Chocolate Mint Brownies

Cheap Eat Challenge: Watch our family of 6 try to eat on $6/day while succumbing to occasional temptation.

I was first introduced to chocolate mint brownies in college. We were from two different worlds--mint brownies and I. I lived in a stringent low-fat land in which I studied a lot and ate cold spaghetti nearly every day because it was cheap and because I stayed on campus for 12 hours most days. And mint brownies lived in a glass case in the creamery, gazing upon me each time I passed. I may have gazed back a time or two. They were, after all, lovely--the dark, dense underlayer topped with a delicate green frosting and garnished with stripes of smooth brunette lines.

Of course they had a reputation, as things like that so often do.

And yet, I reasoned, we could still be friends. Get together some Friday night for tall glasses of cold milk. Chat a little bit, get to know each other. Surely there could be no harm in that.

Now I know what you're thinking, but I swear it wasn't like that. We were just friends. I mean, I don't see why an attractive, sweet, perhaps slightly decadent confection and I can't just be friends, okay.

So if you're feeling friendly, give these a whirl tonight. Although I should tell you, you might want to bring a chaperone.

Chocolate Mint Brownies
loosely adapted from smittenkitchen and pioneer woman's tasty kitchen
Prep time: 30 minutes
Cook time: 30 minutes
You'll also need to plan wait time (1- 1 1/2 hours) for the brownies to cool.
Cost: um, too much, but that's the kind of brownie this is, so just go with it. $3.55 for the brownie part; $4.93 for all
(butter: .80, chocolate chips: 1.70, sugar: .50, eggs: .30, flour: .07, cocoa: .18)

Note: Any favorite fudgy brownie will work, so if you just want to try the method with your favorite fudgy brownie, go for it, although I must say that this is a very very good brownie recipe. Also, I highly discourage using boxed brownies, but then I will admit to having very intense feelings (um, I mean very friendly feelings) about brownies.

1 1/2 (3/4 C) sticks salted butter
10 1/2 oz chocolate chips (just less than 1 bag)
1 1/2 C brown sugar (I think white would also work just as well)
3 eggs
1 generous tsp vanilla
3/4 C flour
6 Tbsp cocoa

Preheat oven to 375. Lightly grease a 9x13 inch pan.

Melt butter, chocolate, and sugar in micrwave, stirring every 20-30 seconds. (Alternately, you can do this in a saucepan over medium heat, stirring occasionally until smooth.)

Allow it to cool just a minute or two and add vanilla. Whisk in eggs (whisk them in so you don't risk getting blobs of egg in your batter--it's not hard; you just don't want it to sit in warm chocolate for any length of time).

Combine flour and cocoa. Add to wet mixture.

Spread batter in your pan. Bake for 20 minutes or until a toothpick comes out pretty much clean (which means that if it has a few moist crumbs stuck to it, all the better, but you don't want it coming out with batter clinging to it). Mine cooked up in pretty much exactly 20 minutes.

Let cool completely. (And by 'completely' I mean until you become too impatient to wait any longer and put the mint frosting on even if the bottom of the pan is still warm. But seriously, don't go slathering it on there while the brownies are still hot, unless you plan to hide in your bathroom and scoop it out by the spoonful while shouting to your kids that you need some privacy so please go ask Daddy for help. It's not that this is a bad idea, unless of course, you were supposed to be serving the brownies to guests. Also, you forgot your chaperone--just saying.)

Mint Frosting:
Cost: $1.10
(butter: .55, milk: .02, powdered sugar: .40, extract: .03)

1/2 C butter, softened
2 Tbsp milk
2 C powdered sugar
1/2-1 tsp peppermint extract
2 drops green food coloring (optional)

Beat it all together until smooth and lovely. Add the food coloring if you will, although white mint is awesome too.

Darkest Chocolate Glaze:
Cost: $.28
(chocolate: .25, butter: .03)

1 oz unsweetened chocolate
1/2 Tbsp butter

Melt together in microwave, stirring every 15-20 seconds.

Pour over mint frosting in stripes as prettily as you can (which is surely prettier than I can).

NOTE: It's a good idea to line your pan with foil. These brownies are very fudgy and can be a little hard to get out of the pan--you can manage of course, but if you'd like to line the pan, it makes it easier. When I say 'line the pan' I mean drape the foil over the edges, or at least make it so it goes up the edges. Then you can lift the brownies out once they're cool. Here's a picture since I don't have one of my own.

PRINTABLE RECIPE

Not what you're craving (who are you and what are you doing on this site?), try Sweets for a Saturday. Or Sweet Tooth Friday.