Baileys & Crème de Menthe Brownies

March 16, 2010


I promise, the green filling in these brownies is all from the crème de menthe, I have not backed out of my vow to avoid food colouring (with the exception of red velvet cake and that time when I was 5 and wanted to be a blonde.) I also don't believe in the concept of green beer, which is about as Irish as duct-taping a paper towel tube on a horse and calling it a unicorn. Even though I don't drink beer very often, when I do, I like my Guinness or a dark Porter. The one artificially enhanced substance that I do have a weak spot for this time of year is the shamrock shake mixed with chocolate. Every year I allow myself to enjoy just one and every time I wish that I could doctor it up with some Baileys, but it never makes it home.


Taste preferences are fickle, as is fate according to Lost's Ben, though his choice of words were much more truthfully blunt. Sometimes I think dark chocolate and peanut butter are the best couple, other times it's dark chocolate and berries, but now I think that there isn't anything better than the cool iciness of mint combined with the warm cashmere taste of dark chocolate.
These brownies are classics. I changed up the recipe slightly by using Baileys liqueur instead of vanilla extract. It's subtle but you can feel it's creamy, smooth presence like a soft blanket on the back of a chair. The brownies are very fudgy, so even if you mess up the rest, you will be ok. The filling is essentially a crème de menthe buttercream frosting which firms up nicely in the refrigerator. Topping it all off is a robe of melted dark chocolate. These are very rich so I suggest that you cut them into tiny pieces before serving.

Happy St. Patrick's Day (a bit early)
Sláinte!


Baileys & Crème de Menthe Brownies
(adapted from Joy of Baking)

*printer friendly Recipe*

Ingredients:

Brownie Layer:
1/2 cup butter, cut into pieces
4 ounces unsweetened chocolate, coarsely chopped
1 1/4 cups of sugar
1 Tablespoon of Baileys Irish Cream
2 large eggs
1/2 cup all purpose flour
1 1/4 teaspoon of kosher salt

Mint Layer:
2 tablespoons of butter, at room temperature
1 cup of confectioners sugar, sifted
1 - 1 1/2 tablespoons heavy cream
1-2 tablespoons creme de menthe

Chocolate Glaze:
3 ounces (90 grams) semisweet chocolate, chopped
1 tablespoon of butter

Method:

Preheat the oven to 325F. Line a 9x9 inch square pan with tin foil and lightly spray the bottom.


Brownies: Prepare a double-boiler. In a stainless steel (heatproof) bowl placed over a saucepan of simmering water. melt the butter and chocolate. Remove from heat and stir in the sugar and Baileys. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well (with a wooden spoon) after each addition. Stir in the flour and salt and beat, with a wooden spoon, until the batter is smooth and glossy and comes away from the sides of the pan (about one minute). Pour the brownie batter evenly into the prepared pan.

Bake in the preheated oven for about 25-30 minutes or until the brownies start to pull away from the sides of the pan and the edges of the brownies are just beginning to brown. A toothpick inserted in the center of the brownies will come out almost clean. Remove from oven and place on a wire rack to completely cool.

Mint Layer: In the bowl of your electric mixer, or with a hand mixer, beat the butter for just a few seconds to soften. Add the creme de menthe and cream and about half of the confectioners sugar. Beat to combine, then add the rest of the sugar. If the frosting is too thick, add a little extra cream. (The frosting should be just thin enough to spread.) Spread the frosting evenly over the cooled brownie layer. Place in the refrigerator for about 5-10 minutes or until firm.

Chocolate Glaze: In a heatproof bowl over a saucepan of simmering water, melt the chocolate and butter. Spread over the mint filling and refrigerate for about 30 minutes or until the chocolate glaze starts to dull.

Dip a sharp knife in hot water for easier slicing.

21 comments:

  1. How decadent and wonderful. :-) They remind me of Nanaimo Bars! Mmm. :-)

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  2. This brownie looks so decadent. I could really sink my teeth into something like this right now (very moody I am today)! Very cute too the way you used Bailey's Irish Cream and mint for the green color-I like...

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  3. Oh,Nanaimo Bars. So lethal yet so good. :)

    Thanks Stella! These are perfect for moodiness.

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  4. How gorgeous! I've tried this Joy of Baking brownie recipe before, but I think your version sounds much nicer!

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  5. Fabulous! I love a pint of Guinness with a splash of current juice in it. Thanks for sharing the recipe. :)

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  6. This looks so beautiful. I'm sure that it's not just looks beautiful but it tastes really good. I love the combination of mint and chocolate.
    Nicely done...

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  7. Chocolate and mint, my husband's favorite combination. Theses look heavenly.
    Mimi

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  8. These look so festive and yummy! I loved that you didn't use food colouring.

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  9. i have a recipe similar to this on my blog, but i used food colouring... i will have to try it your way next time :)

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  10. Ok, I need to make those. I love everything about them. I do definitely like peanut butter and chocolate more than mint and chocolate, but it's still a pretty close thing. Heh.

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  11. And so my chocolate craving returns in full forece! Looks super.

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  12. Hey! It looks so tasty! Drooling!!!!!!!!!!
    Best, Mihaela

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  13. This is truly a special brownie. The green sets off the brownie beautifully. The minty flavor must blend in beautifully.

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  14. I would be honored if you would link this to Chocolate Obsession.

    http://sweetsav.blogspot.com/2010/03/chocolate-obsession-link-your-chocolate.html

    What a delicious looking recipe.

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  15. I would be happy to creat a link to your site. :)

    I know it's done all the time but I've never actually tried it before so hopefully I won't delete anything of value (my computer knowledge could fill a thimble.)

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  16. Mmmmmmm.....I'm floating away on a chocolate cloud. This looks so good! Chocolate and mint - how can you go wrong?

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  17. Those brownies look amazing. I can't believe how perfectly you were able to cut them. My brownies always fall apart when I'm cutting them. I love the new header photo too!

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  18. There were a lot of cast-offs which didn't make the cut (sorry, that was an unintentional, bad pun)I only used the photogenic pieces that all the others hated. Also, dipping a knife in hot water helps. :)

    Thank you! My fickle blog went through several pictures before finally deciding on a new header.

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  19. Those look fantastic! I love chocolate and mint together, but always forget about it. Maybe it's because I eat an entire box of After Eights every Christmas and spend the next year recovering! Maybe I'll try these instead:)

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  20. I am not a chocolate lover, but I do make an exception for chocolate and mint. These look and sound divine!

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Thanks for visiting, and for taking the time to read through my ramblings!
If you have a recipe comment or question, I'd love to hear from you.

Happy Baking!
♥ Valerie

 

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