'twas mint to be

Brownies are a fickle, fickle beast. Overbake them just a minute and they become dry and crumbly and completely unappetizing. Take them out too soon and they're doughy and sticky and gross.


However, it's totally worth the trouble if you can get 'em just right.

I'm happy to report that the beauties were just right. I've done brownies before--one batch with a layer of mint, one batch with a regular ol' cream cheese swirl, another batch with a peanut butter portion, and a sourdough batch that ended up more cakelike than anything else.


This batch sort of combines two of those--it's a mint chocolate brownie with a hint-o'-mint cream cheese swirl, and it is DECADENT. I'll go ahead and state it--it's the best brownie I've put into my mouth to date. They're moist and fudgy, with that fabulous and somewhat unexpected tang from the cream cheese and a delicate and subtle minty flavor.


On top of all that, I happen to think that swirled brownies are among the most beautiful of all desserts, and that's saying a lot. There's something about the contrast of black and white in a random yet decorative pattern of twists and turns that I really enjoy.


I'm most excited when an inadvertent heart forms, but I'm sappy like that.

Mint Swirl Brownies
(adapted from this recipe)

6 tablespoons butter or margarine
4 ounces mint chocolate, chopped (I used Hershey's Extra Dark Pure Mint)
2/3 cup sugar
2 eggs, at room temperature
1/2 cup flour
1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla

Filling:
8 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
1 egg yolk
5 tablespoons sugar
1/8 teaspoon mint extract
1/2 cup chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 9-inch square pan with non-stick spray or grease lightly.
Melt the butter and chocolate in the microwave or over low heat, stirring until smooth. Beat in the sugar and eggs. Mix in the flour, cocoa powder, and salt, then add in the vanilla. Spread evenly in the prepared pan. In a separate bowl, beat together the cream cheese, egg yolk, sugar, and mint extract until smooth. Stir in the chocolate chips. Distribute the cream cheese mixture in eight dollops across the top of the brownie mixture, then take a dull knife or spatula and swirl the cream cheese mixture with the chocolate batter. Bake for 30 minutes, or until the batter in the center of the pan feels just set. Let cool, then cut the brownies into squares, rectangles, hearts, what-have-you.

By the way, have you seen these? Not only are they colorful, they're extremely handy. I love the fact that you can squish them into a pour-friendly shape. (Bonus: You can get in a forearm workout while your goodies are baking.)


I'd been eying them for awhile when Jenna from KaTom Restaurant Supply offered to send them to me in return for a review. Here's my review: They're an awesome kitchen tool. Get some for yourself immediately. Incidentally, KaTom also offers a plethora of other items, from hand-held burger presses and ice sculpture molds to pancake apparatuses (apparati?) and pizza peels. It's a site worth perusing (and using), to be sure!

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you were mint for me

One of the most prevalent flavor combinations on this blog is chocolate and mint, and there's a very specific reason for that--I love it.

The refreshing breeze from the mint seems to perfectly complement the rich depths of chocolate, regardless of the vehicle in which they're traveling.

This vehicle is particularly decadent. There's chocolate everywhere and in three different forms. The foundation is a moist and fluffy cocoa-based chocolate cake that's coated in an amazing white chocolate buttercream frosting (s. woon.) and filled with clouds of mint-flavored chocolate mousse. Each bite is an exciting and enjoyable sensation.

If you're a fan of the marriage of chocolate and mint like I am, give this cake a try. It's magnificent enough for any occasion, even if said occasion is as trivial as, say, the sprouting of a new gray hair.

Chocolate Chocolate Chocolate Mint Cake
one recipe of your favorite chocolate cake

Chocolate-Mint Mousse Filling:
6 oz semi-sweet or bittersweet chocolate, chopped
2 cups heavy cream
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon mint extract

White Chocolate Buttercream Frosting:
1 cup butter, softened
2 1/2-3 cups powdered sugar, sifted
6 oz good quality white chocolate, chopped
1/4 cup heavy whipping cream
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

Prepare your chocolate cake and bake it in two 9-inch round pans. Once cool, cut each round in half horizontally.

To prepare the mousse, carefully melt the chocolate and set it aside. Place the heavy cream and sugar in the well-chilled bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the chilled whisk attachment. Whisk on high-speed until stiff peaks form. Remove the bowl from the mixer. By hand, whisk to combine 1/4 of the whipped cream into the melted chocolate until smooth and completely incorporated. Add the combined whipped cream and chocolate to the remaining whipped cream and use a rubber spatula to fold together. Stir in the extract.

To prepare the frosting, put the chopped white chocolate into a small bowl and heat it in 30 second increments in the microwave. Stir after each increment, and continue to heat 30 seconds at a time until the chocolate is melted and smooth. Set aside and allow to completely cool. Cream the butter and add the sifted powdered sugar, beating until light and fluffy and scraping the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed. With the mixer running on low speed, gradually pour the cream and vanilla into the bowl. Once the cream mixture has been incorporated into the frosting, fold in the melted and cooled white chocolate until incorporated. Increase the mixer speed to medium-high, and beat the frosting for an additional 3 minutes.

To assemble the masterpiece, slather the mousse between the halved layers (stacking as you go), then frost the sides and top in a decorative fashion. Chill for a bit to let things mingle, then slice and serve!

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wuv, true wuv

Chocolate and mint are a match made in heaven, the perfect marriage of flavors. But I'll bet you already knew that.


I'm a fan of Junior Mints, Peppermint Patties, and pretty much any combination of mint and chocolate that's ever found its way into my mouth, so these brownies from Joy of Baking have been on my must-make list for awhile.

As noted earlier, I received some decadent Amano dark chocolate from Blake Makes that's just been itching to be used. For this dessert, I randomly decided to use the Ocumare bar, which is said to have an "incredible complex chocolate flavor with natural hints of red fruit." My palate isn't really sensitive enough to detect those hints (I've pretty much dashed any hope of that with my love for the hot and spicy--I'm actually surprised my taste buds work at all), but fortunately, I can still detect deliciousness. This was darn good chocolate.


The brownie layer of these bars is dense and rich and ooey-gooey. The mint layer is cool and creamy and sweet. The chocolate on top (which is where I used the Amano) is crispy and crunchy and completes the bar perfectly. This recipe, my friends, is a keeper.

Oh, and if you didn't understand the title of this post or my name for the recipe below, you're missing out on another of the best movies of all time. Inconceivable!


Magnificent Mawage (that bwessed awangment, that dweam wifin a dweam) of Mint and Chocolate
(adapted from Joy of Baking)

Ingredients:
Brownie Layer:
1/2 cup unsalted butter, cut into pieces
4 ounces semisweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
1 cup white sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 eggs
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt

Mint Layer:
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup powdered sugar
1-1 1/2 tablespoons milk
1/2 teaspoon peppermint extract

Chocolate Glaze:
3 ounces dark chocolate, chopped
1 tablespoon unsalted butter

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Grease 9-inch square pan and set aside.

Brownies: Using a double boiler or the microwave, melt the butter and chocolate. Stir in the sugar and vanilla extract. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well with a spoon after each addition. Stir in the flour and salt and beat until the batter is smooth and glossy and comes away from the sides of the bowl (about one minute). Pour the brownie batter evenly into the prepared pan.

Bake for about 25 minutes or until the brownies start to pull away from the sides of the pan and the edges of the brownies are just beginning to brown. A toothpick inserted in the center of the brownies will come out almost clean. Remove from oven and place on a wire rack to completely cool.

Mint Layer: In the bowl, beat all the ingredients until smooth. (Add a few drops of green food coloring if you want the frosting green.) If the frosting is too thick, add a little extra milk. The frosting should be just thin enough to spread evenly over the cooled brownie layer. Place in the refrigerator for about 5-10 minutes or until firm.

Chocolate Glaze: Again using a double boiler or microwave, melt the chocolate and butter. Spread over the mint filling and refrigerate for about 30 minutes or until the chocolate glaze starts to dull.

Cut into small squares (seriously--this is rich stuff) and serve.

Have fun storming da castle! (And watch out for those ROUS.)

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i don't think you're ready for this jelly

Mint jelly and cucumber ginger jelly. Some slightly crazy things have been coming out of my kitchen lately!

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long time coming

Zucchini with basil and mint. I've been meaning to make this dish for the longest time!

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it's all grandma's fault

The first time I can remember eating an Andes mint was at Christmas around 10 or 15 years ago. My grandma had gotten boxes of them for each of us, and I quickly ate my entire box and never looked back.


The box o' Andes became something of a holiday tradition for Grandma and she made them available every year. Sometimes they were special flavors (I fondly recall a toffee crunch version), but they were usually the classic mint. My love for them has never wavered.

What's your point, Grace? Get on with it already! I'll bet you've seen and probably used the creme de menthe baking chips, but did you know there was a batch of peppermint crunch baking chips as well? I had no idea until I found them in our cabinet at home--hooray for happy surprises, right? They were absolutely made for cookies, so cookies were made.


Baked correctly, the end result is a cookie that's crispy along the outer rim but chewy toward the middle--I attribute this amazing phenomenon to the brown-to-white sugar ratio. Incidentally, in my cabinets, both are (and always have been and probably always will be) the Domino Sugar brand. I must pause to thank Domino for sending me a gift card to use toward the purchase of their terrific products and also direct you to their website, where you'll find lots of great gift and recipe ideas for the holidays. Expect to see more to come in the near future.

The mint baking chips provide a smooth but subtle mint flavor (and a lovely smattering of pink) and the chocolate chips are plentiful enough to satisfy even the most ardent chocolate-lover. There's nothing cakelike about these discs, so don't expect it.


Best of all? I can get my Andes fix without raiding Grandma's stash.

Peppermint Crunch Chunkies
(based on this recipe)(these'd perfect for a cookie swap, no?)

2 sticks (1 cup) unsalted butter, softened
1 cup Domino® dark brown sugar, packed
1/3 cup Domino® granulated sugar
1 egg
2 teaspoons vanilla
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup rolled oats
1 cup Andes® Peppermint Crunch baking chips
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 300° F.
Using an electric mixer, cream the butter, brown sugar and granulated sugar until fluffy (about 3 minutes). Beat in the egg and vanilla. Add in the baking soda, salt, and then flour; mix completely. Stir in the oats, Andes® Peppermint Crunch Baking Chips, and chocolate chips.
Scoop out round balls about 2 tablespoons in size for large cookies or 1 tablespoon for small cookies. Place on cookie sheets two inches apart.
Bake for 20 minutes for large cookies or 12-15 minutes for small cookies, taking care not to over-bake.

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pretty in pea

Pea soup with coriander. Peas go with mint just about as well as chocolate goes with peanut butter. That's a fact.

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yellow bellied

It's incredible how quickly a wee, 2-inch squash can grow into the size of my foot!

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white mint can't jump

Get it? Fans of Woody Harrelson, Wesley Snipes, and/or the game of basketball know what I'm talkin' about.

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the trouble with truffles...

...where do I begin?


Truffles are delicious, whether they're made with cream, store-bought frosting, cream cheese, or just straight chocolate and sugar. I'll eat 'em flavored with mint or fruit, filled with caramel or marshmallow, or flecked with toffee bits, nuts, or chocolate chips. A bad truffle is hard to find.

That being said, making truffles brings all sorts of problems to the table. First and absolutely foremost, I can't stop eating them. I'll eat one, leave the room, and even cleanse my palate, and I'm still inexplicably drawn back to the fridge for another. And another. Even in making them, only about 3/4 of the mixture actually makes it to truffle-form--I do a lot of utensil and bowl licking (sanitarily, of course). Truffles are, in fact, a mixing-bowl-licker's dream, as there tends to be a lot left behind.

The second issue I have with truffles is the chocolate-coating process. They say practice makes perfect, but I think I'm getting worse. Last time I ended up with some hideous (although still delicious) mounds of lumpy and extremely unattractive chocolate. The dipping chocolate always hardens up on me before I'm finished with my coating and I end up reheating it several times. I believe I need to learn a tempering technique. I've also heard that a small crock pot works well to keep the chocolate liquid-y, but I haven't tried that yet.

For this batch of truffles, I tried a new recipe. Where did I find it? I have no idea. Can I find it again to give credit where credit is due? Unfortunately, no. So if this is your recipe, thanks. I took the easy way out and rolled the little nuggets in powdered sugar. (Wow--with my laziness here and my aforementioned sloth-like tendencies, ya'll are going to think I'm a complete waste of space. I'm not, I promise. I do have my moments.)

Magnificent Mint Truffles
(makes about 50 1-inch balls of evil deliciousness)

1 8-oz package cream cheese, softened
3 cups powdered sugar, sifted + extra for rolling
3 cups semisweet chocolate chips, melted
1 teaspoon mint extract

In a large bowl, beat the cream cheese until smooth. Gradually beat in powdered sugar until well blended. Stir in melted chocolate and mint extract until no streaks remain. Refrigerate for about 1 hour. Shape into balls, roll in powdered sugar, and place under lock and key until time to serve.

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pea-brained

It's a crying shame that I spent so long disliking peas.


Yes, I'm sorry to say that the majority of my childhood was spent avoiding peas at all costs. Even when my grandma made her delicious peas & dumplins, I would serve myself two or three dumplins...and two or three peas.

I'm not sure when my conversion occurred, but now I enjoy the peas more than the dumplins and am always on the lookout for dishes containing the little green orbs. I guess I'm making up for lost time.

I thought this pea puree would be tasty, but it far exceeded my expectations. The mint, which I don't believe I've ever used in a savory dish before, was absolutely delightful and the perfect complement to the pea flavor. The addition of the red pepper flakes was a spur-of-the-moment decision, and it was a good one. What can I say, I love to set my mouth on fire.

Admittedly, this may be a bit too pea-quant (get it?? get it??)(it's okay to groan) for some folks, but like I said--I'm making up for lost time.

Spicy Pea Puree with Mint
2 cups peas, fresh or frozen
1/4 cup milk
1/2 teaspoon dried mint
salt and red pepper flakes, to taste

Cook the peas in boiling water for 3 to 4 minutes, or until they can be easily pierced with a fork. Drain and pour into a food processor. Add the milk, mint, salt, and red pepper flakes and puree. Taste and re-season as needed.
Apparently, this type of thing makes a wonderful accompaniment to lamb and various types of fish. Frankly, I enjoyed it by the spoonful.

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halitosis bad, giveaway good

Just as everyone's feet are hideous (admittedly, some are worse than others), everyone has morning breath. There's no use denying it so don't even try, but there are ways to combat it.

Sure, you could brush your teeth. Yeah, gum and mints are great. However, what if you could eat your breakfast and freshen your breath at the same time? Win win!

Before now, I can't recall ever having had mint in a true breakfast food. No cereals, no muffins, no scones, no maple-syrup vehicles, nothing. I suppose it is a bit strange, but not really. We use chocolate chips in everything from stuffing croissants to sprinkling in pancakes, so who's to say a little mint-chocolate action wouldn't be tasty first thing in the morning?

So I tried it. I tried it, and it was weird. Delicious, obviously, but also weird. I guess for me, the whole 'dessert-for-breakfast' thing takes a turn for the unappetizing when mint becomes involved.

No worries, these made perfectly good snack cakes. Fresh breath any time!

Now, about this giveaway. The fine folks of Snubbr have offered to give one of my readers any cookbook (under $35) of his or her choice, whether the focus is baking, vegan cooking, raw food, or more. All you have to do is leave a comment telling us which cookbook you'd like to win and why and the-powers-that-be will pick their favorite as the winner. Be sure to leave an email address! Comments will close on Friday, July 16th and woefully, this is only open to citizens of the US or Canada.

COMMENTS CLOSED.

Bad Breath Banishers
(adapted from these)

2 cups all-purpose flour
1/3 cup sugar
1/3 cup brown sugar, tightly packed
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup strong coffee, cooled
8 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 10 oz. bag Andes baking chips

Preheat to 375°F and grease up your pan of choice, be it a 12-cup muffin pan or mini-loaf pan or something else entirely.
In a large bowl, combine the flour, sugars, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt. Mix well, making sure all the brown sugary lumps are gone.
In a smaller bowl, mix together the coffee, melted butter, egg, and vanilla until well-combined. Pour this liquid mixture over the dry ingredients and gently but quickly stir to blend. Stop when the dry ingredients are just moistened and fold in the baking chips. Divide the batter evenly among the muffin cups or loaf holes and bake for about 15 minutes for muffins, 30 minutes for mini loaves, or until a toothpick comes out clean.

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presto change-o avocado (and a little disney magic)

Are you as fascinated by magicians as I am? I want to know all their secrets, but at the same time, I don't want to have my awe spoiled by some simple explanation.

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pass the pasta (giveaway alert)

I recently realized that I've posted woefully few pasta recipes. Since lasagna, ravioli, and even plain ol' angel hair with butter and parmesan are staples for me, that deficiency needs to be taken care of posthaste.


I might not have noticed the pasta shortage had I not been contacted by Sara, a representative of Garofalo Pasta. She offered to send me some samples of their whole wheat line in return for a review, and I eagerly accepted. This is a company that's been going strong for over 200 years, so it's obvious they're doing something right. What's more, they take great pride in using only the finest raw ingredients, and I can tell you that it's apparent when you take that first bite of their pasta.

I received capellini and whole wheat farfalle. Their product site suggests pairing the farfalle with thick tomato-based or cream sauces. Upon reading this, I immediately remembered a post I'd recently seen and bookmarked--pasta with mint yogurt sauce.

I've been looking for ways to use yogurt in cooking, especially thick and luscious Greek yogurt. My brand of choice is Oikos, from Stonyfield Farm. You'll be seeing more yogurt-happy recipes in the future, assuming I'm able to resist eating the rest of my stash straight from the tub.


So this was perfect. I cooked the pasta and coated it with that mixture of Greek yogurt and mint. Since I've really grown to love the combination of peas and mint, and since peas in pasta are always fun, I decided to toss some of those in, too. The crimson pieces you see are sun-dried tomatoes, which could quite possibly be my favorite component of any pasta dish ever created. This is seriously easy and seriously delicious (thanks to some seriously high-quality ingredients).

Now, what's this about a giveaway, you ask? Well, the folks at Garofalo are ready, willing, and able to send one lucky winner a perfect pasta package containing three cool types of pasta--spaghetti, calamarata, and whole wheat penne rigate. Just imagine the magical dishes a person could create with those! In order to put yourself in the running, leave a comment describing the best pasta dish you've ever had. Were sun-dried tomatoes involved? Was it homemade or in a restaurant? Give me some meaty answers (or vegetarian, as the case may be)! Comments will be accepted until whenever I wake up next Friday, May 22nd, and I'll reveal the randomly-selected winner that morning. Good luck!

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seasonal shmeasonal #CoffeehouseBlend

Disclosure: This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #CoffeehouseBlend #CollectiveBias

I'm a big fan of many limited time only flavors of things like cereal, candies, and coffee beverages, and I wonder if part of the appeal is that they're not available any and every time I have a desire for one.

Absence makes the heart grow fonder, after all.

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grains on the brain

Blueberry and wheat berry salad. If you had told me a few years ago that I'd become smitten with grain salads, I would've laughed in your face (as politely as possible).

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oh, bulgur off

Just kidding! Stay! Stay and read about my foray into the world of bulgur wheat!

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smooth like a velour tracksuit

Have you ever owned any velour clothes?

That stuff is awesome--it makes you want to pet yourself. Okay, so it's not velvet (sorry, George), but I'll take it in a pinch. What can I say, clearly fashion has never been my thing.

Baking, on the other had, is one of my things. This latest piece of evidence is a classic pie that's rich and flavorful and yes, smooth like velour. It requires a lot of attention (chocolate scrambled eggs, anyone?) and elbow grease to make, but the calories rewards are many. I recommend using some high quality chocolate, but let's be honest--a bag of Hershey's morsels will get the job done.

Just as a side note, I've been known to mix up the flavors in this pie from time to time lest things get boring, and my favorite variation to date is mint chocolate chip. Simply add a little mint extract in place of some of the vanilla and stir in about half a cup of morsels or chunks after the thickened filling has cooled a bit. A little snag in the velour in the form of a chocolate chip isn't too bad...no, it's not too bad at all.

Happy Mammy's Day to all you spawners out there!

Chocolate Cream Pie for the Non-Fashionista
1-1/2 cups finely crushed Oreo cookie crumbs
3 tablespoons butter, melted
3/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
2-1/4 cups half and half
4 large egg yolks, slightly beaten
1-1/3 cups semi-sweet chocolate, broken into small pieces
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened

To make the crust, generously butter a 9-inch pie dish. In a large bowl, stir together the cookie crumbs and the melted butter. (You can crush the cookies in a food processor or blender.) Using your fingertips, firmly and evenly press the mixture into the bottom and sides of the pie plate. Bake at 350F for 8-10 minutes, then let cool completely.
To make the chocolate filling, in a stainless steel pot, combine the sugar, flour, and salt. Slowly whisk in the half and half, then bring the mixture to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce the heat to medium and stir until soft tracks appear. Remove from the heat and pour a third of the heated mixture into the egg yolks, whisking constantly. Pour this back into the pot and mix well. Return to the heat and stir constantly until it starts to thicken, about 20 minutes.
Remove from the heat again, stir in the vanilla, then pour the thickened mixture over the chocolate and butter. Stir until smooth, pour into baked crust, then chill for 2-3 hours before serving.

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happy mint-dependence day!

Sometimes you just need to step back and stop thinking. Turn off the ol' idea-machine. Let the engine cool down.


Leave your brain alone for a minute and it might surprise ya.

I spent way too long looking for and thinking about something festive to make for my coworkers in celebration of Independence Day. Ideas were few and far between, and none of them were good. I got frustrated and finally gave up, deciding not to make anything. Shortly thereafter, I had a miniature epiphany, and the Mint-dependence Day flag was born.


(I left the red part a bit swirly intentionally. Swirls are pretty.)

These are your typical cream cheese mints, which I've done before. A little food coloring, a little artistic positioning, and the result is a patriotic display of sweetness. It's not an outstanding production, but it satisfied me (and my co-workers, who I'm convinced will devour just about anything).

HAPPY 4TH OF JULY!

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hot stuff, comin' through

Once upon a time, I made a fantastic batch of fudge. It was so good, I made it again and again and never tried any other recipe or budged from exactly what was written.

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