So long, boring old Christmas cookies!

Whether you plan on giving them as gifts or munching on a few while you watch your favorite Christmas movies with the family, these candy cane brownie truffles are guaranteed to put you in the holiday spirit! Made from rich, fudgy brownies with a chocolate shell and crushed candy canes on top, they're perfect for sharing and spreading holiday cheer.

To make the brownies

1. Preheat oven to 350F. Over a double boiler or in the microwave, melt butter and dark chocolate chips together, mixing until fully combined, shiny, and smooth (see notes).
2. Let chocolate cool for 5-10 minutes. While chocolate cools, line an 8" square pan with parchment paper, leaving a 1" overhang on each side, and lightly grease with baking spray.
3. Whisk together sugar, salt, vanilla, and eggs until smooth.
4. Add melted and cooled chocolate mixture to the wet ingredients and mix until fully combined and smooth.
5. Mix in the flour until fully incorporated.
6. Pour batter into prepared pan and use a spatula to spread evenly.
7. Bake for 38-42 minutes, until the surface of the brownies looks dry and fully set and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
8. Cool brownies until just slightly warm to the touch or at room temperature, about 1 - 1 1/2 hours.

To form the truffles

1. Loosen cooled brownies from the sides of the pan. Remove the full batch from the pan using the parchment paper overhang and place on a cutting board. Trim 1/4" of each edge (these crispy pieces don't work well in truffle filling, so just enjoy them as a chef's treat or save for topping your ice cream!).
2. Roughly cut brownies into 1/2" pieces, then transfer into a medium sized bowl.
3. By hand or with a fork, break up the brownie chunks into smaller crumbs, making sure no big pieces remain.
4. Using an ice cream scoop or spoon, squeeze together some of the crumbs into 1.5" dough balls, using your hands to compact and round each sphere as much as possible.
5. Place formed truffles on a plate or lined baking sheet and chill for 30 minutes in the fridge.

To decorate the truffles

1. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. Use a double boiler or microwave to fully melt the chocolate chips, chopped chocolate, or candy melts (see notes).
3. Working with one truffle at a time, drop each truffle into the melted chocolate and toss around the bowl using two forks until fully coated.
4. Use a fork to scoop the brownie ball out of the melted chocolate and gently shake it over the bowl to allow any excess chocolate to drip off. Place the coated truffle carefully on the lined baking sheet to set (see notes).
5. Repeat until all truffles have been dipped and are drying on the baking sheet, stopping every 5 truffles or so to add sprinkles and crushed candy cane pieces on top.
6. Let truffles dry and fully set for a few hours, then remove from the baking sheet. Break any excess pooled chocolate off the bottoms, then share and enjoy!

Nellie's Notes

If you'd like to make these tasty truffles gluten-free, you can use gluten-free oat flour in place of the all-purpose flour in a 1:1 swap!

If using the microwave to melt your chocolate, set it to 50% or lower power and heat for 30 second intervals, stirring well between each round to prevent the chocolate from burning.

If you notice a big puddle forming under your dipped truffle a minute or two after you place it on the baking sheet, you can simply pick it up using the fork or even roll it over slightly out of the puddle so you don't have a big chunk on the bottom of your truffle when the chocolate sets.