Now that that's over...Brrr-ownies

Now that Passover is over, I am so happy to be back to baking with flour and other yummy ingredients.  I ran into one glitch, which is that my mixer is still in its Passover location -- on top of the closet -- and it is too heavy for me to take down alone (husband is away).  I knew the baking had to be something that I could make without a mixer and these brownies fit the bill.

I have made these once before, with chopped peppermint patties and the patties kind of dissolved into the batter.  This time, I used York Peppermint Pattie Premiere Baking Pieces (I found them in the chocolate chip asile) which worked much better since they did not dissolve.  I think it had something to do with all the mint being surrounded by chocolate, which helps it keep its shape in the brownie.

These were good, but I thought that the mint flavor kind of overwhelmed the chocolate flavor.  I would like a little more balance, but for those who love mint, these are for you.  They are very frosty!  Don't be alarmed if they come out kind of flat.  That is just what they look like.

Recipe after the jump.

Brrrrrr-ownies (from Dorie Greenspan’s Baking: From My Home to Yours)

5 T unsalted butter, cut into 5 pieces

3 oz bittersweet chocolate, chopped

3 oz unsweetened chocolate, chopped

2/3 cup sugar

2 large eggs

1 tsp pure vanilla extract

Pinch of salt

1/3 cup all purpose flour

1 cup (6 oz) York Peppermint Pattie Bites (or an equal weight of patties), chopped into bits

Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 325F. Line an 8-inch square baking pan with foil, butter the foil and place the pan on a baking sheet.

Set a heatproof bowl over a saucepan of gently simmering water. Put the butter in the bowl, top with the chopped chocolates and stir occasionally until the ingredients are just melted- you don’t want them to get so hot that the butter separates. Remove the bowl from the pan of water.

With a whisk, stir in the sugar. Don’t be concerned when your smooth mixture turns grainy. Whisk in the eggs, one by one. Add the vanilla and whisk vigorously to bring the batter together and give it a shine before gently stirring in the salt and flour; stir only until incorporated. Switch to a rubber spatula and fold in the peppermint pieces. Scrape the batter into the pan and smooth the top with the rubber spatula.

Bake the brownies for 30-33minutes, or until the top is dull and a thin knife inserted into the center comes out almost clean. (The tip of the knife may be a touch streaky.) Transfer the pan to a rack and cool to room temperature.

When they are completely cool, turn out onto a rack, peel away the foil and invert onto a cutting board. Cut into sixteen 2-inch squares.