• Preheat oven to 350°F and line a 9x13 baking pan with parchment paper leaving an inch overhang on the long sides or grease the pan well with nonstick cooking spray.
• Melt butter in a large microwave safe bowl or in a medium size pot over medium-low heat.
• Whisk the cocoa powder into the melted butter until smooth.
• Add the granulated sugar and whisk well.
• Whisk in the eggs and peppermint extract until the batter is light and airy.
• Switch to a rubber spatula or wooden spoon and stir in the all purpose flour just until combined and there are no more white streaks of flour.
• Fold in the chocolate chips.
• Spread brownie batter in an even layer in prepared pan. An offset spatula works great for this.
• Bake brownies for 25-30 minutes. Test to see if brownies are done by inserting a toothpick in center of brownies. The toothpick should have some damp crumbs or gooey brownie on it but it shouldn't look wet or raw.
• Let brownies cool completely before adding ganache.

Chocolate Ganache

• Microwave the heavy cream in a medium size microwave safe dish for 1 minute or until starting to bubble.
• Add the chocolate chips to the hot cream and let sit for 3 minutes so the chocolate chips can melt by the heat of the cream.
• Stir together the cream and chocolate chips until they are completely combined and shiny.
• Spoon the ganache over the top of cooled brownies and spread out evenly.
• Sprinkle the top with crushed peppermint candies.
• Let brownies rest for a couple hours until the ganache is set before slicing and storing, or chill in fridge for a hour.