Thursday, January 27, 2011

Mouth-Watering Mint Brownies

Well, I don't usually make things that are very decadent anymore, but as I love a good homemade peppermint patty, this recipe (from another Laura), intrigued me. At first I was going to make it just like the recipe, but when I saw that it only made a 9x9 pan and had 2 1/2 sticks of butter in it, well, let's just say I had to "healthy-ize" it! Here's my version, along with changes I will make the next time to make it even better.

Brownies
1/4 c beet puree (just roast the beets and then puree in blender or magic bullet)
1/4 c spinach puree
1/2 c melted coconut oil (extra virgin, organic)
1/2 c organic semi-sweet chocolate chips
1/2 c Sun Crystals (blend of stevia and evap cane sugar) (I will probably cut to 1/3 of a cup next time)
2 eggs
1/2 organic all-purpose flour
pinch of salt
real vanilla extract, about 1 tsp

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9x9 glass baking pan. Melt coconut oil and chocolate in pan on stove over low heat or in microwave (do slowly so you don't burn the chocolate). Stir until smooth. Transfer to mixing bowl and add purees and sugar. Beat in eggs one at a time. Stir in vanilla, salt and flour. Pour into pan and bake about 20 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean. The beets will give the brownies a wonderful red tint, but a delicious flavoe! It should look something like this:

 Let the brownies cool completely before moving on to the next step.

Mint Layer
1/2 c cocnut oil, melted
olive oil
2 cups organic powdered sugar (I will probably cut to 1 1/2 c next time)
1 T organic peppermint extract

Melt coconut oil and combine with sugar using a whisk. You may wish to sift the sugar first, although I didn't this time. Add peppermint extract and enough olive oil as needed to make it a thick paste to spread on brownies. Cool in refrigerator as you complete the next step.
 Chocolate Topping Layer
1 c organic semi-sweet chocolate chips (I will probably cut to 3/4 c next time)
1/2 c coconut oil (I will try to leave out all together next time)

Melt chips and oil together and pour on top of mint layer, cool in refrigerator about 30 minutes before eating. Enjoy, and beware, they are very decadent! I want to try doubling the brownie recipe and making them plain sometime. When cutting, my brownie layer kept separating from the other layers and the top layer melted in your hands (which is why I want to try to leave out the coco oil, or maybe let them harden up more next time!)

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