Mint Brownies

For Valentine’s Day this year, Ann Schleper is making a batch of these fabulous brownies for each of her daughters, Lisa and Karen. She plans to make the mint layer pink and decorate each bar with a red heart made of piped frosting. When she bakes these treats at Christmastime, she uses green food coloring for the mint layer, which would also be a good idea for St. Patrick’s Day. I was fortunate enough to sample one of Ann’s brownies at a potluck held in our building a while ago and fondly remember how the mint and chocolate flavors meld into a much-loved classic combination. CJK

Mint Brownies

(Ann Schleper)

2 sticks, plus 7 1/2 tbsp. butter, softened, separated

1 cup sugar

4 eggs

Photo by Sue Schulzetenberg 

1 (16 oz.) can Hershey’s syrup

1 cup flour

2 cups powdered sugar

2 tbsp. milk

Food coloring

1 tsp. peppermint extract

1 1/2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips

Brownie Layer:

Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease and flour 10- x 15-inch jelly roll pan.

Cream 1 stick (1/2 cup) softened butter with 1 cup sugar. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each. Add Hershey’s syrup, blending well. Mix in flour. Pour into prepared pan. Bake at 350°F for 20 to 25 minutes, watching closely so they are not overbaked. Cool.

Mint Layer:

Beat 2 cups powdered sugar with 1 stick (1/2 cup) softened butter. Add the milk, food coloring and peppermint extract. Spread on the cooled brownie layer. Refrigerate until this layer is set — at least 30 minutes.

Frosting Layer:

Melt 7 1/2 tbsp. butter with chocolate chips. Spread over cooled bars and refrigerate.

Yield: 48 bars

A note from Ann: I’ve found a trick to prevent the frosting from cracking when cutting the brownies into bars — remove them from the refrigerator and let them sit at room temperature for at least 45 minutes before cutting.

A note from Carol: Ann has been making these brownies ever since her husband got the recipe from one of his coworkers more than 25 years ago. In addition to cooking and baking, she enjoys music, scrapbooking, camping and biking. She and her husband, Jim, enjoy playing guitars together as part of the church musicians’ ensemble at St. Paul Parish in St. Cloud, where they are members. Ann is the assistant to the director at the diocesan Office of Worship in St. Cloud, Minnesota.