Peppermint Brownies
Makes 2 dozen large brownies
In our fair land, there are currently raging all manner of heated debates on our national health system, education, child care, the state of our nation's cities, and so on. While these are valid and important topics, there are other things that people discuss on their lunch hours -- like brownies. I am not kidding about this. People tend to have rather strong opinions about their brownies (with nuts or without? Chewy or cakey?), and not many of them are shy about making these preferences known.
I would like to make it clear from the outset that I prefer my brownies chewy and without nuts. I don't really see the point of fooling around with cakey brownies; why not just make a chocolate cake and be done with it? The entire point of brownies is that the end result will be an unrepentantly rich, savor-it-slowly sort of dessert -- the type of sweet a regular old chocolate cake would aspire to be. And as far as nuts go, they have always struck me as superfluous in a brownie.
There are exceptions to every rule, but generally speaking, brownies are a dessert that won't let you down. Even people who profess not to like chocolate -- and there are such people, although I am convinced that they must be from another planet -- can be persuaded to eat a brownie or four.
Brownies are classless. They can be gussied up with a frothy petticoat of whipped cream and served to the snootiest of guests, and they can be packed into lunch boxes for small children who have no qualms about eating pencil erasers. It is hard to go wrong with a brownie.
There are brownie recipes galore in any decent cookbook, and most of them are pretty good. My brownie recipe, however, combines the texture I love with one of my other favorite treats: Peppermint Patties. At the risk of sounding immodest, I think the result is stellar.
Because the Peppermint Patties bubble up a little bit during baking, people often assume that there are marshmallows in these brownies.
1 1/2 sticks (6 ozs.) unsalted butter
1 lb. bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped and divided
1 Tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon pure peppermint extract
5 large eggs
1 1/2 cups (6 ozs.) all-purpose flour
1 cup (7 ozs.) sugar
3/4 cup (1 1/2 ozs.) unsweetened cocoa, plus extra for the pan
1 teaspoon salt
Four 1 1/2 oz. Peppermint Patties, coarsely chopped
-- In a small pan, melt together over very low heat the butter and half of the chopped chocolate. Stir occasionally. When the butter and chocolate are completely melted and smooth, remove from heat and set aside to cool.
-- Set oven rack to upper middle level. Preheat the oven to 350° and lightly grease a 9" by 13" baking pan. Lightly dust this with the extra cocoa and set aside.
-- Add peppermint extract to chocolate mixture. Beat in eggs, one at a time, until smooth.
-- In a separate bowl, stir together the flour, sugar, cocoa, and salt. Beat into chocolate mixture until just combined. Scrape down sides of bowl and beat again.
-- Fold remaining chopped chocolate and Peppermint Patties into the batter and pour into prepared pan. Bake brownies on upper middle rack at 350° for about 25 minutes. Cool on a wire rack, cut, and serve.
Storage
These brownies are so moist that they keep in an airtight container for up to 5 days. You can also freeze them after baking and letting them cool -- just allow them to thaw at room temperature for a couple of hours before serving.
Catherine S. Vodrey is available for freelance writing, editing, fundraising/development, and photography projects at:
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East Liverpool, Ohio 43920 USA
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