(Amazing!) Mint Brownies

I’ve tried many brownie recipes over the 20+ years that I have been married.  I recently found a great basic brownie recipe that has served us well so far.  But recently I found a special brownie recipe that is….well, I’ll just say it….life-changing.

Okay, well maybe you’d have to be married to a man who is in love with mint to call this recipe life-changing!  But even I adore these mint brownies; and I only like mint as a friend.

Ingredients:
4 ounces unsweetened baking chocolate
1 cup butter (2 sticks)
4 eggs
2 cups sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
1 1/4 cups flour
1/2 tsp. baking powder
—–
Frosting:
1-2 Tbsp. milk
2 cups powdered sugar
1/4 cup butter, softened (1/2 stick)
1 1/2 tsp. peppermint extract
green food coloring (2-3 drops)
—–
Glaze:
6 ounces semisweet chocolate chips
6 Tbsp. butter

1.  Set oven to 350 degrees.  Line a 9″x 13″ pan with foil, making sure the foil can extend over the edge by a couple of inches (you’ll lift the brownies out later with that).  Spray with cooking spray.
2.  Chop your unsweetened chocolate and the butter into chunks.  Place in a microwave-safe bowl and microwave for 30 seconds at a time, stirring in between, until the chocolate is melted and smooth.*  Set aside to cool.
3.  In a mixer, beat eggs, sugar, and vanilla for two minutes.  While that’s beating, mix together the flour and baking powder in a separate bowl.  With the mixer running, slowly pour in the melted chocolate and beat until it is well-combined.  With the mixer on low, add the flour mixture by spoonfuls and mix just until combined.**  Pour batter into pan and bake for 20-30 minutes, or until a knife poked into the center comes out clean.
4.  Cool brownies completely on a wire rack for better air circulation around the pan.  Once the brownies are room temperature, make the frosting.  Combine all the ingredients, starting with 1 1/2 Tbsp. of milk and adding more after mixing if necessary.  Spread evenly over the brownies and chill while you make the glaze.
5.  Place the chocolate chips and butter in a microwave safe bowl.  Microwave in 30-second increments until melted, making sure to stir well in between.  Set this aside to cool for about 15 minutes, then pour atop the brownies and carefully spread it out over the mint frosting.  Chill again.  When the chocolate has set, lift the brownies out of the pan with the foil “handles”.  Cut and serve.***

Notes:
*Don’t over heat.  Stirring well in between will help the chocolate melt a little more.  It should just barely have melted all the way.
**It’s okay for a bit of flour to not be mixed in.  Over-mixing the batter will mess up the texture.
***I cut mine in a 4 x 6 grid to get 24 brownies.

Source:  Our Best Bites: Mormon Moms in the Kitchen (I didn’t realize how close our blog name is to their cookbook until our blog had already been named.  At any rate, they have a wonderful website and an exceptionally beautiful cookbook!)

Originally posted on June 25, 2012.