Valentine’s Day Mint Brownies

Last Updated on June 5, 2015 by Chef Mireille

When Valentine’s Day is approaching, all of a sudden chocolate is everywhere and I would like to meet the person who decided that all women are chocolate obsessed.  While I like chocolate, I prefer fruit based desserts 95% of the time. Vanilla Ice Cream, Strawberry Shortcake and Apple Pie I will take any day over Chocolate Ice Cream, Chocolate Cake and Mississippi Mud Pie.

However, for me to suggest anything other than chocolate on Valentine’s Day would produce gasps and moans of such outrage.  Here is a delicious chocolate brownie, but balanced with the fresh, cool taste of mint, the chocolate is not as overpowering as most decadent, Valentine’s Day desserts.

It’s like a creme de menthe candy, but in a brownie!

Yield: 12 brownies
Ingredients:

• 10 oz. mint chocolate chips (nestle has a limited edition of these, but you can get these all the time from chocolate specialty shops)

• 2 oz. unsweetened chocolate
• 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
• 1/2 cup whole wheat flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 sticks unsalted butter
• 3 eggs
• 1 1/2 cups brown granulated sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon almond extract

Preheat oven to 350 F.
In a saucepan, melt chocolate and butter on low heat, stirring constantly, until thoroughly melted.

Turn off flame and let cool for a few minutes.

While chocolate is cooling, combine flours, baking powder and salt in a small mixing bowl.

In a large mixing bowl, combine sugar, almond extract and eggs.

 Beat well, until thoroughly combined.
Add flour a little at a time and blend well.

Add chocolate a little at a time to temper the eggs, and blend well.  If you add the hot chocolate sauce too quickly, the eggs will cook.
Place in buttered and floured brownie pan and bake for 30 minutes.

Let cool for 10 minutes, before removing from the pan.

Vanilla Sauce
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
8 oz. white chocolate chips
1/4 cup heavy cream

Slowly melt in a saucepan over low heat, until melted and homogenous.

Serve brownie with vanilla sauce.

This dessert is great for those who like chocolate but like it a little lighter and not quite so decadent and I think chocolate lover’s will appreciate this as well.  For this reason, I am also submitting it to the Chocolate lover’s event:

Chef Mireille