Chocolate Mint Brownies

I turn seventeen on Friday June fifteenth. The week is the week of the Tulsa Library teen writing program starting on Wednesday June sixth, three days from when I am writing this. I have been re-reading my application essay and writing sample at the kitchen table. The first session is going to be in the small classroom on the second floor of the main library at six-thirty in the evening, with eleven other teenagers and the published author leading the workshop. I am going to be the youngest in the room. I have been told this by Mrs. Henderson’s daughter-in-law who works at the library, who looked up the roster as a favor.

Cody’s handwritten birthday card came in the mail Tuesday afternoon. The card was a small folded piece of unit construction paper, with a small drawing of a kitchen window in pencil on the front (the same window-drawing that was on the chapbook cover, which I am pretty sure is going to become a recurring symbol in his work going forward) and inside, in his careful slanted handwriting, the message: Kay, Seventeen. Last year I will see you from the inside. C. I read the card three times at the kitchen table. Mama read it. We did not say anything for a minute. Cody is on day five hundred and twenty-two. He has one hundred and forty-eight days left.

And the recipe is chocolate mint brownies, which I made for the family birthday dessert. The recipe is from Averie Cooks. Two layers of dense chocolate brownies, with a peppermint-buttercream layer between them and a chocolate ganache topping poured over the whole thing.

The math: a box of brownie mix $1.49 (doctored with my Kathy improvement — an extra egg, less oil, milk instead of water), a stick of butter for the frosting, three cups of powdered sugar, peppermint extract $0.30 worth, a cup of heavy cream $0.99, a half-pound of semi-sweet chocolate chips $1.99 for the ganache. Total: about $5.47 for a 9-by-9 pan that lasted Mama and me four nights.

The technique is the three-layer build. Bake the brownie batter in a 9-by-9 pan for the standard time. Cool. Make the peppermint buttercream by creaming butter with powdered sugar and peppermint extract, spread over the cooled brownie. Refrigerate twenty minutes to set. Make the ganache by pouring heated heavy cream over the chocolate chips and stirring until smooth, pour over the chilled buttercream, refrigerate another twenty minutes. Cut into squares.

The brownies are dense, the buttercream is sharp with peppermint, the ganache is glossy and bittersweet. Mama said, when she had her first square Friday night, baby, you are seventeen and the kitchen is going to take you somewhere. I want it on the page. The kitchen has already taken me somewhere. I am writing this in pen.

The recipe is below. The trick is the chilling between layers — refrigerate the buttercream layer before adding the ganache so the layers stay distinct.

Prep Time: 15 min | Cook Time: 28 min | Total Time: 43 min | Servings: 16

Ingredients

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted
1 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3/4 teaspoon peppermint extract
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
For the mint frosting:
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
2 tablespoons milk
1/2 teaspoon peppermint extract
2–3 drops green food coloring (optional)
For the chocolate topping:
1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
2 tablespoons unsalted butter

Instructions

Preheat and prep. Heat oven to 350°F. Grease an 8x8 inch baking pan and line with parchment paper, leaving an overhang on two sides for easy lifting.
Mix the wet ingredients. In a medium bowl, whisk together the melted butter and sugar until combined. Add eggs one at a time, whisking well after each. Stir in vanilla and peppermint extract.
Add the dry ingredients. Sift in the cocoa powder, flour, salt, and baking powder. Stir until just combined — do not overmix. Fold in the chocolate chips.
Bake. Pour batter into the prepared pan and spread evenly. Bake for 26–28 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with just a few moist crumbs. Do not overbake. Cool completely in the pan.
Make the mint frosting. Beat together powdered sugar, softened butter, milk, and peppermint extract until smooth and spreadable. Add food coloring if using. Spread over the completely cooled brownies and refrigerate for 20 minutes to set.
Make the chocolate topping. Melt chocolate chips and butter together in a small saucepan over low heat, stirring constantly, until smooth. Pour over the set mint frosting layer and spread gently to cover. Refrigerate for 30 minutes until the chocolate topping is firm.
Slice and serve. Lift the brownies out of the pan using the parchment overhang. Slice into 16 squares with a sharp knife, wiping the blade clean between cuts for neat edges. Serve chilled or at room temperature.

Nutrition (per serving)

Chocolate Mint Brownies — The Seventeenth-Birthday Dessert