High altitude peppermint blondies make a delicious treat for the holidays! These peppermint sugar cookie bars are soft, moist and chewy, frosted with fluffy peppermint buttercream and topped with crushed candy canes and peppermint candy.
You might also love this candy cane Christmas cake, chocolate peppermint cupcakes, and pink peppermint candy cane ice cream.
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Why You’ll Love This Recipe
Soft Moist and Chewy. These peppermint sugar cookie bars with peppermint frosting stay incredibly soft for days after baking.
Easy to Make. The batter for the cookie bars is easy to make with just a bowl and spoon, no mixer needed.
High Altitude Tested. I develop all the recipes on my site for Denver’s altitude of 5,280 feet. If you’re at a lower or higher elevation, please see my FAQs for guidance on adjusting recipes for your altitude.
See the recipe card at the end of the post for the full ingredients list and instructions.
Ingredients
Blondies
- Unsalted Butter. Adds a rich, buttery flavor, and keeps the blondies moist.
- Sugar. Traditionally, classic blondies contain a combination of granulated sugar and light brown sugar. The sugar adds sweetness and moisture, while the brown sugar adds flavor notes of butterscotch and caramel.
- Vanilla Extract. Flavor.
- Eggs. Gives the cookie dough structure, moisture and strength, as well as keeps the blondies soft and chewy.
- Flour. All purpose flour gives the blondies structure and strength.
- Baking Powder. Leavening agent.
- Salt. Balances the sweetness.
Frosting
- Butter. You can use either salted or unsalted butter for the buttercream.
- Powdered Sugar. Sweetens and thickens the buttercream.
- Peppermint + Vanilla Extracts. Flavor. Don’t use mint extract, which has a spearmint flavor.
- Peppermint Candy or Candy Canes.
Instructions
Blondies
- Preheat the oven to 350 F, and position a rack in the center of the oven. Line a 9-inch baking pan with parchment paper, or spray the pan with non stick baking spray.
- In a bowl, whisk together the melted butter, granulated sugar and brown sugar, then whisk in the eggs and vanilla until smooth.
- Separately, sift together the flour, baking powder and salt. Add the dry ingredients to the wet, and stir everything together with a spatula into a soft dough.
- Spread the dough evenly into the prepared pan, and bake for 28-30 minutes. The edges should be set and the top golden brown and slightly puffed, but the cookie bars will still be underdone under the crust. Do not over bake, or they will end up dry.
- Set the pan on a cooling rack, and cool completely, at least 4 hours, before frosting.
Frosting
- With an electric mixer, beat the butter for 1 minute until smooth. Add the powdered sugar, peppermint extract and vanilla extract, and beat for several minutes, until light and fluffy.
- Spread the frosting over the cooled peppermint blondies and cut into squares. Before serving, decorate with crushed peppermints or candy canes. (Peppermint candy can melt and get sticky on top when the blondies are stored in a container, so I suggest waiting until ready to serve them before adding the candy.)
Be sure to read all of my BAKING FAQs where I discuss ingredients, substitutions and common baking questions, so that you can be successful in your own baking!
Frequently Asked Questions
How should I store peppermint blondies?
Store leftover blondies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.
Can these be frozen?
Yes, you can freeze the blondies with or without the frosting (but I recommend without the candy on top) in an airtight container for up to 3-6 months).
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High Altitude Peppermint Blondies
All recipes on Curly Girl Kitchen are developed for high altitude at 5,280 feet. See FAQs for adjusting to higher or lower elevations.
Equipment
Ingredients
Blondies
- 1 cup unsalted butter, melted
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- â…“ cup light brown sugar, lightly packed
- 1 tbsp vanilla extract
- 2 large eggs
- 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour, fluffed, spooned and leveled
- 1 ¼ tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp coarse Kosher salt (if using table salt, use half the amount)
Frosting
- ¾ cup unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 1 ½ cups powdered sugar
- ½ tsp peppermint (not mint) extract
- ¾ tsp vanilla extract
- peppermint candy or candy canes
Instructions
Blondies
- Preheat the oven to 350 F, and position a rack in the center of the oven. Line a 9-inch baking pan with parchment paper, or spray the pan with non stick baking spray.
- In a bowl, whisk together the melted butter, granulated sugar and brown sugar, then whisk in the eggs and vanilla until smooth.
- Separately, sift together the flour, baking powder and salt. Add the dry ingredients to the wet, and stir everything together with a spatula into a soft dough.
- Spread the dough evenly into the prepared pan, and bake for 28-30 minutes. The edges should be set and the top golden brown and slightly puffed, but the cookie bars will still be underdone under the crust. Do not over bake, or they will end up dry.
- Set the pan on a cooling rack, and cool completely, at least 4 hours, before frosting.
Frosting
- With an electric mixer, beat the butter for 1 minute until smooth. Add the powdered sugar, peppermint extract and vanilla extract, and beat for several minutes, until light and fluffy.
- Spread the frosting over the cooled blondies and cut into squares. Before serving, decorate with crushed peppermints or candy canes.Baker's Note: Peppermint candy can melt and get sticky on top when the blondies are stored in a container, so I suggest waiting until ready to serve them before adding the candy.
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