Excerpts from "Diary of an EXTREME Chocoholic", that's probably what this blog article should be called. I started writing this while waiting for the super fudge mint brownies to come out of the oven. The smell of chocolate and mint was overwhelming and I couldn't stop thinking about the wonderful taste of batter as I proceeded to enjoy the remains from the inside of the bowl. If the mix was any indication of what the brownies would taste like, I may have died and gone to heaven.
I found the recipe for Super Fudge Brownies in Mrs. Field's Cookie Book - 100 Recipes from Mrs. Field's Kitchen. I was looking for an easy bar cookie recipe when I found this cookbook in my cabinet. When was the last time you heard of a recipe from Mrs. Field's, maybe when the $250 (or was it $2500 or $250K) chocolate chip cookie recipe was being circulated around the internet.
I decided to put a twist on this brownie recipe with some instant coffee, Kahlua Peppermint Mocha and a package of Andes Creme de Menthe Mints. I also added a little bit of salt...with all the sugar I needed a little bit of balance.
The brownies cooled overnight and I'm ready to tell you about them and yes, DEATH BY CHOCOLATE...mint chocolate to be exact. These are delightful. Very fudgy, very minty, very good! And yes, I did eat them for breakfast, should you even ask! They are very thick and don't give you many brownies, but my suggestion is to cut them into small bars, I got about 24+.
And a tip for all you brownie fans. The easiest way to cut brownies is with a plastic knife. The gooey insides don't stick when cutting.
This is a great festive brownie for the holiday and one more treat I will add to my 12 Cookies (and Bars!) of Christmas. Ho! Ho! Ho! Enjoy!
Ingredients:
6 ounces unsweetened baking chocolate
1 cup salted butter, softened
1 teaspoon of instant coffee
4 large eggs
2 cups granulated sugar
1 tablespoon of Kahlua Peppermint Mocha (or vanilla if you don't have it)
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon of kosher salt
1 cup of Andes Mints, broken into pieces
Preparation:
Preheat oven to 325°F and grease an 8x8 baking pan.
Combine unsweetened chocolate, instant coffee and butter in a medium saucepan and melt over medium low heat, stirring constantly until pieces are almost melted.
Remove from the heat and stir until smooth.
In a large bowl using an electric mixer on medium speed, beat eggs until light yellow
in color--about 5 minutes.
Add sugar and blend on low until thoroughly combined, about 1 minute.
Add Kahlua Peppermint Mocha and melted chocolate to the egg sugar mixture, blend on low until smooth.
Add the flour, salt and mix thoroughly. Add the Andes Mints.
Pour batter into the greased pan. Bake on center rack of oven for 45-55 minutes.
The batter should be set and a toothpick inserted into the center should come out clean.
Do not over bake. Cool to room temperature. This recipe makes 12 average sized brownies or 24+ mini bars. I would go with the mini bars, these brownies are very rich.
