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Saturday, April 28, 2012

Thin Mint Brownies

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A few weeks ago, Ryan and I hosted a small group of college students from Saint Louis University at our house for dinner. Our church meets near SLU and we have a few students who attend regularly, so we thought it'd be fun to have them and a few of their friends over for a meal. Ryan and I aren't so far out of college that we've forgotten how awesome it is to get a (free!) meal that isn't from a dining hall or a fast food restaurant.


For dessert, I threw together these brownies. I figured most people love brownies and it turned out I was right...one guy's eyes practically bugged out of his head when I told him they were thin mint brownies. Apparently they don't make those on campus ;) Needless to say, they cleaned the plate I set out and I sent them home with the leftovers!

This brownie recipe was passed along to me by my friend Paige. It's from Food.com, and the brownies are actually called "Whatever Floats Your Boat" brownies...it's a pretty basic brownie recipe that suggests adding 1-2 cups of your own mix-ins. This time, I used a sleeve of coarsely chopped thin mint cookies that were hanging out in our freezer. Overall, I thought the brownie recipe was great--easy to make and perfectly chewy and chocolatey. I can't wait to try it with other add-ins (if you aren't going the minty route, omit the peppermint extract and instead include 2 tsp of vanilla extract).

One Year Ago: Chicken Paninis with Pineapple Black Bean Salsa
Two Years Ago: Strawberry Banana Bread

Thin Mint Brownies
inspired by Food.com

Ingredients:
-1/2 cup butter, melted
-1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa
-1 cup sugar
-2 eggs
-1 tsp vanilla
-1/4 tsp peppermint extract
-1/2 cup flour
-1/4 tsp salt
-1 sleeve Thin Mint cookies, coarsely chopped

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350F. Line an 8 or 9-inch square pan with foil and grease. Set aside. In a large mixing bowl, combine butter and cocoa with a spatula until combined.
2. Add sugar and mix. Add eggs, one at a time, and mix until mixture is blended. Stir in vanilla, peppermint extract, flour, and salt. Fold in Thin Mints.
3. Pour batter into the prepared pan, spreading evenly. Bake for 20-25 minutes, until inserted toothpick comes out with a few crumbs (do not overbake!). Remove from oven and allow to cool on a wire rack before cutting into squares.