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60 Ultimate Cookie Exchange Recipes {and When It's Time to End It}

If you're looking for a winning recipe for your holiday cookie swaps, then scroll through this round-up  of 60 Ultimate Cookie Exchange Recipes on Taste As You Go!   Do you ever get That Feeling in your gut when you realize that what once brought you happiness now fills you with dread? You know the one... It's That Same Feeling that causes you to ask yourself repeatedly " Why am I doing this again?" I've been trying to battle that super persistent feeling for the past few weeks by giving myself little pep talks: "Don't give up now. You DO want to do this!"  "Don't you remember how much you used to love doing this? Just keep going!" " Do it one more time and you'll see -- everything will be fine. You'll feel much better once you get it over with." But no matter how many times I tried to get excited about it, I found a reason to avoid doing it. (Thank you, Caroline.) That's when I knew it was time to e...

Ultimate Chocolate and Peppermint Brownies {and a Hershey's Giveaway}

What is it about the holiday season that makes me crave the combination of chocolate and peppermint? Thank goodness these super-rich brownies have both!

Ultimate Chocolate and Peppermint Brownies | Taste As You Go

I was provided Hershey's baking products at no cost to me. Hershey's will be providing the prize package for this giveaway and will be shipping the prize package directly to the winner. I did not accept monetary compensation for this post. All opinions expressed are my own.

This post was originally shared in December 2014. The giveaway has since closed and an updated post appears here with reformatted photos as of December 2021.

Am I the only one out there who starts craving the combination of chocolate and peppermint at this time of year? I don't know what it is about those two flavors together that just screams the holidays, but I can't get enough of it.

(Maybe it just feels that way now that I'm pregnant. When the cravings are there, they are Real.)

Over the weekend, I teased you all on Instagram and Facebook with a picture of the little baking project I was working on. Of course, I did everything within my power to make sure the brownie recipe featured a whole lot of chocolate with a tasteful sprinkling of peppermint.

In a word? Heavenly.

Chocolate-lovers will be fighting with each other to get the last brownie in the pan. With cocoa and semi-sweet chocolate chips and a rich homemade chocolate buttercream frosting, I promise these brownies will be the holiday treat your friends and family members will be raving about. I should know -- I brought this batch to a holiday party and received compliment after compliment about them.

Keep reading to get the recipe!

Hershey's Baking Staples | Taste As You Go

This all started when I received a fun package in the mail full of Hershey's baking staples...

Hershey's Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips | Taste As You Go

... a bag of Hershey's Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips...

Hershey's Milk Chocolate Kisses | Taste As You Go

... a bag of Hershey's Milk Chocolate Kisses...

Hershey's Natural Unsweetened Cocoa | Taste As You Go

... a container of Hershey's Natural Unsweetened Cocoa...

Hershey's Recipe Cards | Taste As You Go

... and an assortment of Hershey's Recipe Cards featuring some of their most popular baking products. As soon as I saw the recipe card for the Ultimate Chocolate Brownies, I knew I just had to try and out. But not without putting a little twist on it to make it my own.

And to satisfy that major craving for chocolate and peppermint that I was talking about earlier.

Ultimate Chocolate and Peppermint Brownies | Taste As You Go

Thus, my Ultimate Chocolate and Peppermint Brownies were born!

Did I say that these brownies were heavenly yet?

Because they were.

Everything about them was heavenly -- the aroma filling the kitchen as they baked and cooled, the sugary rush from the chocolate buttercream frosting that I spread over the top, and the look of the finished product after I sprinkled on chocolate chips and pieces of crushed peppermint.

But I'm getting ahead of myself.

Ultimate Chocolate Brownies | Taste As You Go

Ultimate Chocolate Brownies | Taste As You Go

First, you'll want to bake the brownies. See how they're studded with luscious Hershey's Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips?

Chocolate Buttercream Frosting | Taste As You Go

While the brownies are cooling, whip up a batch of Chocolate Buttercream Frosting. Try not to eat all of it while you're waiting.

But sneaking a spoonful or two won't hurt!

Ultimate Chocolate Brownies | Taste As You Go

Once the brownies have cooled, you can go ahead and spread all of that sinful buttercream frosting on the top of them.

It wasn't until this point in the process that I realized that I should have sifted all the little lumps of powdered sugar out of the powdered sugar before making the frosting. Sifting would make a prettier frosting, but I found that the lumps didn't do a darned thing to detract from the overall flavor of the brownies.

Plus, I still had a layer to go, so I didn't very much care about the lumps. ;-)

Hershey's Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips | Taste As You Go

Crushed Candy Canes | Taste As You Go

To finish the brownies, grab some more chocolate chips and some crushed peppermint (I used candy canes) and get ready to get artistic. It's time to decorate!

Ultimate Chocolate and Peppermint Brownies | Taste As You Go

Go as crazy with the toppings as you want.

See? Now you can't even tell there were lumps in the frosting. ;-)

And, for those of you who are just dying to know what these brownies look like on the inside...

Ultimate Chocolate and Peppermint Brownies | Taste As You Go

Ultimate Chocolate and Peppermint Brownies | Taste As You Go

Ta da!

PS. You're welcome.

NOTE: This giveaway has closed and is no longer accepting entries.


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Six years agoPink Grapefruit Tart
 
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