My sister texted me the other day, “I felt an inspiration for you to make a bake with Andes mints.” There’s nothing like letting someone else know you felt an inspiration for them to do something. I feel inspiration for a lot of people to do a lot of things and, wouldn’t you know, they never do them. I don’t really feel inspiration for me to do things myself. So I figure the least I could do is satisfy someone else’s inspiration for me. This is such a silly idea that I’m getting kind of lost in some of these sentences.
The problem with someone else having inspiration for you is that you don’t really have the inspiration to guide yourself. I was sort of flying blind here. How do you fulfill somebody else’s inspiration?? I did some thinking, but was only landing on Andes mint brownies. I thought that was sort of boring? But then, I realized there were no Andes mint brownies on this blog yet. So, why not?
I had to hope this would satisfy the secondhand inspiration.
I was worried that one pack of Andes mints might not have been enough, but I think the ratio worked. I mean, I suppose you could always add more. But, these weren’t lacking. Rich, fudgy, mint-y chocolate. You could also really load it up with peppermint extract to pack an extra punch.
Here I am suggesting all these alternatives. Just consider it… me telling you to be inspired. Giving you ideas, should inspiration strike.
I was hoping to land on some inspiration for more to write about as I made these and started writing. But alas, this was outsourced inspiration from the start. Really good brownies at least!
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PinIngredients
- 3/4 cup (12 Tbsp) unsalted butter
- 2 ounces semi-sweet chocolate chips
- 1 and 2/3 cups granulated sugar
- 3 large eggs, at room temperature
- 2 teaspoons peppermint extract (optional)
- 1 cup cocoa powder
- 1 cup all-purpose flour (spooned & leveled)
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- 4.67 ox Andes mints, chopped
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F and line a 9-inch square metal baking pan with parchment paper, leaving an overhang on two opposite sides to lift out the finished brownies. Set aside.
- In a small microwave-safe bowl or liquid measuring cup, combine the butter and he semi sweet chocolate. Melt in 30-second increments, stirring after each, until completely melted and smooth. Set aside to slightly cool while you continue.
- In a large bowl with a handheld or stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, combine the sugar and eggs. Beat on medium-high speed until the sugar is dissolved and the mixture is pale and ribbon-y, about 3 minutes.
- Pour the warm melted butter/chocolate into the bowl with the sugar/eggs, add the peppermint extract, and beat or whisk to combine.
- With a fine mesh sieve, sift the cocoa powder and flour into the batter, add the salt, then whisk or beat on low speed to incorporate. Fold in the chopped Andes mints. The batter will be very thick. Spread it evenly into the prepared pan.
- Bake for 28–30 minutes, then test the brownies with a toothpick. Insert the toothpick into the center of the pan. If it comes out coated with wet batter, the brownies are not done. If there are only a few moist crumbs, the brownies are done. Keep checking every 2 minutes until you have moist crumbs. Brownies typically take 30–32 minutes in my oven. Err on the side of under-baking, as the brownies will continue to set as they cool.
- Remove from the oven and place on a cooling rack to cool completely in the pan. When cool, lift the brownies out by gripping the parchment overhangs and transfer to a cutting board. Use a sharp knife to cut into squares.
- Cover and store leftover brownies at room temperature for up to 1 week.