Peppermint Almond Praline Brownie Bars

I usually make these bars at Christmas.   The recipe given is the original recipe, however, I had to make substitutions to accommodate my late husband’s dietary restrictions so it is possible to make this recipe more diabetic friendly than my original recipe.  Great for gift giving, Christmas potlucks and bake sales, etc.

For the low sugar more diabetic friendly version, substitute sucralose (Splenda) for the sugar in the brownie batter and be sure to purchase sugar free peppermint candy canes and sugar free York Peppermint Patties or make homemade peppermint patties.   You will, however, need to use actual brown sugar where indicated to caramelize for the praline candy topping.

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If you wish to use a different brownie recipe or boxed mix instead of the recipe below  you will find that one batch for a 8 x 8 pan is no where near enough and two batches is too much.   Make two batches and be careful not overfill the pan and leave room for the praline mixture.  Otherwise, it will run off and down to the bottom of the oven and create a ton of choking smoke (and you won’t be able to bake in your oven again until it has been cleaned well.  Burnt on sugar is also not easy to clean out of a oven).

If you do not a half sheet pan,  a slightly smaller jelly roll pan —  that is at least 1 inch deep — may be substituted but you will need to reduce the amount of brownie batter recipe below by about 1/2 cup or more.

You want the brownie to be not more than 3/4 inches thick after it is fully baked in a one inch deep pan.

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Tam’s Christmas Peppermint Almond Praline Brownie Bars

Crushed peppermint candy canes used as directed make these bars look more festive as well as provide additional flavor and texture. Do not use hard peppermint candies; use only peppermint candy canes. You may add either vanilla extract or peppermint to the brownie batter.

Brownie batter (see below)
1/2 cup packed brown sugar (no substitutes)
1/2 cup butter
1 teaspoon vanilla
3/4 cup almond slivers
pure, all natural almond butter
1/4 to 1/2 cup crushed peppermint candy canes
2 of the 11 ounce bags of York Peppermint Patties (or 22 ounces homemade)

Heat oven to 350 F degrees.

Line half sheet baking pan that has at least 1 inch or deeper sides with aluminum foil and then parchment paper.

Spread brownie batter into pan.

Bake for 12 minutes then carefully lift up the baking pan and let it drop on the oven rack to release any air bubbles. Bake for an additional 13 to 18 minutes.  (Adjust as needed for altitude and keep in mind it will be baked further after praline topping is added for 8 to 10 minutes). 

Coat with no more than about a 1/8 to 1/4 inch thick layer of almond butter. Set aside.

Heat brown sugar and butter to boiling in 2-quart saucepan. Boil 1 minute, stirring constantly; remove from heat. (until it just does reach the soft ball stage or 235 F degrees on candy thermometer). Stir in vanilla.

Pour sugar mixture over brownies; spread evenly. Sprinkle with 1/8 cup crushed candy canes. Next, sprinkle with the almond slivers.

Slice the peppermint patties in half and set aside.

Bake brownies with the praline topping for 8 to 10 minutes or until bubbly.

Remove from oven temporarily.   While hot from the oven, carefully top with the halves of peppermint patties. Return to the oven for 1 to 2 minutes or just until peppermint patties have softened slightly and are gooey — but not completely melted or liquefied. Watch closely.

Sprinkle with the remaining crushed candy canes.

Allow to cool for 5 to 10 minutes in the pan, then cut into bars — before the praline has hardened. Careful not to cut or damage the parchment paper and do not touch the still hot bars due to risk of sugar burns.  (You will want to put your knife into hot water right away after you have finished cutting your bars.)

Slide the parchment paper with the sliced bars carefully onto a towel lined surface. Use a utensil to separate and space the bars apart. Allow to cool completely and for the praline sugar and chocolate peppermint patties to set.

Store the bars at room temperature in an airtight container with a sheet of waxed paper or plastic cling wrap between each layer.

TIPS:

If parchment was damaged while slicing into bars, place a sheet of parchment paper or waxed paper over the towel lined surface and very carefully transfer the bars one at a time with a sturdy spatula or pie server. Do not touch the hot bars as it can result in severe sugar burns.

First line pan with aluminum foil then add the parchment paper so if parchment paper is cut or damaged you can slide both the foil and parchment paper with the bars onto the towel lined surface. Optionally, use a no stick silicon baking mat sized to fit pan. (I know they make silicon baking mats to fit jelly roll pans, but while I would imagine that they are I really don’t know for certain if they are available in sizes to fit half sheet pans). 

 

Brownie Batter for Half Sheet Pan

1-1/2 cup granulated sugar
2/3 cup unsweetened Hershey’s and/or Hershey’s Special Dark baking cocoa powder*
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1 cup (2 sticks) butter, melted then cooled
3 large eggs, room temperature
Choice of either: 1 tsp. vanilla extract, or 1 teaspoon peppermint extract, or 1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon peppermint oil (see note below)

Sift together all dry ingredients.

Melt butter and set aside to cool slightly.

In a medium bowl, beat room temperature eggs with the vanilla or peppermint.

Add the dry ingredients a little at a time and stir until well mixed.

Pour the melted butter into brownie mixture and mix just until incorporated.

NOTE: Peppermint oil, unlike the extract, does not evaporate when baked and it has a much stronger flavor. Be careful not to confuse peppermint oil with peppermint extract when adding to recipes. 1/8 teaspoon peppermint oil is equivalent in flavor to about 3/4 teaspoon peppermint extract.  Sometime peppermint extracts, especially if used in large quantities, have a bitter after taste that you never get with peppermint oil. 

WARNING:  Be cautious when using peppermint oil not to get into eyes, etc. since it is also a good natural deep heating rub for arthritic joints but should be diluted first to prevent skin redness or irritation.  (Some may have irritation and redness no matter how much it is diluted).  If you do get any on you or into your eyes flush well with water.  Also, some of those with asthma may find it worsens their condition while others actually find it helps them to breath better.   Working with peppermint oil can be a bit like cutting up onions and fumes may cause stinging of the eyes if the bottle isn’t capped right away after measuring what you need for recipes.  

* You can use either Hershey’s regular baking cocoa or the Special Dark if desired. For this particular recipe I personally prefer to use 1/3 cup of each. You get a rich, dark chocolate flavor without the super intense bitter bite. I normally don’t mind that bitter bite, but for this recipe I found it didn’t quite fit yet I prefer a darker chocolate. Hershey’s Special Dark is actually a semi-sweet chocolate rather than a true dark chocolate, but it works well in many recipes calling for either a semi-sweet or a dark chocolate for flavoring.

 

For more about caramelizing sugar:

Making Perfect Caramel