Peppermint Brownie Pudding

Ingredients

For the Pudding:

• ¾ cup high-quality cocoa powder (use the best you can find)
• ½ cup all-purpose flour
• ½ pound (2 sticks) unsalted butter, plus more for greasing
• 4 extra-large eggs, at room temperature
• 2 cups granulated sugar
• 1 tablespoon vanilla paste (or vanilla extract)
• ½ teaspoon peppermint extract
• Hot water, for the water bath

For the Peppermint Whipped Cream:

• 1 cup heavy cream, very cold
• 2 tablespoons powdered sugar
• ½ teaspoon peppermint extract

For Garnish:

• Crushed peppermint candies or candy canes
• Vanilla ice cream, for serving (optional)

Instructions

1. Prep Your Oven and Pan Preheat your oven to 325°F (160°C). Take a 2-quart rectangular baking dish (about 9 x 13 x 2 inches works perfectly) and generously grease it with butter, making sure to get into all the corners. Set it aside. Also, put a kettle of water on to boil for your water bath later.
2. Sift the Dry Ingredients In a medium bowl, sift together the cocoa powder and flour. Sifting removes any lumps and aerates the mixture for a smoother pudding. Set this aside while you work on the wet ingredients.
3. Melt the Butter Melt the butter in a small saucepan over low heat, stirring occasionally. Once it's completely melted, remove it from the heat and let it cool for about 5 minutes. You want it liquid but not hot when you add it to the batter.
4. Beat the Eggs and Sugar This is the most important step! In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or in a large bowl using a hand mixer), beat the eggs and granulated sugar together on medium-high speed for 5-10 minutes. Don't rush this step! The mixture should become very thick, pale yellow in color, and tripled in volume. When you lift the beaters, the mixture should fall in thick ribbons that hold their shape on the surface for a few seconds before disappearing. This creates the structure for your pudding.
5. Add Flavorings Reduce your mixer speed to low. Add the vanilla paste and peppermint extract, and beat for just about 10 seconds until they're incorporated. Don't overmix at this stage.
6. Fold in the Cocoa Mixture With the mixer still on low speed, add your sifted cocoa powder and flour mixture. Beat for only about 15 seconds, just until you don't see any more dry streaks. Stop the mixer and scrape down the sides of the bowl to make sure everything is incorporated. Don't overmix or you'll deflate all those air bubbles you worked so hard to create!
7. Stream in the Butter Turn the mixer back on to low speed. Slowly pour in the cooled melted butter in a thin, steady stream while the mixer is running. Beat for about 20 seconds total, stopping halfway through to scrape down the sides of the bowl with a spatula. Mix just until the butter is incorporated and the batter is smooth and glossy.
8. Set Up the Water Bath Pour the batter into your prepared greased baking dish and spread it out evenly. Place this dish inside a larger, deeper baking pan or roasting pan. Carefully pour hot water from your kettle into the larger pan until the water comes about halfway up the sides of the smaller baking dish. Be very careful not to splash any water into your pudding batter!
9. Bake Carefully transfer the whole setup to your preheated oven. Bake for exactly 1 hour without opening the oven door. After an hour, test by inserting a toothpick about 2 inches in from the edge, it should come out about three-quarters clean with some moist crumbs. The very center will still look very jiggly and underbaked, and that's perfect! Remove from the oven and carefully take the pudding dish out of the water bath. Let it cool on a wire rack for 15-20 minutes. The pudding will sink slightly in the center as it cools, which is totally normal.
10. Make the Peppermint Whipped Cream While the pudding is baking, make your whipped cream. In a large bowl using a hand mixer or in a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat the very cold heavy cream on medium speed for about 1 minute until it starts to thicken up. Add the powdered sugar and peppermint extract. Increase the speed to medium-high and continue beating for 2-3 minutes until soft peaks form. When you lift the beaters, the peaks should hold their shape but the tips should gently fold over. Don't overbeat or you'll end up with butter! Cover the bowl and pop it in the fridge until you're ready to serve.
11. Serve Warm Scoop the warm pudding into individual serving bowls. The center should be soft and molten while the edges are more fudgy. Top each serving with a generous dollop of the cold peppermint whipped cream. Sprinkle crushed peppermint candies over the top for crunch and extra peppermint flavor. If you want to go all out, add a scoop of vanilla ice cream on the side!
12. Dig In Serve immediately while the pudding is still warm and the contrast between the hot chocolate pudding, cold whipped cream, and crunchy candy is at its best. Enjoy every spoonful!