I've been making these brownies for years, so I'm a bit shocked that I haven't written up the recipe until now. But - better late than never! I'm not sure why I consider Chocolate Mint to be a holiday flavor, but I especially love making these brownies around holiday time in December. They're super fudgy and decadent, and best of all, fast and easy! 7 ingredients in the brownie mix, only 3 bowls, and you could certainly make these with a hand mixer instead of a stand mixer.
My favorite part about these brownies, though, is how easy and delicious they are to frost. If you've never had Ghirardelli Mint Squares, they are like the perfect gooey sister to the Peppermint Patty, and the cousin of the Andes Mint. And - magically - if you lay them on top of hot brownies just out of the oven, let them melt for a few minutes, and then spread them smooth, you end up with the bestest brownie frosting ever! Try for yourself and then tell me I'm wrong (except don't because you won't because they're great).
Happy Baking!
MAKES 25 small brownies /16 large brownies
Adapted from Scientifically Sweet.
INGREDIENTS/SUPPLIES
5 ounces dark/bittersweet chocolate, chopped coarsely (just under 1 cup; don't use chocolate chips)
3/4 stick butter, unsalted (6TB)
60g all-purpose flour (1/2 cup)
1/4tsp kosher salt
2 large eggs
200g sugar (1 cup)
1tsp vanilla
1 bag Ghirardelli Mint Squares
8x8 pan
aluminum foil
baking spray or extra butter or shortening
stand mixer with beater attachment (or large mixing bowl with hand mixer)
microwave-safe medium bowl
small bowl
small whisk
spatula
small, offset spatula (back of a spoon will work fine if you don't have one)
measuring cups + spoons
DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a 8x8 pan with heavy duty aluminum foil (use THIS tip!) and spray with baking spray or grease the bottom & sides with butter or shortening.
In your microwave safe bowl, melt 5oz chopped bittersweet chocolate and 3/4 stick unsalted butter...in the microwave. (See tip #9 here.) Set aside to cool a bit as you complete the next few steps.
In a separate small bowl, whisk together 60g AP flour and 1/4tsp kosher salt.
In the bowl of your stand mixer, beat 2 eggs and 200g (1c) sugar on medium at first, then high, for about 5 minutes until the mixture is pale yellow and falls like a ribbon off the beater when lifted.
Add 1tsp vanilla extract and mix on medium until combined.
Add in the chocolate mixture and beat on medium-high until combined. Scrape down the sides and up the bottom of your mixer bowl with a spatula to ensure everything is fully combined.
Add the flour mix and beat on low until just combined, until few traces of flour remain. Remove the bowl from the stand mixer, and finish mixing by hand with the spatula, scraping up from the very bottom of the bowl.
Pour the batter into your prepared pan, and bake 20-25 minutes, until just firm in the center. While it's baking, unwrap all the Ghirardelli mint squares so they are ready to go as soon as you remove the brownies from the oven.
When the brownies are done in the oven, place the tray on a cooling rack and immediately lay the mint squares on top in a 9x9 pattern, breaking up a 10th and filling in gaps if you'd like.
Wait 5-10 minutes for the chocolates to melt, then spread them out into an even layer of frosting using the offset spatula, or the back of a large spoon.
Set the brownies aside to cool to room temperature, then cut into whatever size brownies you'd like. They'll keep at room temperature in tupperware for up to 1 week.
If you'd prefer to freeze them, leave the brownies in the tray after they're cooled, then chill in the freezer for 1 hour, or until they're hard enough that you can remove the whole slab at once from the pan. Wrap them in one layer of foil (you can leave them in the foil you baked them in, but wrap them again if it won't completely cover them), then in another layer of plastic wrap. They'll be good in the freezer about 6 months.
