Chocolate Mint Squares
Cake Layer:
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup butter
4 eggs, beaten
1 cup flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. vanilla
1 (16-oz) can chocolate syrup
Mint Layer:
2 cups powde red sugar
1 Tbsp. creme de menthe
1/2 cup butter
Glaze:
6 oz. chocolate chips
6 Tbsp. butter
Mix cake ingredients and bake in greased, floured pan (13x19x2 inch) for 30-35 minutes at 350F. Mix mint layer and spread over cooled cake. Melt chocolate chips and butter. Allow it to cool a bit and then spread over mint layer. Allow dessert to cool completely and cut into squares
CINDY SAYS: Remember that the recipe fills a 9x13 pan and the brownies are very rich, so even with nearly a dozen people there were still leftovers. If someone is using this recipe for anything less than a crowd they might want to cut it in half. Oh, and I got the recipe from a church cookbook where the members submit favorite family recipes.
LYNDA SAYS: Cindy also called these "Grasshopper Brownies," and that's how I'm thinking of them. I added a little more creme de menthe to the mint layer (used about 1.5 tbsp) but still thought it could use more mint, so I asked Emily to please bring some of her fresh spearmint leaves and we put one of those on each square. That made them pretty darned heavenly, and there was Breyer's mint chocolate chip ice cream for those who wanted more mint kick. 8) As to Emily's concern that adding more creme de menthe might make the mint layer too liquid: We can always up the amount of powdered sugar, or simply decrease the butter a little. (Am I supposed to note here that a kamikazi can of artichoke hearts -- unopened, thank goodness -- dive-bombed the brownies just as I was putting them into the oven? Everything worked out fine regardless.)
EMILY SAYS: Definitely a good idea to add more mint. The only thing I'm worried about is keeping it from getting to liquid.