Dark Chocolate Mint Brownies
Enjoy rich, deep dark chocolate brownies, loaded with chips, with the freshness of mint leaves and a kiss of maple syrup. These brownies have a fudge-like texture with gooey, softened dark chocolate chips. Demonstration video is provided in my blog post for this recipe.
Prep: 40 minutes Bake: 31-32 minutes Bake at: 350° Makes: 12 servings Pan: 8-inch square baking pan Difficulty: easy
Ingredients:
Brownie Batter:
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter
3/4 cup (152g) sugar1 1/2 cups dark chocolate chips, divided
1/2 teaspoon espresso powder (optional)
2 large eggs
1/2 cup (43g) unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 cup (90g) all-purpose flour
Cooking spray
Mint Pesto:1/2 cup pecans or walnuts1/2 cup (5g) fresh mint leaves, loosely packed2 teaspoons vanilla extract3 tablespoons maple syrup or agave nectar
Directions:
To make brownie batter: In a medium, microwave-safe bowl, melt butter with sugar at 30 second intervals for 1 1/2-2 minutes with microwave at full power. Stir after 1 minute. Continue heating until butter mixture is foaming, but not boiling. Add 1/2 cup of the dark chocolate chips to hot butter mixture plus espresso powder, if using. Stir until chips are melted. Let cool a few minutes.
In a medium bowl, lightly beat eggs. Sift cocoa powder, salt, and baking powder into eggs and stir together. Add a small amount of slightly cooled butter mixture to egg mixture and stir to combine. Very gradually add the remaining butter mixture, stirring vigorously. Add flour and stir until just smooth. Let batter cool for 15 minutes.
Pre-heat oven to 350°.
To make mint pesto: Coarsely chop nuts in the small work bowl of a food processor. Add mint leaves, vanilla, and liquid sweetener. Puree to a thick paste scraping down bowl periodically. Stir mint pesto into batter until thoroughly combined. Stir remaining 1 cup dark chocolate chips into batter.
Prepare an 8-inch square baking pan with cooking spray. Spoon batter into pan and spread evenly. Bake for 31-32 minutes until edges are just set, but center still looks moist. Use shorter bake time (31 minutes) for more fudge-like brownies. Let cool in pan on a wire rack. Do not slice and serve until brownies have completely cooled. Brownies keep for 4 days and freeze for 2 weeks.
Tips:
- You can omit the mint pesto. Add 1/4 cup sugar plus 2 teaspoons vanilla to batter ingredients. If replacing liquid sweetener with sugar, add to bowl with butter. Stir in vanilla just before adding the final cup of chocolate chips. Bake for 30-31 minutes.