• White sugar
• Dark Muscovado sugar
• Eggs & egg yolks
• Peppermint extract
• Salt
• Plain (all-purpose) flour
• After Eight mints
• Crushed candy cane (peppermint flavour)

Note that I include eggs and some additional egg yolks in my base batter. This is to encourage that dense, fudgy, gooey and hard to resist texture that this bake is so famous for.

Also note the triple whammy of minty ingredients: peppermint extract, After Eight chocolates and crushed candy cane. These goodies ensure that these deliciously fudgy brownies are fully loaded with festive peppermint flavour.

After Eight mints have been a favourite of mine since before time began. Well, at least 1980 anyway. They are cheap, yet taste fantastic. So it’s really little wonder that I like to occasionally create After Eight recipes to placate this deep-rooted love of mine.

Substitutions for After Eight mints

After Eight mints are very British so feel free to substitute an alternative in these candy cane brownies if necessary. Really, any after-dinner mint chocolates would work.

• If in the US good alternatives include Ghiradelli Dark Chocolate Mint Squares or Juniors
• Over in Australia, York Peppermint Patties would be fine

If you struggle to find any suitable alternative to the After Eights, just double the amount of peppermint extract used within the brownie batter. Okay, the dreamy, creamy chunk of peppermint cream won’t be there, but an unmistakable buzz of festive minty flavour will ring out loud and clear in these brownies.

Step by step instructions

Putting aside my After Eight obsession, you’ll be pleased to hear that these candy cane brownies are very easy to make. They can be in the oven in around 10 minutes and create minimal washing up:

1. Melt the butter and chocolate
2. Stir in the sugars
3. Add the eggs & yolks and beat to just combine using a handheld balloon whisk
4. Stir in the peppermint extract, followed by the flour and salt
5. Pour half of the batter into the tin then lay After Eight mints across the top. Top with the remaining batter and bake for around 22 minutes
6. Once cool, drizzle with the white chocolate, scatter the crushed candy cane over the top and cut into 12 squares

So easy. Full recipe details are available in my recipe card further down.

Expert tips

• Above all else, make sure that you will be happy with the fudgy nature of these brownies. If you prefer a light, cakey brownie, then in all honesty, this recipe is probably not for you. For more details on types of brownie (fudgy, cakey or chewy) head over to my post for Mini Egg brownies
• Always line your baking tin, even if it is labelled as non-stick. Using baking parchment will make it so much easier to remove the brownies from the tin without breaking them
• My cooking time for these After Eight brownies creates a soft, squidgy and fudgy bake. Extending the cooking time for a few more minutes will result in a slightly firmer bake (but they will not become light and fluffy)
• Nevertheless, since all ovens vary slightly and brownies are notoriously easy to overcook, check the bake 5 minutes before the end of the listed cooking time. I’d hate for you to accidentally overbake these beauties
• If things go wrong and you do end up with overbaked brownies, don’t through them out. Instead use them in trifles and ice cream sundaes or make truffles out of them

More Christmas treats

I have quite a list of Christmas baking recipes, but here are a few reader favourites:

Have you made these After Eight brownies? Let me know how you got along by leaving a comment and/ or rating below. I always love to hear from my readers.