Thursday 28 March 2013

Minty Cream Cheese Brownies







I am kind of disappointed that I wasn't able to make the Creme de Menthe tart for you all this week, but really.....I don't want 1 L of mint flavoured alcohol in my pantry.....So I opted for plan B

Plan B:

1.  relax and look at food blogs on the computer
2.  procrastinate in all things that need to be done
3.  Have a glass of wine
4.  decide that yes.....it is time to bake!

Mint and Chocolate is one of my favourite combinations....I feel like I am enjoying a decadent dessert that doesn't require teeth brushing afterwards....kidding....I love After Eights, Pep bars and I will eat York Patties to if they are around.  I also enjoy those thin mint cookies that the Girl Guides bring around.....Oh Girl Guides!  Please come and sell me me Thin Mints...


I think I missed the boat on that....oh well....

Anyways, back to the task at hand.  Brownies!  One of my husband's favorite cookie type snack.  I saw this variation on one of my new fav food blogs, "Alaska from Scratch".  So cool.  So I decided these little babies needed a Northern Alberta flair!  So I bring you.......Minty Brownies, ala ME!


What you Need:
    For the Brownie Batter: 
  • 1/2 cup butter, melted
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder (I used Dutch-processed)
  • 1/2 cup flour
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/4 cup of milk
  • 1/4 cup of chocolate chips

    For the Cheesecake Batter: 
  • 8 ounces cream cheese, softened
  • 1/3 cup sugar
  • 1 egg yolk
  • 1/2 teaspoon mint extract
  • 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • green food coloring ( a few drops...I used about 4-5)

What to do:
  1. Preheat oven to 350. Grease an 8x8 square brownie pan. 
  2. In a mixing bowl, whisk together the melted butter, sugar, eggs, and vanilla. Mix in the cocoa followed by the flour, salt, and baking powder. Add the milk to thin out batter some.  Spread batter into the prepared pan.  Sprinkle chocolate chips on top of batter.
  3. In separate bowl beat the cream cheese together with the sugar until smooth. Add yolk and extracts, scraping the sides of the bowl as needed. Add food coloring to reach the color you're wanting.
  4. Dollop the cream cheese mixture over the brownie batter (you may be tempted to think there is too much cream cheese mixture... but don't worry. When the brownies bake, they puff up and it all evens out nicely). Using a table knife, swirl the two batters together in an up and down motion. Then, repeat the same motion crosswise until the desired swirling is achieved. Be careful not to over swirl.
  5. Bake the brownies for 30-37 minutes or until set, being careful not to overbake. Allow the brownies to cool on a cooling rack for at least 20 minutes before slicing. For clean slices, wipe the knife clean between each slice. 

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