Brownie Bites with Candy Canes and Hugs

It's getting that time of year...

The temperature is dropping more and more everyday. It is getting dark before I get out of class.

Campus is incredibly empty all the time.  That can only mean one thing -- FINALS!!















And the pressure can be felt everywhere.  Papers to be written, tests to be taken, presentations to be presented... =/

Everywhere except our suite. No, our suite is the epitome of happiness right now.  Maybe it is the Christmas decorations Kathleen hung over the weekend.  Maybe it is the never-ending Christmas music coming from Pandora on my computer.

But we are all relatively civil and peaceful... Tonight, for example, we all sat around the common room and hung out with one another.

Grace baked cookies for her students and made them goodie bags.

Anna made a pinata for her class to bust open tomorrow.

Kathleen worked on her super-cool theater project.

Ryan came into the suite and started throwing fruit snacks at Grace.

The Christmas spirit (well, some spirit, anyway) has invaded 604, and I am baking holiday-inspired brownies...

Because baking is what I do best.  I have been wanting to make something peppermint and chocolate for several days now, and Grace's leftover candy has provided me with the missing ingredients.

I think I may be growing out of my Scrooge phase...

Brownie Bites with Candy Canes and Hugs
inspired by holiday baking everywhere
makes 12 little bites

2 Tbsp butter
1 1/2 ounces unsweetened chocolate, coarsely chopped
1/2 cup sugar
1 egg
1/2 tsp vanilla
1/3 cup flour
1/8 tsp baking soda
12 Hershey hugs
4 crushed mini candy canes

Preaheat the oven to 350. Grease a 12 mini muffin tin.

In a medium saucepan, melt butter and chocolate over low heat, stirring constantly.  Remove from heat; cool.

Stir sugar into cooled chocolate mixture.  Add the egg and beat with a wooden spoon.

In a small bowl, stir together the flour and baking soda.  Add the flour mixture and stir until just combined. Spoon into mini muffin tin. Bake for 15 minutes.

Remove from oven and allow to cool.  While cooling, melt Hershey hugs in microwave for 30 seconds on 50% power.  Dip brownies into melted chocolate, then dip into crushed candy canes.

Mmmm.... Peppermint and chocolate.  Sounds like Christmas.