Mint Chocolate Chip Brownies

I hope you all had as wonderful a Christmas as I did. I hope you've spent every day stuffing your face with ham, lobster, prime rib, and cheesey potatoes. I hope you've spent every second NOT feeling guilty about the massive amounts of fudge and cookies you've consumed. I you have a five foot layer of snow outside and a five foot layer of crumpled wrapping paper inside. I hope you've been hanging out with all your crazy family all week and that the partying will continue for days to come. I hope you received many gadgets, gizmos, toys, and maybe even some cupcake stands...

Er... brownie stands.

And I hope you have all your New Year's resolutions to lose twenty pounds well under way. You know, there are some downsides to going to Florida in January. We're supposed to be in the middle of storing up blubber to keep us warm for the coldest months. Then suddenly all your swimsuits jump into your suitcase like, "SURPRISE!"



Anywho, if you already saw this little collage, which I posted on my Facebook page on Christmas, I'm sure your mouth has just been watering for that mysteriously minty mixture in the top left corner. Well, now the secret is finally revealed...

These were actually a last minute emergency Christmas dessert. See, Nemo was all set to serve baked Alaska, flambéed and all (!!!!), but she decided to go and be sick on Christmas day. LAME. Well, luckily she got better later on to give us our flaming mountain of deliciousness.

Don't worry, I'll teach you how to flambé sometime so you can be cool too.

And uh... don't worry, the brownies still got eaten too.

I actually made these to be gluten and dairy free so that Dad and I could partake. I'm really starting to think it's the only way to go anyways. I mean, the flourless brownies I used are literally the best I've ever had. And even though I think butter would have been good in the frosting (okay, okay... probably better), the shortening was actually pretty good because it didn't try to steal the show from the mint. So, you just decide what you want to do. It's a free country.

Mint Chocolate Chip Brownies

For the Flourless Brownies:

1 cup white sugar
1 cup brown sugar
3/4 cup vegetable oil
4 large eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 teaspoon mint extract
1 1/2 cup cocoa powder (I used dutch process)
2 teaspoons instant coffee powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup chocolate chips
Mint chocolate chip frosting (recipe follows)

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly grease a 9x13 inch baking pan. Combine the sugars and oil and beat until well combined. Add in the eggs and whisk together. Mix the vanilla and mint extract into the egg/sugar/oil mixture. Beat for about two minutes. Stir together the cocoa and salt. Add the dry ingredients to the batter and blend until smooth. Fold in the chips. Pour into prepared pan and bake about 25 minutes.

For the Mint Chocolate Chip Frosting:

1/2 cup shortening or butter
4 1/2 cups powdered sugar
1/4 cup water or milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
4 teaspoons mint extract (or more or less)
A few drops green food coloring
3/4 cup mini chocolate chips

Beat together the shortening or butter until fluffy. Alternately add powdered sugar and water or milk. If it's too thin add more powdered sugar, if it's too thick add more liquid. Beat in the vanilla and then add the mint extract one teaspoon at a time until desired minty-ness is reached. Add the food coloring a few drops at a time until it's green enough. Stir in the chocolate chips. 

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