Peppermint Swirl Brownies

Steps to Make It - Gather the ingredients.

Steps to Make It - Position a rack in the center of the oven and heat to 350 F. Grease an 8-inch square cake pan with softened butter. Line the bottom with a large sheet of parchment paper that extends up and over two opposite sides of the pan.

Steps to Make It - To make the peppermint swirl, place the cream cheese, confectioners' sugar, salt, egg, extract, and food coloring in a medium bowl and beat with a hand mixer on medium to medium high speed until combined and fluffy. You can also use a stand mixer.

Steps to Make It - To make the brownies, microwave the butter, cocoa powder, and sugar on high in a large microwave-safe bowl in a few 30-second bursts, whisking after each, until combined. The batter will be quite thick and fudgy-looking. If you do not have a microwave, you may place the ingredients in a heat-proof bowl over a pot of simmering water on the stovetop until combined.

Steps to Make It - Whisk in the extract. Gently whisk in the eggs one at a time.

Steps to Make It - Sprinkle the salt over the wet ingredients and whisk it in.

Steps to Make It - Finally, fold in the flour and 1/3 cup of the crushed candy until the last streak of flour disappears. Don't overmix.

Steps to Make It - Scrape the batter into the prepared pan, reserving 3/4 cup of it.

Steps to Make It - Dollop the swirl mixture over the brownie batter in the pan—about 9 dollops, using a 1 1/2 tablespoon portion scoop, if you have it.

Steps to Make It - Dollop the reserved brownie batter in between the swirl dollops. Run a long wooden skewer through both the brownie batter and the pink cream cheese mixture, until the top is completely covered in decorative swirls. Don't swirl too much: big swirls are what you want, as they are most dramatic. And don't swirl too deep or the swirl can get lost in the batter.

Steps to Make It - Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, rotating the pan at the halfway point. At the 25 minute mark, sprinkle the remaining 1/3 cup of candy over the top of the brownies. The brownies are ready when a cake tester inserted into the brownie—not the swirl—comes out with a few moist crumbs—do not over bake.

Steps to Make It - Let cool to room temperature. Lift the brownies out of the pan by the parchment handles. Run a butter knife around the edges not covered by the paper, if there's resistance. Slice into 9 equal sized squares and serve room-temperature, or refrigerate for an hour and serve chilled (my preference).