Fudgy Brownies with a Twist of Mint
These Spring Mint Fudge Brownies are not your everyday brownies! The mint cream cheese filling in these fudgy friends takes them from ordinary to extraordinary. The brownie itself is everything a good brownie should be–rich, moist and dense with deep chocolate flavor. That soft green filling is on point with creamy notes of mint (read that–no toothpaste flavor). The chocolate top layer is thin with a nice bite. It does crack as you cut the squares, but don't worry. It just gives these colorful brownies a rustic, inviting look. If you’ve been looking for a brownie with a twist, try these. You’ll be glad you did.
Ingredients
- 2 eggs
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup butter melted
- 6 tablespoons Hershey’s Special Dark cocoa
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 3/4 cup flour
- Melting chocolate for drizzling
MINT CREAM CHEESE FILLING
- 1/4 cup butter softened
- 2 ounces cream cheese softened
- 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon pure mint extract
- 2 drops green food coloring optional
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- 2 cups confectioners' sugar
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F degrees. Line a 9”x13” baking dish with a piece of parchment paper. Allow the edges to hang over the sides of the dish. Spray generously with baking spray.
- In a large bowl, beat the eggs with a hand mixer for one minute. Add the sugar, salt, and vanilla; beat for one more minute. Add melted butter and blend until the mixture is fully incorporated.
- In a separate bowl, whisk flour and cocoa. Add flour mixture to egg mixture and hand mix until well combined, being careful to not over beat.
- Spread into prepared dish and bake for 25 – 30 minutes or until edges just begin to pull away from the parchment paper. Avoid over baking. Remove from oven and allow to cool completely.
MINT CREAM CHEESE FILLING
- While the brownies are baking, beat the butter and cream cheese together until creamy and well blended.
- Add one cup of confectioner's sugar and beat until smooth.
- Add vanilla extract, mint extract and a pinch of salt; mix well.
- If using, add green food coloring, one drop at a time until desired color is achieved.
- Add remaining cup of confectioners' sugar and beat until mixture is smooth and creamy.
- KISS TIP: The filling can be made ahead and refrigerated. Before using, soften to room temperature.
ASSEMBLE THE BROWNIES
- To assemble brownies, melt chocolate according to package directions. Melt only as much as you want to drizzle or spread on top of the brownies. While chocolate is melting, spread Mint Cream Cheese Butter Cream Frosting over top of the cooled brownies. Next, drizzle or spread the melted chocolate over the top of the frosting. Allow chocolate to set before cutting. To cut, lift the brownie out of the dish using the edges of the parchment paper as handles. Cut into desired size pieces.Using the parchment paper again, return the brownies to the baking dish or an airtight container.Store the brownies in the refrigerator for up to one week. Or, freeze up to two months.
Notes
These Spring Mint Fudge Brownies may have a seasonal name, but they are eagerly enjoyed all year long. Mint and chocolate may be my second oldest son’s favorite flavor combination and these brownies are inspired by that. You know, it’s nice to treat the ones we love with some sweet treat they love every now and then. He likes to watch what he eats, so I tailored the original recipe that I used in the tearoom—it made over 100 brownies!—down to a more practical family-size yield. Now, the recipe makes a modest 8×8 or 9×9 dish. If I were to make these for a potluck or get-together, I would double the recipe and bake it in a 9×13. You could even triple the recipe with great success and bake it in an 11×17 cake pan. Seriously, my original version was huge! Any way you make it, these brownies are so good they will all be devoured in no time—which is why I make a smaller dish.
Chocolate and mint are a very classic combination and there’s good reason for it—it’s amazing! I like that this traditional flavor gives a good, old-fashioned brownie a real twist. It’s fun to add chocolate chips or caramel to brownies to spice them up, but this cream cheese mint filling covered in a thin layer of crisp chocolate is unexpected and simply divine. The mint is perfectly light and fresh and bright, hence the name Spring Mint. I think you could easily swap peppermint for the mint then red food coloring for the green and create a stunning Holiday Peppermint Brownie! It makes me so happy when a recipe can be versatile. It’s the name of my game, you know.
I enjoy sharing recipes from our former tearoom, but do you know these recipes are meant to be much more than just dainty bites for an afternoon tea party? At the heart of my recipes, the reason they exist, is a desire to feed family and friends and to feed them well. After years of planning afternoon tea menus and special high tea events, I’ve learned one thing: Versatility is a necessity in my kitchen! The recipes I use and create, must be flexible enough to manage the many different kinds of meal prep I do. I’m a lady who loves to entertain, but I’m first and foremost, a wife and mom with a family that gets hungry for real food! I want to share with you all the recipes and tips that I use to fill our family dining table with good food.
KISS TIPS (Keep it Simple Sweetie) and SPECIAL NOTES
As I mentioned, this recipe can be doubled or even tripled. If you do, you don’t have to bake it in a single baking dish, though. If you double the recipe, you could easily bake it in two different 8×8 or 9×9 baking dishes. If you triple it, try dividing the batter between two 9×13 dishes. I like to bake once and enjoy twice, but I don’t like to freeze these brownies with the top layer of chocolate. It would be fine to freeze the completely finished brownies, but freezing takes away the beautiful sheen of the chocolate. You could, of course, hide the chocolate under a layer of shiny, colored-sugar sprinkles if you really wanted to freeze these. Alternately, and this is what I do, simply freeze the brownie and filling and add the final chocolate layer when you’re ready to serve them. The brownie and filling freeze–and thaw–incredibly well. It may seem like there are a lot of steps to making these layered brownies, but I assure you, they are easy to make. The recipe for the brownie base is my go-to Ultimate Fudge Brownie recipe that makes the best-ever homemade brownies. Since cocoa powder is the source of the chocolate flavor, the batter is a cinch to make. I prefer to use a dark cocoa, like Hershey’s Special Dark, but any cocoa will work in this recipe (More on substituting cocoa later). I personally prefer the Hershey’s Special Dark for its flavor.
The filling, too, is easy and can even be made by hand if the butter and cream cheese are soft enough. You can, of course, use a hand or stand mixer for convenience. Sometimes, I just like the idea of fewer dishes to wash and I’ll beat the ingredients together with a large fork. The filling isn’t quite as fluffy this way, but it’s still just as tasty and that’s what really matters, isn’t it?
I recently discovered Ghirardelli’s Dark Chocolate Melting 
Wafers and I may never use any other melting chocolate. It’s already tempered and as long as I follow the package directions, it’s perfect every time. So dependable, it won me over. Plus, I love the nice, crisp, and shiny, chocolate finish it gives the brownies. I don’t mind that it crackles as I cut the pieces, mostly because I really like the pretty green filling that peaks through the cracks of chocolate. It’s inviting somehow and feels homemade with love.
If serving these for a special occasion you might consider trimming away the edges for a more uniform, sleek presentation. I don’t believe it’s necessary, though.
Substitutions
- Maybe you don’t have mint extract, but you do have peppermint extract. Use it. Peppermint and dark chocolate are equally amazing together.
- If you don’t like artificial food dyes, just leave it out of the frosting. I just use two drops because I like the color. It brings attention to the fact that these brownies have a mint twist. If you leave the food coloring out, the frosting will be a creamy white color making the flavor a bit of a surprise, but what a sweet surprise it will be! Consider chopping some fresh mint leaves and folding them into the filling.
- No Hershey’s Special Dark Cocoa, no worries. In fact, because there is no leavening agent in the recipe, Dutch-process or natural unsweetened cocoa powder will work just fine. The color of the brownie may differ slightly, but you’ll still get a great, fudgy homemade brownie. (Please note, that in cake or cookie recipes, Dutch-process or alkalized cocoa and natural unsweetened cocoa are not interchangeable.)
A Final Thought
Many of the recipes I share were created or customized for our popular tearoom. They are all quite special to me and I encourage you to try them. I think you’ll find they are for much more than just teatime. It has always been important to me that my recipes are approachable and versatile in nature. All my recipes can be prepared to serve as part of an afternoon tea service and as heartier servings for a hungry family. I hope you try them all and share them with your family and friends. I also hope you get lots of “oohs and aahs” from your special people when you do. There are few things more satisfying to a home-chef than receiving wide-eyed enthusiasm from the ones we enjoy cooking for. Although our beloved tearoom is now closed, I invite you to visit our Tea Shop at sistersteacompany.com. Here we sell luxury loose-leaf teas and tisanes, plus useful—and beautiful—tea accessories. If you’re not familiar with the world of tea, check out our tea shop—you’ll be amazed at the selection of tea types and flavors. If you’re already a tea enthusiast, you will be, too!Tea Recommendations:
I’ve been recommending teas for many years now and I suggest the following to serve with these Spring Mint Fudge Brownies. Just like these brownies, these tea flavors are excellent for enjoying any time of day and any time of year.- Paris in a Teacup Black Tea
- Our Signature Tea has smooth caramel and rich crème Brule flavor and is perfect with everything
- Mint Julep Black Tea
- One of my personal favorite teas! Based on the famous drink, this tea is a well-balanced mélange of smooth mint and bright citrus flavors.
- Peppermint Bark Black Tea
- Dried peppermint leaves, creamy chocolate, festive peppermint candies and red sprinkles combine to make an excellent cup of tea.
- Earl Grey Black Tea
- High-grown Ceylon black tea scented with the oil of bergamot, a citrus fruit similar to an orange. This particular blend of Earl Grey is often reported to be “the best Earl Grey I have ever tasted!”
- Lemon Meringue Green Tea
- Luscious lemon flavor with notes of creamy vanilla, this healthy green tea is full of antioxidants and great taste.
- Peppermint Willamette Fruit & Herb Tisane
- 100% dried peppermint leaves from the world’s finest peppermint plants.
- French Caramel Crème Brule Rooibos
- Caffeine-free version of our best-selling Paris in a Teacup Black Tea.
- Lemon Souffle Rooibos
- Creamy lemon flavor is the heart of this cup, but the rich flavor of rooibos and the delicate sweetness of honeybush are not to be missed.
- A Raspberry in Paris Rooibos
- Rooibos “tea” leaves and fruity raspberry make a lovely blend and a refreshing cup of herbal goodness.
