St. Patrick’s Day Brownies

St. Patrick’s day brownies are my favourite type of brownie. They are perfectly rich and moist and in my opinion chocolate and mint are a match made in heaven. What makes them St. Patrick’s day brownies? Why the gorgeous green colour of course!

The ingredients

These brownies only have a handful of ingredients but are so delicious. They are perfectly moist and can be enjoyed on any occasion.

Making the St. Patrick’s day brownie batter

Melt 1/2 cup of unsalted butter in a pan or in a bowl in the microwave. You just want to soften the butter so it can easily be mixed. Do not melt it to the point where it becomes liquid. Pour it into a large mixing bowl and add 1 cup of cocoa powder to the bowl – I recommend sifting the cocoa powder into the bowl. This helps with ensuring there are no lumps. Mix well to form a thick gooey chocolaty mix.

Now add 2 cups of sugar to the bowl and mix really well. Add one teaspoon of pure vanilla essence and 4 eggs – one at a time – and mix well after each addition. You should have a nice smooth consistency.

In a separate bowl, combine 1 and 1/3 cups of cake and pastry flour, 1 teaspoon of baking powder and 1/2 teaspoon of salt. Sift this mix into the chocolaty mixture and combine to form a cake like consistency.

Making the minty topping

Soften 450 grams of regular cream cheese to room temperature. Once it’s softened, using an electric hand beater, whip the cream cheese till it’s nice and smooth. To this add 1/2 a cup of sugar and continue to whip. Add one whole egg and whip for a further 1 min or so.

Now for the best part – turning the cream cheese into the minty delicious topping. Add 1 tablespoon of pure mint essence to the mix. I know it sounds like a lot, but believe me, it will be just perfect once baked and cooled. Also add 1/4 teaspoon of food colouring. I like the gel type of food colouring for this recipe. But if you don’t have the gel type, you can always add liquid or powder. They will work just as well.

Assembling the St. Patrick’s day brownies

Now that we have both the brownie batter and the minty topping ready, let’s assemble the brownies. Butter the bottom and sides of a 9 x 13 inch baking dish liberally. Pour 3/4 of the brownie batter into the pan an save the rest. Now pour all of the minty cream cheese mix on top of the brownie batter. Spread the cream cheese mix all over the brownie mix.

Using a table spoon, pour the remaining 1/4 of the brownie batter on top of the minty cream cheese. Pour a bit on each of the four corners and about a tablespoon in the centre – do not pour it all over and cover the minty mix. Using a butter knife, make swirls by mixing the brownie mix into the mint mix. Just make s-shaped moves.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and bake the brownie for 30 mins. After 30 mins, insert a toothpick or a knife into the centre of the pan and remove. If whatever you used for testing comes out clean, then the brownie is ready. If not, cook for another few mins.

Remove from the oven and let it cool down completely. The cream cheese topping will take some time to dry out. If you try and cut it while it’s still warm, the topping will stick to your knife and peel off.

Once cooled, cut the St. Patrick’s day brownies and enjoy with a nice cup of coffee, tea or vanilla ice cream.

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