Mint Brownies

BROWNIES:

• 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter
• 6 ounces unsweetened chocolate
• 2 cups sugar
• 4 large eggs
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

MINT LAYER:

• 2 cups powdered sugar
• 1/4 cup (4 tablespoons) butter, melted
• 2 tablespoons milk
• 1 teaspoon mint extract
• 2 drops green food coloring (optional)

CHOCOLATE GANACHE:

• 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
• 1/4 cup heavy cream
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1/4 teaspoon mint extract

1. Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F. Lightly grease a 9X13-inch aluminum pan with nonstick cooking spray and cut parchment paper to fit the bottom of the pan. Lightly grease the parchment paper. Set the pan aside.
2. For the brownies, in a small saucepan, melt the butter and chocolate, stirring until smooth. Set aside to cool slightly. In a large bowl, combine the sugar, eggs and salt. Mix with a handheld mixer or in the bowl of a stand mixer for 3-4 minutes, until the mixture has lightened in color and is very thick. Fold in the warm (not hot!) chocolate/butter mixture. Stir in the flour and vanilla extract. Mix until well combined. Pour the batter into the prepared pan, smoothing evenly.
3. Bake the brownies for 25-30 minutes until the sides pull away from the pan just slightly. Remove the brownies from the oven and cool completely on a wire rack (about 1 1/2 hours)

1. For the mint layer, whisk together the powdered sugar, butter, milk, mint extract and food coloring (if using) until smooth and creamy. Spread evenly over the top of the cooled brownies. Refrigerate for 15-20 minutes.
2. For the ganache, heat the cream and butter until just barely simmering. Pour over the chocolate chips and stir until smooth and glossy. Stir in the mint extract. Spread the ganache evenly over the mint layer. Refrigerate for an hour or so until the chocolate layer has set.
3. Cut into squares and serve. These taste best chilled in my humble opinion.

One-bowl Brownies

My rating: 6 stars

Kids' rating: 6 stars

These are our favorite brownies. Which if you know me at all, know that's a real statement right there. They don't look anything special, so I rarely make them to take to a gathering. But if you're looking for a super rich, dense, deep, dark chocolate brownie to eat with ice cream, these are delish. And you can go from start, to bowl in hand, in 40 minutes. Not that I would know.

Makes 1 8×8 pan of brownies which you can cut into 16 2-inch squares, 25 smaller squares, or 32 2×1-inch bites, which would be cute for a shower or something. They are so flavorful that you could easily eat a 1x2-inch bite and be happy (not as happy as 2-inch squares, obviously, but happy nonetheless).

3 ounces unsweetened chocolate, roughly chopped
1 stick unsalted butter, plus extra for pan
1 1/3 cups granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon flaky sea salt or 1/4 teaspoon table salt
2/3 cup all-purpose flour

Heat oven to 350°F. Line an 8×8-inch square baking pan with parchment, extending it up two sides, or foil. Butter the parchment or foil or spray it with a nonstick cooking spray.

In a medium microwave safe bowl, melt chocolate and butter in 3-second bursts, stirring in between each, until only a couple unmelted bits remain. Continue to stir until smooth and fully melted. Whisk in sugar, then eggs, one at a time, then vanilla and salt. Stir in flour with a spoon or flexible spatula and scrape batter into prepared pan, spread until even. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out batter-free.