If you are a fan of fudge-style brownies, you are in the right place!  Life has nothing better to offer than a fudge brownie topped with mint frosting and a chocolate ganache layer.  Decadent and delicious!  These brownies are also known in some parts of the world as “BYU Brownies” but since I’ve never actually had one, I’ll take the word of people who have told me these are even better than the ones sold on campus!

Making these brownies takes a few steps, but none of them are difficult, and all of them are definitely worth the time.

Here’s how they’re made!

The Brownies

These brownies get their moist and fudgey texture by starting with melted chocolate and butter.

Melt over a very low heat and stir frequently.  You don’t want the mixture to melt or the chocolate will seize.  I even like to pull the mixture off the heat before it’s completely melted and let the residual heat finish melting the mixture.

Let the mixture cool briefly and pour over sugar in a large mixing bowl.

Next add eggs and vanilla (which I forgot to get a picture of – sorry!).  Next add flour and mix just until no lumps or dry flour remain.  I talk about this a lot, but you want to avoid over-mixing the batter or it won’t be as tender.

Spread batter into a 9 x 13 pan lined with foil, and sprayed with nonstick cooking spray.

Bake until just set on top.  You want to avoid over-baking or the brownies can get dry.  But these are fudge brownies, so the tooth pick inserted in the center will never come out clean.  You’re looking for brownies that are set on top like this.  I like to gently press on the middle to check doneness.  If it seems very sticky, they’re not quite done.

The Mint Frosting

Set the brownies aside to cool completely and start making the frosting.  Place butter, powdered sugar, mint extract, and a little milk in a mixing bowl and beat until well blended.  You will want to start mixing on a low speed so that powdered sugar doesn’t fly everywhere (like it did on me!).

Peppermint Extract

I like to use pure peppermint extract in my brownies, it’s found in the baking aisle of the grocery store with all of the other extracts.  I do not like to use mint extract because it has more of a spearmint flavor and tastes a little like toothpaste.

Mix frosing until it reaches a good consistency and add a few drops of green food dye to reach desired color.

Spead the frosting over the cooled brownies.  I like to use an offset spatula to make this job easier!

The Ganache

The last step is to makethe ganache to pour over the top.  Ganache sounds fancy, but it’s only butter and chocolate chips melted in the microwave in 20 second intervals.  Easy!!

Let cool 10 mnutes and pour over the frosted brownies.  Be sure to pour it all over the top, versus all in one place, for easier spreading.

Again, use an offset spatula or knife and do your best to lightly spread from edge to edge.

Let set a few hours before cutting into squares for serving.

But it is soooo worth the wait!

Triple Layer Mint Brownies

Brownie:

1 cup salted butter
4 ounces unsweetened chocolate
2 cups granulated sugar
4 large eggs, room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup all purpose flour

Frosting:

8 tablespoons butter, cut into 8 pieces
2 cups powdered sugar
1 teaspoon pure peppermint extract
2 tablespoons milk, add more in 1 teaspoon increments if necessary
Green food coloring, to preferences

Ganache:

6 tablespoons salted butter
1 cup semi sweet chocolate chips

Directions

Preheat oven to 375. Line a 9 x 13 pan with foil and spray with nonstick cooking spray.

Brownie:

Melt chocolate and butter together over low heat. Let cool briefly. Add sugar to the bottom of a large mixing bowl. Pour chocolate mixture over and mix until combined. Add eggs and vanilla and mix until thick and glossy. Mix in flour. Avoid over-mixing. Spread in prepare pan and bake 20-25 minutes. Let cool completely before frosting.

Frosting:

Cream together butter, powdered sugar, milk, and peppermint extract. Start on low speed so the powdered sugar doesn’t fly everywhere! Add more milk in 1 teaspoon increments if necessary. Add green food coloring. Spread onto cooled brownies.

Ganache:

Melt butter and chocolate chips in the microwave in 20 second increments, stir to melt (it usually takes about 1 minute total). Let cool for 10 minutes before pouring over frosted brownies. Drizzle evenly over brownies and spread glaze from edge to edge using a small offset spatula or knife.

Store covered at room temperature. These cut brownies freeze well when stored between sheets of parchment paper.