Recipe: Chocolate Mint Brownies

Brownies ... everyone's favorite dessert for the holidays or anytime of year. The following recipe, from The Curvy Carrot by Shanon Lacy, is for "moist, thick, chewy, and rich" brownies of which "the peppermint is not overwhelming." As for the peppermint glaze, Shanon says, "How can four ingredients combine to form such a heavenly new concoction?" And to "add just a little more sweet mint flavor", chopped Andes mints were sprinkled on top of the brownies.

The word Snanon has chosen to describe her brownies — "fantastic" — is an understatement.

Chocolate Mint Brownies with Mint Glaze
Recipe & Images: The Curvy Carrot by Shanon Lacy; altered version licensed under a CC BY 3.0 license

INGREDIENTS
for the brownies
3/4 cup (1 and 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, melted
1 and 1/2 cups granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup Dutch-processed cocoa
3 large eggs
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/8 teaspoon peppermint oil

for the glaze
3 cups confectioners' sugar
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
3 tablespoons half and half
1/8 teaspoon peppermint oil

for topping
Andes mints, chopped (I used about half of an 11-ounce bag)



DIRECTIONS
for the brownies
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Line a 9 x 13-inch baking pan with parchment paper and spray generously with cooking spray.

In the bowl of your standing mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the melted butter, sugar, and salt.

On low speed, add the cocoa powder, mixing until smooth.

Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition.

Still on low speed, add the flour and baking powder.

Add the peppermint oil and mix until combined.

Pour the batter into the prepared pan and spread evenly with a rubber spatula.

Bake the brownies until a cake tester inserted in the middle comes out clean, about 20 minutes.****My oven took about 30 minutes. Check them frequently.

Remove the brownies from the oven and let cool to room temperature.

for the glaze
In the bowl of your standing mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, mix the melted butter, powdered sugar (aka confectioners' sugar), half and half, and peppermint oil until smooth.

Spread the glaze evenly over the cooled brownies.

for topping
Top with Andes mints.

Makes 24 of 2-inch brownies.



Adapted from Melting Mint Brownies recipe.