Chocolate Mint Brownie Bites

Yield – approximately 24 brownie bites.

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 325°. Begin preparing the brownies by stirring together the flour, chocolate powder and salt, and set aside.

In a separate bowl, cream together the softened butter and the sugar. Mix the vanilla and then the 3 eggs (one at a time) into the butter and sugar mixture. Mix until combined.

Fold the dry flour mixture into the creamed mixture. I prefer to do this by hand, so that the batter isn’t over-mixed – just until the dry ingredients are absorbed and moistened. Add in the 3/4 cup of chocolate chips and stir until combined.

Grease and flour a mini-muffin pan (or use that handy dandy baking spray with flour that does it for you.) Spoon in the brownie mixture, filling each depression about half-way.

Bake the muffins at 325° for 15 – 18 minutes.

When the muffins are done, remove them to a cooling rack until cooled, then place them in the refrigerator.

Mint frosting:

Cream together the softened butter and softened cream cheese.

Add in the 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla and the 1/2 teaspoon of peppermint extract and mix thoroughly. You could add in some green food coloring at this point and more peppermint, if you like. Add in the powdered sugar, a little at a time.

Place the frosting in the refrigerator.

Once the brownies are thoroughly and completely cooled, frost them with the mint frosting and return them to the fridge — or better yet, the freezer. These brownies do much better with the chocolate ganache phase if they’re basically frozen.

Chocolate ganache:

When your brownies are nice and cold and ready for the chocolate topping, place the 1 cup chocolate chips into a bowl and microwave for a minute. Stir the chips around to aid with the melting and put the chocolate back in for another 45 seconds. Continue checking and stirring every 45 seconds until the chips are completely melted. Then stir in the canola oil to thin it out a bit.

Take each frozen brownie and dip it in the chocolate, rotating the brownie to get a good coating of ganache on it.

Place completed brownies on a plate to let the chocolate set. Freezing the brownies before-hand helps the chocolate to set. But if it’s still not hardening fast enough, you can place them in the fridge.

Please note — these little brownies have a tendency to dry out, so try to cover them as tightly as possible when cooling and storing.