Food For Thought

Minty Brownies

Prior to St. Patrick's Day 2007, my roommate Angie did not like brownies. But I made these and all of a sudden she changed her mind. In fact, since it is her last week in NYC, I asked her what she wanted for her last treat, and she requested these brownies. For this recipe, I used my go-to brownie recipe. I found the mint frosting at allrecipes.com, and tweaked it a little. Here we go!

Brownie Part:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a 9x13 pan with foil and grease with cooking spray.

In a saucepan, melt:

4 oz. unsweetened chocolate

3/4 cup unsalted butter

When completely melted remove the saucepan and stir in:

2 cups granulated sugar (sometimes I like to do half brown/half granulated)

3 eggs (stirring after each egg)

Next, add:

1 tsp vanilla

1 tsp salt

1 cup of flour

Pour mixture into prepared pan, and bake for 35 minutes. When done, let them cool completely before frosting with the mint stuff. *Really try not to overcook them. They taste so much better when the brownie is moist and fudgey. Is that a word?

The Mint Frosting

On high speed mix together:

6 Tbs softened butter

3 cups powdered sugar

4 Tbs milk

2 tsp mint extract

1-2 drops green food coloring (totally optional)

Mix until light and fluffy. Spread the frosting over the cooled brownies.

The Chocolate Glaze

In a saucepan melt the following:

1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

1/2 oz. unsweetened chocolate

4 Tbs butter

Before everything is completely melted, remove from heat and stir until smooth. Pour over the frosting, and carefully spread evenly over the frosting. Chill until set. I use the foil to easily lift the brownies out of the pan for easier cutting.