These Mint Chocolate Brownies are layered with a rich, fudgy brownie base, a thick and creamy mint buttercream filling, and topped with a luscious and silky layer of chocolate ganache. Even though there are a few components at play here, these brownies are incredibly easy to make! They’re perfect for movie night, a weekend treat, or a holiday.
Let’s jump right in and make these! First, mix up a super simple brownie batter – it’s a one-bowl, no mixer required situation. All you need for the brownie base are:
- Butter
- Bittersweet chocolate
- Egg
- Vanilla
- Sugar
- Salt
- Flour
Almost all are simple pantry staple ingredients, but you may need to get the bittersweet chocolate. I always keep a few bars on hand in my chocolate stash.
Once your brownies are baked, they’ll look like this! Let the brownies cool completely before proceeding in the recipe – you can never frost a hot or warm brownie/cake, etc. The frosting will separate and melt right off. Once the brownies are cooled (I like to keep them in the fridge, covered, overnight), make your mint buttercream and your chocolate ganache!
Let’s start with the buttercream. This is made with the typical frosting ingredients – butter, powdered sugar, milk or heavy cream, and of course – a little mint extract and green food coloring since we’re making it mint! Oh and I had to add just a hint of cream cheese – you know me! I love adding this to all my frostings because it helps cut through the overly sweet taste that a traditional buttercream frosting can have. (It’s especially helpful if you have sensitive teeth, like me!)
Add 1/4 tsp mint extract to begin with, and then add just a tiny smidge more at a time, if you want it a bit mintier than I made mine.
Spread this over the cooled brownies, and then pop it in the fridge for 30 minutes so that it’s firm before you pour the chocolate topping on.
For the chocolate topping, it’s not a true ganache. But it is very similar! It’s made by simply melting butter and chocolate together in the microwave. Easy peasy!
Pour it on top and use the back of a spoon to make some fun swirls! Let this chill in the fridge for at least an hour or two before cutting and serving, so that the chocolate can set.
These brownies are very rich, as you can probably guess since they do have three layers! So, I recommend cutting them smaller than I did in the photos (I cut mine into 9 squares), so you can get more servings out of these.
These need to be kept in the fridge, so that the frosting + chocolate topping don’t melt, however, I do like letting them sit out a bit before eating so they soften up a tad.
I hope you love these brownies as much as we do! Happy baking.
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Ingredients
Brownie Base
- 1 cup salted butter (2 sticks, or 226 g)
- 4 ounces bittersweet chocolate, roughly chopped
- 4 large eggs
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 2 tsp water
Mint Buttercream
- 5 tbsp salted butter, softened at room temperature
- 1 and 1/2 ounces cream cheese, softened at room temperature
- 2 and 3/4 cups powdered sugar
- 2 tbsp heavy cream
- 1/4 tsp mint extract *or more, to taste
- green food coloring
Chocolate Ganache Topping
- 1/2 cup salted butter (8 tbsp, or 113 grams)
- 1 generous cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
Instructions
- Prep: Spray a 9x9 pan with nonstick spray and line with parchment paper. Preheat your oven to 325 degrees F.
- Make the Brownies: Melt the chopped bittersweet chocolate and butter together in a microwave safe bowl, microwaving in 30 second intervals and stirring between each, until the chocolate is completely melted. Whisk in the sugar. Add the eggs and vanilla and whisk. Add the flour and salt, and stir until everything is combined. Stir in the water last. Spread batter into your prepared pan.
- Bake: Bake for 48 to 50 minutes. A toothpick inserted into the center will pull out some thick moist crumbs, and will come out clean around the edges. Let brownies cool completely before frosting. Make-ahead tip: Brownies can be made a day ahead, cooled at room temperature, then covered and kept at room temp or in the fridge overnight. Then, frost and top them the next day.
- Make the Mint Buttercream: Mix softened butter and cream cheese together in a medium bowl until creamed. Add the powdered sugar and heavy cream and mix until well combined. Mix in the peppermint extract, and add a few drops more if you want a stronger mint flavor. Mix in the green food coloring last, adding more until desired color is reached. Spread this frosting over the cooled brownies, and let chill in the fridge for 30 minutes. Tip: I prefer using gel food coloring - it gives a stronger color with just a few drops! You can also omit the food coloring if you prefer.
- Make the Chocolate Topping: Melt the chocolate and butter together in a microwave safe bowl, in 30 second intervals, stirring between each, until the chocolate is completely melted and smooth. Pour this over the chilled brownies, and use the back of a spoon to create swirls. Let the brownies set in the fridge for 1-2 hours before serving, so the chocolate can set.
- Serve + Store: Slice and enjoy! Store these in the fridge in an airtight container, and let sit out a bit at room temp before enjoying.
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Liz Unwin says
In ingredients for the mint layer you say 2 and3/4 powdered sugar. Is this teaspoons, tablespoons, ounces or grammes?
I need to have this clarified so that I can start making the brownies.
Thank you.
Stephanie Simmons says
Hi Liz!
So sorry about that error – it should be 2 and 3/4 cups. Thanks for catching that! Enjoy the brownies. 🙂