It was possibly the rainiest Sunday we’ve ever had here in New York City.  I kept thinking to myself, if only it were 10 degrees colder like its been ALL WEEK and then I’d be making snowmen and watching Rufus bounce and bury his noise in the snow.  Even though I hate being forced stay inside all day, rainy days are good days for some things like sleeping in, eating big breakfasts, going through your Netflix queue, and baking.

It was determined I would bake, and when a Real Simple email popped up with a brownie recipe, I had found my target.  I wanted to make them seasonal, so they became peppermint brownies.   The result of the rainy day activity was the best batch of brownies I’ve ever made.  Here’s why:

1. They didn’t stick to the pan.  I HATE it when you make brownies and then end up having to scape crusted chocolate off your pan to enjoy a bar.

2. They didn’t taste like xanthan gum.  I modified this recipe myself, so this was really exciting!

3. Their texture was the perfect balance between cakey and fudgy.

4. Kosher salt+peppermint made this batch different than your average brownie and created a really interesting and delicious flavor.

Peppermint Brownies

adapted from Real Simple

3/4 cup GF flour mix (I used Bob’s Red Mill)

1/3 cup cocoa powder

1 teaspoon of course kosher salt

6 ounces of unsweetened baking chocolate, chopped into 1 ounce or less

1/2 cup (1 stick) of butter, chopped into tablespoons

1 cup of sugar

1 teaspoon of vanilla

4 eggs

1 cup of crushed candy canes

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees farenheit.  Get your pan ready to be stick-free.  Cut out a piece of parchment paper to match the bottom of your 8×8 pan.  Grease the bottom of the pan and stick the parchment paper on it.  Grease the parchment paper and the sides of the pan well.  Using white rice flour, dust the grease pan evenly.  That is the secret to non-stick brownies.

In a medium mixing bowl combine the flour mix, cocoa powder and salt (the coarse kosher is important here for the flavor) until the colors and taste are completely mixed.  Crush candy canes using a hammer, be careful not to get the shards everywhere.  Melt your butter and chocolate in a medium saucepan, stirring often.  When its completely melted remove it from the heat, and add the sugar into the saucepan.  Then, add your eggs, one at a time (this is important!) to the sugary buttery chocolaty mix.  Add vanilla.  Slowly add the dry ingredients, mixing completely each time.  Finally, add the crushed candy canes.  Mix well and pour into the awesomely greased pan.  Spread the batter around and bake for 30 minutes.  They’ll be done when a toothpick or knife comes out mostly clean.  Let them cool completely.  To cut them, place a cutting board over the pan and flip it upside down, catching the brownies.  This is a fun trick that works for cakes too.    Then, bring them into work and watch your co-workers marvel at your creations.