Lauren's Latest » Brownie Cream Cheese Peppermint Bars & a Giveaway!

Wednesday, December 8, 2010

Brownie Cream Cheese Peppermint Bars & a Giveaway!

First of all, THANK YOU to all of you!!!! I definitely felt your support through the camera while we were taping! And of course there were all the Blog, Facebook and Twitter comments too!

This whole thing has been like a whirlwind and I need to catch up on a few things, let me tell you! But, until then, here is the recipe for those Brownie Cream Cheese Peppermint Bars (that Sam Champion LOVED!) and scroll down for a fabulous giveaway! A full recap of my trip is to come on Friday!

You can watch the video of me on GMA HERE !

Brownie Cream Cheese Peppermint Bars
yield: 12+
Print This Recipe

Ingredients:
1 tube refrigerated sugar cookie dough
1 family-sized box brownie mix
2 (8oz.) packages cream cheese
2 1/2 cups white chocolate chips
2 teaspoons peppermint extract, divided
4 candy canes, crushed

Directions:
Make brownie batter according to package directions, but add 1 teaspoon of peppermint extract.
Bake according to package directions and set aside to cool.
Spray a 9-by-13” rectangular pan with non-stick cooking spray and spread cookie dough along the bottom, creating an even layer. Bake cookie dough according to package directions, until edges are golden brown. Set aside to cool.
Once brownies have cooled, remove any hard edges and discard (or eat!). Scrape the rest of the baked brownies into a large bowl. Combine brownies with cream cheese to create a thick mixture that is generally uniform in color. Scoop this mixture onto the baked and cooled cookie dough. Smooth the top.
Over a double boiler, melt white chocolate and 1 teaspoon of peppermint extract. Spread melted chocolate over the cookie-brownie mixture, sprinkle with candy canes and let cool. Once chocolate has hardened, cut into bars and enjoy!

Recipe TIPS:
When you are melting the chocolate you need to make sure it doesn’t get too hot or else it will seize up when you stir in the extract.
Imitation peppermint extract isn’t nearly as strong as alcohol or oil based extracts, so you’ll have to add more in to get a stronger peppermint flavor. You can taste as you go to get the desired amount.
Scoring the top of the melted white chocolate before putting it into the fridge to set will help prevent the chocolate from cracking.

GIVEAWAY TIME! In honor of me being on Good Morning American and having the opportunity to meet and chat with Sandra Lee, I’m giving away a copy of her cookbook “The Complete Cookbook” filled with hundreds of her great recipes. And, did I mentioned it was signed?

HOW TO ENTER:

(1) Just leave a comment below! Of course in order for you to do that, you need to be a Facebook fan, a Friend from Google Connect and/or a Twitter follower!

(2) Post the following comment as your Facebook and/or Twitter status: “Enter to win a signed copy of a Sandra Lee cookbook from Lauren’s Latest! http://bit.ly/cY5WOa” Please only post this once a day per site. Leave a comment with the link to your post!

That’s it! Everyone is welcome to enter and the last day to enter is Tuesday, December 14th at midnight PST. Winner will be randomly chosen and announced the next day,Wednesday, December 15th. Good luck everyone! THANKS AGAIN!