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.

Kip's Brownies

Cheap Eat Challenge: Watch as our family of 6 tries to nurse an excessive chocolate habit while still eating on $6/day.

I know most people don't have strong sentimental feelings about brownies. I know that for most people they're an easy, fast treat that begins with the contents of a box. And I'm not saying there's anything wrong with that. But I will say that there is something better than that. And not much harder. And a little cheaper (when you include the ingredients you add to brownie mix and take its size into account). And did I mention better.

And also (and this is the part where I get a little wonky and sentimental and all) so much more meaningful than that. Brownies were the first gift Kip ever gave me. You may have heard that story before. Those brownies were good. Those brownies were better. And I like remembering that. I like remembering that the start of our homemade life together--the life where we raise children and ducks and trees and flowers, the life where we cannot seem to refrain from digging out an additional garden plot each spring, even though we swear we will not every year--began with a plate of brownies better than any brownies I'd had before, brownies that were made by a loving hand.

Oh, but the story doesn't even stop there. Because in addition to their sentimental gooey loviness, these brownies have a practical side as well. Which of course any marriage that is going to last more than 3 months does too. For starters, these  brownies contain a mere 6 ingredients (that's only 3 more than the boxed variety in case your math skills just faltered). They're easy to assemble. My sister-in-law once told me that she sometimes just mixes them up in the pan. And they can be messed up in any number of ways and still turn out great. How, pray tell, can they be messed up? Well, let me tell you.

1. They can be undercooked. We've undercooked them on a couple of occasions, let them cool, cut them up, realized they were raw, put them back in the oven, and then taken them out again 20 minutes later. In fact, it just so happens that that was the case with our last batch--the one pictured above. The top comes out a little crispy, but the middle is still all tender goodness (and for those who enjoy a little diversity in their textures, these might even be better). And if you want a brownie that's going to be perfect in ice cream, this is just the mess up for you. The ice cream will soften the crispy edges without it all getting gooberiffic.
2. The flour can be completely forgotten. I did this once and the sugar and butter made a sort of caramel layer on the bottom that I found so completely awesome, I've been meaning to do it again. We ate it with whipped cream. Oh my. For full discolusure, I should say that although Kip ate plenty of the flour-free brownies, he prefers the original.
3. They can be made in a toaster oven. I know this because before I knew Kip, I knew these brownies. What, you say, incredulous at this plot twist/love triangle; how can this be. Yes, it's true. I didn't know I knew these brownies, but I did. When I was on a mission for my church in a far off land, we had some older missionaries--the Bakkers--in our area. Zuster Bakker made these mission-famous brownies. In the toaster oven. Because those mission apartments were sometimes lacking in the oven department (the Dutch don't bake as much as we Americans do). They were a breath of sweet warm American at times like Christmas when we were feeling a little lonesome. Then I got home, met Kip, and forgot about the Bakkers' brownies in my new love affair with Kip's brownies. And then one day, I learned that Kip's family had gotten the recipe for their brownies from a woman at their church--a woman by the name of Bakker. A woman who showed up at our wedding reception knowing both the bride and the groom. Indeed. No wonder my feelings for brownies run deep.
4. These brownies can be made with margarine. I will not say I recommend this, but it can be done (don't try it with cookies; blech.) I must also say that the margarine brownies are not as good. They taste, in fact, a lot more like a boxed brownie--in other words, perfectly edible, tasty even, but not the utter delightbuttery brownies are.

The only thing these brownies don't withstand well is extreme overcooking. No brownie withstands this well. Sure, you can eat them if you burn them. But they're not nearly as good.

In summary: Homemade brownies plus marriage equals good. Try it. (Hi, Bakkers, thanks for the recipe--we're doing fine and we have four kids now; can you believe it. They like your brownies too.)

Kip's Brownies
Makes 9x13 (we won't discuss how many servings that is or isn't or should or shouldn't be)
Prep time: 5 minutes
Cook time: 25-30 minutes
Cost: $2.65
( butter: 1.15, cocoa: .60, sugar: .35, eggs: .40, flour: .15)

1 C butter (2 sticks)--we use salted; if you don't, you'll want to add 1/4 tsp salt
1 C cocoa
2 C sugar
4 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1 1/2 C flour
Note: Feel free to add in chocolate chips, white chocolate chips, peanut butter chips, or to sub 1/4 mint extract for the vanilla.

Beat or mix butter and sugar (we usually melt or significantly soften the butter). Beat or mix in eggs and vanilla. Add cocoa. Add flour.

Spread into a lightly greased 9x13 inch pan (unless you've just mixed it in the pan, lazy style--in which case I salute you).

Bake at 350 for 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean (be sure you're not sticking it in a chocolate chip).

PRINTABLE RECIPE

Fudgy Brownies with Peanut Butter Frosting

Hope you're all celebrating your labors today. I brought peanut butter brownies to the party. Yes, it was very thoughtful of me.

The first time I made these (or tried to) was for an actual party. But I didn't give myself enough time and I put my husband in charge of taking the brownies out of the oven. Well, they looked done and he took them out and then I shoved them in the fridge to try to cool them off and made the frosting and then frosted them two minutes before we had to leave. When we got to the party, the frosting had melted/separated, which made them look creepy and gross, and the brownies (save for the edges) were gloppy and rawish. Nevertheless, they got eaten up--every one, and before many other foods. Perhaps you're thinking that this story simply illustrates that my friends don't have very discerning tastes. But I took it as a sign. If the brownies could be that desirable totally messed up, think how rocking they would be cooked and with non-separated frosting (such high standards, I know).

And it was true. These brownies are completely rocking. I fully appreciate a good, regular brownie, but these transform a regular brownie into something special. You could bring it to a picnic OR serve it at a dinner party. Despite my first mess up, they're not hard either, although you truly must give the brownies time to cool before frosting them, so plan for that.

Fudgy Brownies with Peanut Butter Frosting
makes 1 9x13 inch pan
Prep time: 15 minutes
Cool time: 2 hours
Cook time: 20-25 minutes
Cost:$3.55 for the brownie part, $5.33 for all. That's more expensive than many of the treats I make, but note that if it makes 26 brownies, that's only $.20/serving
(butter: .80, chocolate chips: 1.70, sugar: .50, eggs: .30, flour: .07, cocoa: .18)
Frosting: $1.50 
(cream cheese: .60, butter: .25, sugar: .35, peanut butter: .30)
Chocolate Drizzle: $.28
(chocolate: .25, butter: .03)

I used the same fudgy brownie recipe I use for my mint brownies. It's a brownie that always does well with frosting.

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 microwave, 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. That's going to take a good couple hours. You might be able to speed it up by putting it in the fridge or freezer, but evenso it's going to take some time.  

Frosting:

5 oz cream cheese, at room temp
1/2 stick (1/4 C) butter, at room temp
2 1/2 C confectioners' sugar
1/3 C smooth peanut butter (NOT all-natural because that may cause the oil to separate out)

Beat cream cheese and butter until light and fluffy. Add confectioner's sugar a cup at a time, mixing thoroughly. Add peanut butter and beat thoroughly. Do not, I repeat do not, get a spoon and start eating it right them and there. Remember your cake. And your butt. They will both thank you not to consume all of this straight up out of the bowl.

Chocolate Drizzle: 

For the chocolate drizzle, you're going to make an unsweetened drizzle. Have a little faith. It plays with the super sweet brownie in a very coy manner. If you don't have faith or believe that a brownie should be coy, you may substitute a dark chocolate instead of unsweetened chocolate. 

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). 

Happy St. Patrick's Day

Looking for something green? You could always search this blog under spinach or kale or avocado, but here are a few things I've been wanting to try. Just be warned: they're on the unhealthy end.

1. Shamrock Shake. (Okay, so I actually tried this today and it was pretty good. It's been years since I've had a McDonalds shamrock shake, so I can't really remember how it tasted well enough to compare. This much I will say, I made some as the recipe stated and some with a handful of spinach thrown in. There was no taste difference whatsoever.)

2. BYU Mint Brownies. Not sure it can compete with my mint brownies above, but I might give it a try. If I do try them, though, I'm definitely going with butter instead of margarine.

3. Oreo Mint Brownies. Will these be too over the top?

Okay, fine, here are some healthy ones I've been wanting to try too.

4. Spicy Lemon Quinoa with Spinach.

5. Rice and Kale. (I'm making this for dinner tonight.)

6. Spinach Smoothie. My sister says this is good if you're not hoping for something super sweet.

Three Green Things

My mother used to dye our milk green. It's not really my number one green recommendations. Here are a few I like a little better.

1. Grasshopper Cake. It's not traditional, but it's green and tastes amazing.

2. Chocolate Mint Brownies. Clearly I care not at all about tradition unless tradition is rich chocolaty mint.

3. Green Drink. Of course there's this for people who aren't going for colcannon, but would like to not weigh 10 extra pounds after St. Patty's Day. There's also this one with avocado or this one with kale and avocado.