These rich and fudgy Mint Brownies are PERFECTION. The base layer is dense and chewy (in a good way) and it’s topped with a cool and creamy peppermint icing. The top layer is a buttery ganache and my favorite way to eat these is chilled from the fridge. This is the exact Mint Brownies recipe that my Mom has been making since I was a little girl. It’s actually the same brownie I turned into Peppermint Candy cane Brownies, too!
How to make a very fudgy mint brownie
I prefer a brownie that’s dense and chewy (as opposed to light and cakey). You can tell by the ingredient list that these mint brownies fall into the former category. There’s no cocoa powder in here; we use melted chocolate and only a little over 1 cup of flour in a 9×13 pan.
An Important Tip when Making Mint Brownies: Chill Between Every Step
Because we’ve got 3 layers going on here, and some are cold and some are warm, it’s important to chill between every layer and that will help this process run so much more smoothly. After the brownie layer is cooled completely on the counter, pop it in your freezer while you make your frosting. After the frosting is spread on, freeze again for a few minutes while you prep your chocolate topping, that way all of the layers stay separated.
Feel Free to Increase the Frosting
As written, you might feel like the frosting isn’t enough when you are making it! It’s a thin layer to add a cool peppermint flavor, but not so much that the brownie turns out overly sweet and takes over the chocolate element. That being said, if you like a thicker frosting layer, you can 1.5x the frosting portion of the recipe. I’ve done 1.5x for these photos because I think the thicker frosting layer photographs better, but I’ve been making them for years with the smaller amount and it’s pretty perfect! Up to you!
Top with Melted Chocolate Topping
The topping is simply melted chocolate and butter. I like to use unsalted butter in just this one step because some brands of butter can be overly salty, but if you just have salted butter that’s totally fine. The butter adds a richness to the topping and makes it so it stays soft. You can use semi-sweet or dark chocolate on top, it’s just personal preference! I personally would avoid milk chocolate because it lacks chocolate intensity and adds too much sweetness above a frosting layer.
Best Served Chilled
Because these mint brownies are so ooey-gooey, I think they are best served chilled! I keep them in the fridge until we’re ready to eat them. There’s also something about a peppermint dessert being chilled that just makes it extra delicious.
Here’s an inside look at that perfect bite. Rich soft chocolate on top, cool creamy mint frosting, and that perfect fudge brownie. You can also see how thick that extra frosting turns out. Again, that part is personal preference!
Craving Browies?? Here’s a few more you might love!
Mississippi Mud Brownies (ie: Tim Riggins Brownies)
PB Fudge Marshmallow Brownies
Easy Brookies
Mint Brownies
Description
Rich, dense brownies topped with a cool creamy peppermint and a dreamy chocolate ganache. The perfect Mint Brownie! We love these served chilled. Since these have multiple steps, make them plenty ahead of time. They store well in the fridge if made a day or 2 ahead! If you like extra frosting and sweetness feel free to 1.5x the frosting ingredients. The photographs shown here are made with 1.5x frosting.
Ingredients
Brownies:
4 ounces unsweetened baking chocolate
1 cup butter (226g)
4 large eggs
2 cups (400g) sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 1/4 cups (170g) flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
Frosting:
2 cups (227g) powdered sugar
4 tablespoons butter, extra softened
1 1/2 teaspoons peppermint extract
1–2 tablespoons milk
green food coloring
Chocolate Glaze:
6 ounces (about 1 cup) semi-sweet or dark chocolate chips
6 tablespoons real butter
Note: I like to use unsalted butter in this step, if I have it on hand, and salted butter in all previous steps. You can however use either in either step! If using unsalted butter in the frosting and the brownies, add a couple pinches of salt to both. If you only have salted butter to use in this glaze step, that’s totally fine as well.
Instructions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a 9×13 inch pan with foil or parchment making sure the foil extends over the edges by at least one inch. Lightly spray with non-stick spray and set aside.
For the Brownies:
Chop both unsweetened chocolate and two sticks of butter into chunks and place together in a microwave safe bowl. Microwave in 30 second intervals, stirring in between, until just melted and smooth. Set aside to cool, stirring occasionally.
With an electric mixer or stand mixer beat eggs, sugar, and vanilla for 2 minutes. While egg mixture is beating, measure out flour and combine with baking powder.
While mixer is running, slowly add melted chocolate and beat to combine. Turn beater speed to low and add in flour by spoonfuls. Mix just until combined. Pour batter into prepared pan and bake for 20-30 minutes or until a knife poked in center comes out clean.
Cool completely on a metal rack. When brownies have cooled to room temperature, place in fridge or freezer to chill and prepare frosting.
Frosting:
Combine all frosting ingredients, starting with 1 1/2 tablespoon of milk, and beat until light and fluffy. Add more milk by teaspoonful as needed. Beat for a full 2-3 minutes to become light and fluffy. Spread frosting evenly over brownies and then place brownies in fridge to chill again.
Chocolate Topping
While brownies are chilling prepare chocolate glaze. Place chocolate chips and 6 tablespoons butter in a microwave safe bowl. Microwave in 30 second intervals, stirring in between, until just melted and smooth. Set aside to cool for about 15 minutes and then carefully spread on top of the frosting layer. Return pan to fridge to cool. When chocolate has hardened, use edges of foil to remove entire brownie from pan. Cut into squares and serve.
Questions & Reviews
I don't like brownies and I liked these… and that's sayin something.
Do you guys have a cookbook… I just came out with a cookbook (Table for One: Perfectly Portioned Meals for the Single Chef), and was referred to your sight by a good friend. Maybe we can become cooking friends. 🙂
http://www.amazon.com/Table-One-Camille-Funk/dp/1599554321/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1280205388&sr=8-1
Thanks so much for the advice, they came out great! I had to grind up some granulated sugar bc i was out of powdered and the mint layer came out a bit gritty but other than that it's perfect!
I made these yesterday and they are the best brownie i have ever had! Thanks for sharing!
Tara Lynn- yes, the possibilities are endless! A friend of mine made them with orange frosting and said they were amazing. I love raspberry and lemon with chocolate too so those are on my list to try!
I just made these today and they are amazing…I was wondering if you have ever tried them with different frostings.I was thinking peanut butter, or lemon, or caramel. Anyway, thanks for all the wonderful recipes!
Oh c'mon Kristen- you can totally take on a whole batch! haha. I've actually never tried freezing these, but I bet it would work okay. The other option would be to just cut the recipe in half (looking at the measurements, that should be easy) and just bake in an 8×8 pan) Then you could definitely demolish the little batch! 😉 If you try freezing though, let us know how it goes!
I am in LOVE with y'alls blog!!! I started reading it a few weeks ago and have made half a dozen of your recipes. They are ALL amazing!!! My friend actually made these brownies for us a few weeks ago and I am making them for my mom when she comes to visit us this week. I was wondering, it's just three of us and I know we won't be able to eat an entire batch (well at least we shouldn't 😉 ) do you think these could be frozen after completely done?!? Thanks for all yalls hard work! You are really helping me create a great array of recipes for our household!
I tried these and they are sooo decadent!! Amazing, thank you for the recipe!
Added 3 oz cream cheese and an extra 1/2 powdered sugar to the mint frosting to make creamier. Yum!
these look AMAZING! i can't wait to try them. i'm going to make them for a baby shower on saturday, but just have a quick question…i have to make a lot of food for the shower, and am trying to figure out how much of it i can do beforehand (so i'm not completely overwhlemed day of or night before). i just wondered if these are something you think i could do in advance? and if so, how soon could i get started on them?
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thanks again for sharing this amazing recipe (and all your amazing recipes…i love everything i've tried!)
Yup, you got it Leda!
Hi!! This sounds yummie!!!! Just checking: T (tablespoon)…t (teaspoon) C (cup)…right?? THANX A LOT!
Awesome brownies! the mint frosting and chocolate really finished them off
Uh-mazing! I made these today, I was always a fan of the byu mint brownies but these are wayyyy better. Enough to put you in a coma. I totally agree about nuts in brownies, not a fan. Thanks!
My mom used to make these for special occasions when I was a kid. This recipe brings me back!! Thanks for posting!
Snow Maiden- it's funny you say that because when I was little my Mom made these with nuts and I HATE nuts in mint brownies!! I don't think it goes with mint at all! But your hubby would love my Mom's original version- toss some nuts in there some time for him! lol
My husband loves mint brownies but is very particular about how the perfect mint brownie should taste. I made these yesterday and he said they were among his top favorite! 🙂 He said the only thing that would have made them better was if they had nuts in them. 🙂 Thank you so much for the wonderful recipe and for helping me bring a little more happiness to his life! 🙂
No fair sneaking this in and no fair combining MINT and BROWNIES and sharing the recipe. How… can… I… resist?!
Thanks for this awesome recipe!! I made these today and had a house full of happy people, actually 3 houses full of happy people!! We shared with some friends. Amazing recipe!!
Wow, definitely will have to try this.
I love chocolate mint. these sound great. I can't wait to try making them.
Mint and chocolate are the best! These look divine!
My husband makes a very similar double mint brownie–but he melts Andes mints instead of chocolate chips for the top layer.
Did you see how Pioneer Woman tried your frosting recipe and raved about it? I don't know if it's all the same proportions or not, but it's the flour/milk/cook thing and then whip. I thought of you guys!
I had a lady at church tell me on Sunday that she's so glad I helped her find your website (I must have blogged something and given you credit). Just passing on the love…
These brownies look so delicious!
Thankgoodness I only have 3 squares of chocolate in my pantry! Or I would be abandoning any plans of cleaning durning nap time and making these tasty mint brownies! The look FINE and I will try them soon 🙂
Don't worry, some of us cherish this recipe, holiday or not! I make these all the time and get lots of compliments. I admit I cheat and use Ghiradelli mix brownies, but these are absolutely delicious! At our annual Christmas party we had a HUGE table of treats, and this was the only thing that was completely gone at the end of the night.
These look so yummy! I have a mint brownie recepie but the brownie part could be improved so these will be great to try. To add a little extra mint to mine I use mint chocolate chips and melt them with the butter for the top layer.
Super YUMMY!
These brownies look amazing. I already bookmarked this recipe on my phone. Thanks!
Could I substitute Creme de Menthe for the peppermint extract it this recipe?