Crème de Menthe Brownies

Oh, how I love a good spiked recipe! Especially desserts! Adult beverages make anything just that much better: Irish coffee, beer-cheese soup, um….jello. A personal favorite is crème de menthe in hot chocolate, so deciding to add it to brownies was a no-brainer. This recipe doesn’t shy away from the use of butter (you aren’t surprised, are you?), but the minty flavor stands out. If you’re making this treat for the kiddies, note the substitution for the crème de menthe below - although 2 teaspoons never hurt anyone, right??!!

Ingredients:

Brownie Base:

1 cup all purpose flour
1 cup white sugar
½ cup (1 stick) butter, softened
4 eggs
1-1/2 cup Hersey’s Chocolate Syrup (16 oz. can)

Creme de Menthe Center:

½ cup (1 stick) butter, softened
2 cups powdered sugar
2 teaspoons Crème de Menthe liquor*

Chocolate Glaze:

2 tablespoons butter
1 cup chocolate chips

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Coat a 9x13” pan with cooking spray and set it aside.

Using an electric mixer, beat together the sugar and butter until it’s nice and fluffy. Beat in the eggs and pour in the Hersey’s syrup. Continue beating while you sift-in the cup of flour. Pour the chocolate batter into the prepared pan and pop it in the oven for 25 to 30 minutes or when a toothpick inserted into the middle of the brownie comes out clean. Remove the pan from the oven and allow it to cool completely on a baking rack.

Once the brownies are completely cool, sift the 2 cups of powdered sugar into a medium-sized mixing bowl. Using a large spoon, mix the softened butter and the crème de menthe into the powdered sugar. Keep mixing until the mixture comes together and becomes smooth and creamy. (This will take a few minutes).

* if you do not have crème de menthe on hand or you don’t want to use alcohol in your recipe (gasp!), you can substitute 1 teaspoon water, 1 teaspoon peppermint extract and 3 drops of green liquid food coloring.

Once the cream is well mixed, smooth a thin layer over the cooled brownies. Cover the pan with foil and allow it to set in the refrigerator for about a ½ hour. Meanwhile, melt the chocolate chips and butter on the stovetop and stir until smooth. After the cream layer is firm, remove it from the fridge and spread the chocolate glaze over the cream. Re-cover the pan and return it to the fridge for at least an hour.