The best fudgy Peppermint Bark Brownies! This easy holiday recipe is gluten-free, vegan, and allergy-free! Made with a rich dark chocolate brownie base, topped with creamy peppermint white chocolate frosting, and sprinkled with crushed peppermint candy! The ultimate Christmas dessert that transforms a classic into an eggless and dairy-free crowd-pleaser!

I have no words. This is literally the ultimate holiday dessert. There is nothing else you need to make. These peppermint bark brownies check all the boxes and leave no notes. They have every single Christmas flavor, texture, attribute, and visual appeal you need to impress everyone. Perfectly gluten-free, vegan, and allergy-free, these brownies are ideal for holiday parties, gifting, and leaving out for Santa on Christmas Eve (we all know he's cookied-out).

Why You'll Love These Peppermint Bark Brownies

Peppermint bark in all its various forms: breads, cookies, popcorn, puppy chow, and its classic no-bake candy is always going to be a winner. But when you start with a rich, fudgy, chewy gluten-free brownie that's topped with a mindblowing dairy-free white chocolate peppermint frosting, speckled with crushed peppermint candy...what else could you ever need? I've been dreaming of making this recipe for years and finally nailed the perfect formula. They may look impressive and time-consuming, but trust me...they're easier than you'd think! These Christmas brownies are:

Gluten-Free
Vegan & Vegetarian
Allergy-free (Dairy-Free, Soy-Free, Egg-Free, Nut-Free, Peanut-Free, Wheat-Free, Sesame-Free, Corn-Free, Coconut-Free)
Kid-Friendly
Easy & Fun To Make
Make-Ahead & Freezer-Friendly
Perfect Dessert for Christmas, Holiday Parties, & Festive Gifting

Ingredients For Peppermint Bark Brownies

Gluten-Free Flour: Your favorite all-purpose gluten-free flour will provide structure and texture to the chewy brownie base.
Cocoa Powder: Unsweetened cocoa powder adds the majority of that rich chocolatey taste to the brownies. If you can get your hands on dark cocoa powder, Dutch-processed, or even cacao powder, you'll get an even more intense chocolate flavor.
Dark Chocolate Chips: Vegan dark chocolate chips are added to the brownie batter to really bring out the flavors of true peppermint bark, which is made with dark chocolate!
Starch + Baking Powder + Salt: Cornstarch or arrowroot starch helps to thicken the eggless brownie batter, and baking powder helps give a little lift to the brownies.
Granulated Sugar + Light Brown Sugar: A combination of granulated sugar with some brown sugar for a deeper sweetness than just using white sugar. Granulated sugar is needed to achieve the crinkled top on fresh-baked brownies, while the brown sugar adds moisture and softness! You can use sugar-free granulated sweetener and sugar-free brown sugar-style sweetener as well to reduce the sugar content in this recipe!
Vegan Butter: You can't have fudgy brownies without rich, buttery, melted dairy-free butter! Vegan butter will give you the chewiness, moisture, and rich flavor you're looking for.
Flax Eggs: To make sure these fudgy eggless brownies can hold their own against that thick creamy white chocolate frosting we'll be layering on top, 2 flax eggs are added to the brownie batter.
Peppermint Extract + Vanilla Extract: Pure peppermint extract mixed with a splash of vanilla extract so the brownie base gets that Christmas flavor literally baked right in to each bite (Note: NOT mint extract, this is very important).

Ingredients For Vegan White Chocolate Frosting

Vegan Butter: You'll need another stick of dairy-free butter to make the white chocolate peppermint frosting. It will need to be softened at room temperature, NOT melted, nor directly from the fridge.
Dairy-Free White Chocolate: The best allergy-free white chocolate for melting is No Whey! Milkless Polar Dream Bars. This white chocolate is not only vegan but also top allergen-free too (meaning no soy). If you can't get your hands on the white chocolate bars, you can also use these Pascha allergy-free white chocolate chips. You only need 4 ounces of white chocolate for the frosting.
Peppermint Extract: This is a peppermint white chocolate frosting, and just like classic no-bake peppermint bark, you should be putting the flavor in EACH layer!
Powdered Sugar: You'll need a minimum of 2 cups of powdered sugar (or sugar-free powdered sweetener) for the frosting. Adjust as needed depending on how sweet you want it, but remember the white chocolate adds a lot of sweetness.
Peppermint Candies or Candy Canes: Finally, to put on top of the frosting, you'll need to crush some peppermint candies or peppermint candy canes. Toss them in a bag and give them a whack with a rubber hammer or mallet to crush them into pieces.

How To Make Peppermint Bark Brownies

Mix together the gluten-free flour, cocoa powder, starch, baking powder, and salt until it's one uniform color.
In a small bowl, melt the vegan butter in the microwave (about 30 seconds) and add in the granulated sugar, brown sugar, prepared flax eggs, peppermint and vanilla extracts. Mix everything together until the sugars are melted and the mixture is thick.

Add the hot butter mixture to the bowl of dry ingredients and mix until mostly smooth. It should be pretty thick.
Fold in the dark chocolate chips, careful not to overmix the brownie batter.

Pour the brownie batter into a parchment paper-lined square 8x8-inch metal baking pan and evenly smooth out the batter.
Bake the brownies in a 350°F preheated oven for about 20-23 minutes. Allow the brownies to cool in the pan before placing them in the fridge or freezer to chill completely.

While the brownies are baking and chilling, slowly melt the white chocolate in the microwave in 30-second intervals at half power until you can mix it smooth. Allow the melted white chocolate to come to room temperature.
Beat the softened vegan butter in a stand mixer or large bowl with a hand mixer until smooth. Add in the melted white chocolate and peppermint extract. Beat again to combine, scraping the sides of the bowl as needed. Finally, add in the powdered sugar, cup by cup, until and continue to beat the frosting until fluffy. Chill the frosting in the fridge until ready to use.

Once the brownies have chilled completely, you can slice them into 9 squares while they are still in the pan before lifting them out onto a plate.
Using an icing spatula or knife, frost the top of the brownies like you would a cake, and then sprinkle the crushed peppermint candy on top. Now you can easily slice through the frosting using the pre-cut seams as a guide.

Recipes Tips & Tricks

I find it best to make the brownies and frosting a day before you want to assemble everything. This ensures the brownies are completely cool before slicing and frosting them and that the icing has chilled. Basically, this is an ideal make-ahead recipe.
Do not add hot melted chocolate to the frosting! Make sure you allow the white chocolate to come to room temperature.
Slicing the brownies in the pan helps when it comes to frosting them. You can also cut smaller squares if you want 16 bite-sized peppermint bark brownies instead of a standard 9.
If you chill the frosting overnight, take it out a few minutes before and allow it to come to room temperature for easier spreading.
Don't overbake the brownies. You want them to be nice and fudgy. They'll continue to cook slightly as they cool in the baking pan.

How To Store & Freeze

Storage: You can store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 7 days.
Freezing: To freeze leftovers, allow the frosted brownies to freeze flat on a dish or in a baking pan before wrapping them in plastic wrap, then foil, and storing them in a Ziplock bag or airtight container for up to 6 months. Thaw the brownies overnight in the fridge before serving.

More Peppermint Bark Recipes:

Peppermint Bark Brownies (Gluten-Free, Vegan)

Print Recipe

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Author: Rebecca Pytell
Prep Time: 30 Minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 50 minutes
Yield: 9 Servings 1x
Category: Dessert
Method: Bake
Cuisine: American

Ingredients

Scale

For The Brownies:

¾ Cups Gluten-Free All-Purpose Flour
½ Cup Unsweetened Cocoa Powder
1 TB Cornstarch or Arrowroot Starch
½ Tsp Baking Powder
¼ Tsp Salt
1 Stick (½ Cup) Vegan Butter (melted)
2 Prepared Flax Egg (2 TB Milled Flax Seed + 6 TB Water)
½ Cup Light Brown Sugar (or preferred brown sugar sweetener)
½ Cup Granulated Sugar (or preferred granulated sweetener)
½ Tsp Pure Peppermint Extract
½ Tsp Pure Madagascar Bourbon Vanilla Extract
½ Cup Allergy-Free Dark Chocolate Chips

For The Frosting:

1 Stick (½ Cup) Vegan Butter (softened)
4 oz Allergy-Free White Chocolate
1 Tsp Pure Peppermint Extract
2 Cups Powdered Sugar (or sugar-free powdered sweetener)
½ Cup Crushed Peppermint Candies (or Peppermint Candy Canes)

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Instructions

To Make The Brownies:

Preheat the oven to 350°F.
In a large bowl, whisk together the gluten-free flour, cocoa powder, cornstarch, baking powder, and salt until everything is one uniform color.
In a microwave-safe bowl, melt the vegan butter until hot and fully liquid. Then stir in the granulated sugar, brown sugar, prepared flax eggs, peppermint extract, and vanilla extract until fully dissolved and thick.
Add the hot butter mixture to the bowl of dry ingredients and mix until mostly smooth. It should be pretty thick.
Fold in the dark chocolate chips, careful not to overmix the brownie batter.
Line an 8x8 baking pan with parchment paper and pour the brownie batter evenly into the pan, smoothing out the top.
Bake the brownies in the preheated oven for about 20-23 minutes. Just until the edges slightly pull away from the pan, but the center is still moist.
Allow the brownies to cool in the pan before placing them in the fridge or freezer to chill completely.

To Make The Frosting:

Start by melting the vegan white chocolate slowly in the microwave. 30-40 second intervals at half power is best, so you don't end up with burnt and dry chocolate. Allow the smooth melted chocolate to cool to room temperature.
Allow the vegan butter to soften slightly before cutting it into 4 chunks and adding it to a stand mixer or large bowl with a hand mixer.
Beat the butter until smooth before adding in the cooled white chocolate. Beat the mixture together before adding the peppermint extract and powdered sugar. Add one cup of powdered sugar at a time until the frosting is thick and fluffy, scraping down the side of the bowl as needed.
Store the frosting in the fridge until ready to frost the brownies.

To Assemble:

Once the brownies have chilled completely, you can slice them into 9 squares while they are still in the pan before lifting them out onto a plate.
Using an icing spatula or knife, frost the top of the brownies like you would a cake, and then sprinkle the crushed peppermint candy on top. Now you can easily slice through the frosting using the pre-cut seams as a guide.

Notes

It is best to bake the brownies a day in advance so they can cool in the fridge or freezer overnight.
Do not overbake the brownies. They will continue to bake in the pan when they cool.
Make sure the melted white chocolate is room temperature before adding it to the frosting.
You can also cut smaller 16 bite-sized brownies instead of a standard 9.
Storage: You can store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 7 days.
Freezing: To freeze leftovers, allow the frosted brownies to freeze flat on a dish or in a baking pan before wrapping them in plastic wrap, then foil, and storing them in a Ziplock bag or airtight container for up to 6 months. Thaw the brownies overnight in the fridge before serving.

Nutrition

Serving Size: 1 Bar

That's it. That's all you need this Christmas. Fudgy gluten-free dark chocolate brownie with a thick layer of vegan white chocolate peppermint frosting? My mouth is watering, your mouth is watering...it's time to get baking!

So tell me:

+ What is your favorite way to enjoy the festive flavor of the season...chocolate peppermint?

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