Chocolate Peppermint Gooey Butter Cake Bars are rich, minty, chocolatey bites of pure holiday joy.
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Why You'll Love This Cake
- Flavor perfection, chocolate and peppermint in one gooey dessert
- Festive bars that are easy to eat with one hand while juggling a cocktail in the other (we’ve all been there, haven't we?).
- Made with ingredients you probably already have.
- Extra moist thanks to a light drizzle of peppermint syrup brushed over the base before adding chocolate chips.
- Plenty of garnish options: whipped cream, powdered sugar, cocoa powder, crushed peppermint candy.
Gooey Butter Cakes are a popular dish here. St. Louis Gooey Butter Cake (made with cake mix) and Gooey Butter Cake from scratch are great desserts to try as is Pumpkin Gooey Butter Cake and Philadelphia German Butter Cake.
Want more? Check out my full Gooey Butter Cake Recipe Roundup.
How to Make This Cake
Holiday Gooey Butter Cake Ingredients
- chocolate cake mix
- powdered sugar
- cream cheese
- butter
- eggs
- chocolate chips (I used semi-sweet)
- peppermint extract
- vanilla extract
- sea salt
Peppermint Syrup (optional for cake soak)
- Water
- Granulated Sugar
- Peppermint extract
See recipe card for ingredient amounts
Make the Chocolate Peppermint Base
Start by making the base. In a large mixing bowl, beat a chocolate cake mix, one large egg and a stick of melted butter together.
Press the thick, play-doh-like batter into a parchment-lined 13x9-inch cake pan.
Using a fork, prick the cake in several spots.
Make a small batch of peppermint simple syrup by combining equal amounts water and granulated sugar over low heat (I used ¼ cup each) until the sugar dissolves, about 3 to 5 minutes. Remove from heat and add ¼ teaspoon peppermint extract.
Using a pastry brush or a small baggie with a snip in one corner, lightly brush or drizzle two to three tablespoons of syrup over the cake making sure to get the corners, since they tend to dry out faster.
Scatter a cup of semi-sweet chocolate chips over the top of the cake.
Set cake aside while you make the peppermint gooey butter layer.
Make the Peppermint Gooey Butter Cake Layer
In the same bowl, beat together the cream cheese, eggs, and melted butter until smooth.
Stir in the peppermint and vanilla extracts and a ¼ teaspoon sea salt.
Pour cream cheese topping over the cake layer.
Bake at 350°F for about 40 minutes, until the edges are set and the center still jiggles slightly.
Let cool at room temperature.
Slice into bars and serve immediately or freeze for later.
Pour the gooey butter layer over the base of the cake and bake.
Enjoy!
Storage and Make Ahead Instructions
To store:
Keep bars covered in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days. Serve chilled or at room temperature.
To freeze:
Let bars cool completely. Cut into squares, then wrap each bar in plastic wrap or parchment. Place wrapped bars in a freezer-safe bag or airtight container and freeze for up to 3 months.
To serve from frozen:
Thaw at room temperature for 30 minutes or serve frozen, they're pretty terrific even frozen.
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More Holiday Desserts to Try
Spice cake is always a winner as is Pecan Pie and Peppermint Bark and Pecan Pie Bark and White Chocolate Peppermint Saltine Bark.
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Recipe
Chocolate Peppermint Gooey Butter Cake Bars
Decadent chocolate meets refreshing peppermint in these soft, gooey butter cake bars perfect for any season or celebration.
Ingredients
- 1 box chocolate cake mix (15.25 oz)
- 1 egg
- ½ cup unsalted butter, melted
- 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips (sprinkle evenly over pressed-in base)
- Gooey Layer:
- 8 oz cream cheese, softened
- 2 eggs, large
- ¼–⅜ teaspoon peppermint extract (depending on how minty you want it)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 16 ounces powdered sugar (about 3 ¾ cups)
- Peppermint Syrup
- ¼ cup water
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- â…› teaspoon peppermint extract
- Optional for Garnish
- Whipped cream
- Powdered sugar
- Cocoa powder
- Crushed peppermint candy
Instructions
Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a 9×13-inch pan with parchment paper.
In a medium bowl, mix together chocolate cake mix, egg, and melted butter. Texture will be thick and similar to play-doh. Press into the bottom of the pan.
If you’re using the peppermint syrup, brush it on now or use a spoon to drizzle over the top, being sure to get each corner, which tend to dry out more.
Sprinkle chocolate chips evenly over the cake base.
Set aside.
In a large bowl, beat softened cream cheese until smooth. Add eggs, peppermint, and vanilla. Gradually beat in powdered sugar until fully combined.
Pour cream cheese mixture over the chocolate chip layer and spread evenly with a spatula.
Bake 40 minutes until edges are set and the center is still a little jiggly.
Cool completely before slicing. Dust with powdered sugar or top with whipped cream and crushed candy canes for holiday flair.
Make Peppermint Sryupr
simmer ¼ cup each granulated sugar and water in a saucepot over low heat until translucent. Remove from heat. Add ⅛ teaspoon peppermint extract and brush or use a spoon to lightly drizzle over the top.
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Nutrition Information
Yield 24 Serving Size 1Amount Per Serving Calories 229Total Fat 10gSaturated Fat 6gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 3gCholesterol 43mgSodium 52mgCarbohydrates 35gFiber 1gSugar 32gProtein 2g
Nutrition information is an estimate as I am not a registered dietician.
A Note from Jennifer about this recipe
I had two goals in mind when I created this recipe.
First, I wanted to find a solution to the dry cake base that plagues so many gooey butter cake recipes.
Then one day while driving, it hit me: treat it like a poke cake! Poke holes in the unbaked base and drizzle it with peppermint syrup.
I also wanted more chocolate flavor than I knew a chocolate cake mix would deliver. So I added a layer of chocolate chips.
Second, I wanted this to be a recipe without exotic ingredients, one you could throw together without a trip to the store, say if the snow is swirling outside.
I originally planned to use miniature semi-sweet chips, but alas—they were on backorder. So I went with regular sized morsels but chopped half so that some of them would melt into the cake layer.
If you've done much baking, you'll know that chocolate chips are notoriously difficult to melt because they are manufactured to hold their shape.
If you don't have chocolate chips, use a cup of whatever chocolate you do have--Hershey's bars or a leftover chunk of Callebaut perhaps from another recipe.
I wanted an irresistible combo of chocolate, peppermint, and cream cheese but simple enough to mix up on a snow day.
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