Dark Chocolate Mint Chip Brownies

We had friends stop by and stay the night on their way home from spending Thanksgiving in New York City, so I did the two things you do when you have company coming: clean the toilet and make brownies. Actually, that’s a lie since it was really Aidan who cleaned the toilet, but I’m sure I did other kinds of cleaning. The point is that regardless of what Oprah and Miss Manners have to say about playing hostess, I say you should try to get things reasonably clean, throw a little somethin’ in the oven, and call it a day. The rest will sort itself out.

While I was wandering through Target this morning on the lookout for a new air mattress (only the finest of sleeping accommodations will do here at Chez Arnsley), I swung by the newly arranged aisles of Christmas candies and baking supplies to see if they had the Toll House Limited Edition Dark Chocolate and Mint chips that I read about recently. They did. In fact, they only had one bag so of course I had to buy it.

Really, the plan for these brownies has been in the works since I found out these dark chocolate and mint chips even existed. I basically followed the recipe for King Arthur Flour’s Best Fudge Brownies Ever (the recipe that comes on the back of the KA all-purpose flour bag), except that I used Hershey’s Special Dark cocoa powder in the place of the dutch-processed cocoa and substituted the dark chocolate and mint chips for regular chocolate chips. Thus the dark chocolate mint chip brownies were born and proved to be as amazing as I had imagined.

I made a different brownie recipe earlier this year that I enjoyed a lot, but this recipe is definitely my new favorite. Like the other recipe I made, this is an easy, one-bowl deal. But this recipe yields something a lot like a brownie from a box mix, what with it’s shiny top crust and it’s rich chocolate-y texture that falls somewhere between a super dense fudge brownie and a more cake-like brownie. Really, it’s all the best of boxed brownies without the greasiness or the fall-apart crumble factor.

Plus, the combination of dark chocolate and mint? Insanely good.

Dark Chocolate Mint Chip Brownies

• 1 cup unsalted butter
• 2 1/4 c sugar
• 1 1/4 cup Hershey’s Special Dark Cocoa
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp vanilla (I just now noticed that the recipe calls for a tablespoon of vanilla. I only had a teaspoon on hand, but I think the brownies turned out well anyway.)
• 4 large eggs
• 1 1/2 c flour
• 1 bag Toll House dark chocolate and mint chips

1. Using the microwave, melt the butter in a large mixing bowl. I did this by putting the bowl in the microwave for about 45 seconds, stirring the butter, and then repeating the process until the butter is completely melted. When the butter is melted, stir in the sugar. Put the sugar mixture back in the microwave for another minute and then stir the mixture again. According to the people at King Arthur, this process helps you get a nice, shiny top on your brownies.
2. Add cocoa, salt, baking powder, and vanilla and stir until well combined.
3. Add eggs and beat with a wooden spoon until the mixture is smooth. Add flour and chips and stir until well combined.
4. Spread batter evenly into a greased 9×13 pan. Bake brownies in a 350 degree oven for 28-30 minutes until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out dry. Run a knife around the edge of the pan to loosen the edges of the brownies and allow the brownies to cool completely before cutting.