St. Patrick’s Day Mint Brookies

We’re so excited here at Pretty My Party to welcome our newest contributor Renee who blogs over at Two in the Kitchen. In honor of St. Patrick’s Day, she is sharing her heavenly Mint Brookies Recipe. Everyone will love these!

So, I don’t know about you but for me, whenever one holiday is over, I am always ready to move on to the next. And with Valentine’s Day behind us, I have the color green on my mind … for St. Patrick’s Day of course! And I’ll admit, because I can’t wait to see green grass again, what with all the snow we’ve had this winter.

 

St. Patrick’s Day is also when I’m finally craving mint again after the mint marathon of the Christmas season! My kids and I just had our first Shamrock Shake from McDonald’s of the season. They were impressed to hear that I used to have Shamrock Shakes when I was a kid! “Mommy, you mean Shamrock Shakes have been around THAT LONG!!” Yup, kids always make you feel great about your age don’t they!

So in honor of St. Paddy’s Day, I made brookies! You’ve had a brookie before right? It’s basically a cross between a brownie and a cookie. Brookies have been all over the blogosphere lately.  Have you seen the amazing Red Velvet Brookies from Something Swanky? or how about these Thin Mint Girl Scout Brookies from Beyond Frosting? Both look heavenly!

 For my brookies, I incorporated two of my favorite things: Mint Oreos and Dark Chocolate mint M+M’s. Not only are they perfect for St. Patrick’s Day with their gorgeous green color, but their subtle mint flavor pairs perfectly with the brownie base and cookie top! And they are just plain fun, which is perfect for kids! For an added bonus, this recipe is easy because it incorporates Ghirardelli  brownie mix for the base. I am always looking for an excuse to use Ghirardelli mixes because they are so yummy and easy to use!

Get ready for St. Patrick’s Day by making these yummy mint brookies with your kids! A cross between a brownie and a cookie, these really are the best of both worlds!

Ingredients

• 1 Ghirardelli brownie box mix ( I used Chocolate supreme. But Double or Triple Chocolate would work well here as well!)
• ingredients for brownie mix as per instructions on the box
• 8-10 Mint Oreos
• 1 1/4 c. all purpose flour
• 1/4 t. baking soda
• 1/4 t. salt
• 1/2 c. unsalted butter, softened
• 1/4 c. plus 1 TBLS brown sugar
• 1/4 c. plus 1 TBLS granulated sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 t. vanilla extract
• 1/2 c. mini -chocolate chips
• 1/2 c. Dark Choclolate Mint Green M+M’s for garnish

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and line a 9x 13 pan with foil or parchment paper and spray with baking spray.
2. Make brownies according to package directions and pour batter into the prepared pan.
3. Break up Oreos by hand and place them on top of the brownie layer. (See photo)
4. In a medium bowl, Sift together flour, baking soda and salt. Set aside.
5. In a large mixing bowl, cream together the butter, and two types of sugars until blended. Add egg and vanilla and mix. Add flour mixture in two or three additions and mix thoroughly until blended.
6. Stir in mini- chocolate chips by hand. Mixture will be thick.
7. Divide dough into several parts, flatten them by hand and lay them on top of the brownie and cookie layers in the pan and pat down slightly. (Cookie dough does not have to completely cover brownie and cookie layers). You can allow brownie and cookie pieces to “peek” through. (see photo)
8. Press M+M’s into the top and place the pan in the oven and bake for approximately 28-36 minutes or until the top is golden brown and the center is set and a toothpick comes out fairly clean.
9. Allow to cool for at least 45 minutes before cutting them into approximately 24 bars.