Did you see that irresistibly crackly crust? These fudgy, double chocolate, homemade brownies are all you ever wanted in a mint-flavored bar. They have an intense chocolate flavor with the mint coming through just the right amount, and are speckled with white chocolate chips. And it's one bowl, so that means a super easy recipe!
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Great flavor balance
I firmly believe one can never have too many brownie recipes, a fact that is well-documented in the brownie archives. I like them all for one reason or another. There is a time and place for every brownie recipe, right?
This simple chocolate mint brownie recipe is made in one bowl with no chocolate layer on top or mint filling.
I grew up eating those thin English mints, the ones with the clock in the packaging, and, to this day, I can eat half a box in a few minutes. These chocolate mint bars remind me of them.
Chocolate and mint is a heavenly combination, definitely top 3 if you ask me. We have our favorite mint desserts, like the chocolate mint mousse pie or the chewy, fudgy chocolate peppermint cookies.
- One bowl recipe: these are simple, fudgy brownies and you only need a large bowl, a spatula, and a brownie pan to make them.
- Easy to make: most mint brownies involve a chocolate brownie layer, a mint filling and chocolate ganache on top, more like grasshopper brownies. These are a quicker version, a simple recipe that will enable you to whip them up at a moment's notice.
- Great flavor: a recipe for chocolate lovers for sure. Both the chocolate and mint flavors come through in just the right amount.
- Can be frozen: besides keeping well for a few days at room temperature or in the refrigerator, these mint chocolate brownies are great to freeze for a month and can be eaten almost directly from the freezer if the craving hits!
- Holiday dessert: the combination of mint and chocolate makes these the perfect treat for several holidays, such as Christmas, St. Patrick's Day and Valentine's Day.
Ingredient list
- Mint: we use peppermint extract.
- Semisweet chocolate: use your favorite dark semisweet chocolate.
- Semisweet chocolate chips: use your favorite chip brand.
- White chocolate chips: they add sweetness.
- White granulated sugar.
- Brown sugar: light or dark.
- All-purpose flour.
- Eggs: large, fresh.
- Vanilla extract.
Quantities are listed in the recipe card towards the end of this post. The Ingredients page has more details and lists the brands we use.
Variations & substitutions
- Bittersweet chocolate: use it instead of semisweet for a more intense and less sweet batter.
- Mint chips: an alternative to using extract, they'll add a more subtle mint flavor. Or use them instead of the chocolate chips in the batter for an extra dose of mint. My favorites by far are Guittard Green mint baking chips). Or use chunks such as Andes creme de menthe baking chips and rename them Andes mint brownies.
- White chocolate chunks: use them instead of the chips. Coarsely chop a white chocolate bar or use premade like Callebaut white chocolate chunks.
- Milk chocolate chips: use them instead of the white chips added to the batter. They will increase the sweetness of the brownies.
- Mint frosting: add a thin layer of mint chocolate ganache for an extra dose of everything.
How to melt chocolate
This works for chocolate alone or with butter, cream and other ingredients. Always start with chopped chocolate, as it's easier and quicker to melt without burning.
- Microwave: melt the ingredients on high in 10-second intervals, stirring well between spurts until all the chocolate is melted. Be careful not to scorch it. It can seem it's not melted, but when you stir, you realize it is.
- Stovetop: put the chocolate in pieces with the butter in a heat-safe bowl (glass is the best) and place over a smaller saucepan with an inch of water. Over low heat, let the chocolate and butter melt, stirring frequently. Ensure the bottom of the bowl doesn't touch the water and that no water gets into the bowl. If the water boils too much before the chocolate is fully melted, turn off the heat and let the hot vapor melt the remaining chocolate.
How to make mint brownies
- Sugar first. After melting the butter and chocolate, add both sugars. That way, if the chocolate is too hot, the temperature will decrease slightly before adding the eggs. And it starts to dissolve the sugar, which helps with the fudgy texture.
- Eggs. Never add them to a very hot mixture, or you might risk curdling bits of it.
- Flour. It's added before the add-ins and you just need to mix to incorporate it well.
- Final batter. The resulting batter will be shiny, smooth, and thick. Make sure no dry spots remain before pouring into the prepared pan.
Add the eggs all at once and mix well. Use a whisk or a wooden spoon; there's no need for an electric beater.
Add-ins are added at the end with the mint extract. Use a spatula to combine well, ensuring no dry spots.
Preparing the pan
- Butter or baking spray: the old-fashioned way. Simply butter or spray the brownie pan. You can flour it also, but it's not really necessary. Use baking if possible (not cooking spray) because it contains flour.
- Parchment paper: I always line the pan with it because it makes removing the whole block of brownies from the actual pan easier. Use a strip of paper as wide as the pan and cover the bottom and two sides. Two sides remain paperless. You can also use two strips in a crisscross pattern to cover all sides.
How to get the crackly top layer
One of my favorite things about this mint brownie recipe is the perfect, shiny, flaky, crackly surface that develops while baking. It's all you ever wanted in a brownie crust.
And it has to do a lot with the fat and sugar content in a recipe. It is my experience that the higher this amount is, the shinier the crust.
That said, a few other ways to develop it have to do with letting the sugar dissolve a little when adding it to the hot chocolate mixture (some recipes instruct to make this mixture on the stovetop for that reason), and mixing the batter energetically which also has to do with dissolving and integrating the ingredients well.
When are the brownies baked?
The edges will be dry and slightly puffed and maybe a little cracked, but the center will still be soft to the touch.
Make sure the brownies still jiggle a little in the center when you take them out of the oven. Don't wait until they are too firm; that will mean they're slightly overbaked. It's better to underbake them for a few minutes than the opposite.
Kitchen notes
- Organization: read the recipe first and ensure you have ingredients at the correct temperature, equipment, and enough workspace. This will make the process so much easier.
- Baking time: consider that all ovens and pans are different, even if they look similar. The baking time in my recipes is as accurate as it can be, but it might take you more or less time. You can use a thermometer (like the OXO oven thermometer) to check that your oven is at the right temperature. I recommend tracking how your oven works and what tiny details you might need to adjust.
- Baking: take them out when the center still jiggles. That will ensure fudginess.
- Waiting: they taste better one or two days after baking them. Almost all chocolate recipes do. The intense chocolate flavor mellows in a way that is perfectly balanced with the rest of the ingredients.
- Freezing: they can be frozen, well wrapped - and are amazing almost from the freezer, in case you ask. The sugar makes them taste like candy, similar to what happens with the over-the-top brownies after a few days.
Related recipes you might like:
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Mint Chocolate Brownies (fudgy recipe)
Ingredients
- ½ cup unsalted butter
- 3 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped
- ¾ cup dark brown sugar
- ½ cup white sugar
- 2 eggs, at room temperature
- ⅓ cup all-purpose flour
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ⅓ cup dark chocolate chips or chunks
- ⅓ cup white chocolate chips or chunks
- ¾ teaspoon good peppermint extract
- ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract, optional, and a way to mellow out flavors
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350ºF (180ºC).
- Butter or spray an 8-inch square baking pan. You can line it with a strip of parchment paper, covering the pan's bottom and two sides. The other two sides will remain unlined but greased. This will help you remove the brownies from the pan.
- Melt ½ cup unsalted butter with 3 ounces semisweet chocolate in the microwave (at 10-15 second intervals, stirring well each time) or in a double boiler with the bottom of the bowl not touching the water.
- Add ¾ cup dark brown sugar and ½ cup white sugar and mix well with a hand whisk. Don't use an electric mixer.
- Stir in 2 eggs and combine until it's creamy.
- Add ⅓ cup all-purpose flour and ¼ teaspoon salt and mix to integrate well with a hand whisk.
- Add ⅓ cup dark chocolate chips or chunks, ⅓ cup white chocolate chips or chunks, ¾ teaspoon good peppermint extract and ¼ teaspoon vanilla extractMix well until no streaks of flour remain. I use a spatula for this part.
- Pour batter into the prepared pan. Smooth the top.
- Bake for 20-25 minutes, until a bit puffed and the surface is dry. They still have to be a little jiggly in the middle, and a cake tester or toothpick will come out with very moist (but not wet) crumbs attached.
- Let cool completely on a wire rack before lifting the paper carefully so the brownie block comes out in one piece. Place on a flat surface and cut them into squares.
- I wrap them and leave them for a day at room temperature before cutting them. It mellows the flavors.
mirchitadka says
nicely explained.....very good blog......must try
Pamela Waddington says
Taste great. Cooked for at least 35 mins as they were too gooey/wet each time I tested them. Cut them up about 8hrs later to see if they'd set and firm up more. They didn't. They're almost too wet/gooey. I wonder if they need a baking soda or powder agent in them or more flour? They still have a great flavor.
Paula Montenegro says
Hi Pamela! They're very gooey brownies and I've made them countless times with great results, but I'll check the recipe again and come back.
Harper says
Are these chewy?
Paula Montenegro says
Yes they are.
Mak Wa Yeumg says
how much percentage of chocolate did you use in baking brownie
Paula Montenegro says
I like to use dark chocolate that is between 60-72%
Mak Wa Yeumg says
3 oz dark chocolate, in pieces maybe unsweetened chocolate
Paula Montenegro says
Yes, it can be if. I use semi sweet usually.
MB says
These are incredible! I crumbled some red and white peppermint candies on top to make them more festive for Christmas. HOWEVER -- I am a little paranoid about how fudgy they are (borderline too raw?) I don't know how to tell underbaked vs. fudgy!!! I am wanting to send these to work with my husband but I am worried about making the office sick since there are eggs in these! Ahhh, how can I tell?? The top is perfectly crackly and looks fully cooked around the edges and was barely jiggly when taken out of oven.
Paula Montenegro says
Hi MB, glad you like them! A raw brownie will have a texture that almost doesn't hold together when it's completely at room t°. It's complicated to lift it. Do you want to send me pictures of one at room temperature? The email is hello@vintagekitchennotes.com
Betsy says
Hi MB,
I tested the brownies with a probe thermometer when I took them out of the oven and they registered slightly over 200 degrees Fahrenheit. Egg is safely cooked at 160 degrees Fahrenheit so they should be safe. They smell absolutely heavenly! I made them in a pan that has 12 individual squares and the dough divided perfectly into them. I had to grease them rather than cut up 12 squares of parchment so they were a little challenging to get out of the pan. But it’s all good!
stephanie says
These were one of my favorites so far, the perfect amount of mint and chocolate!!
Lisa Huff says
I got so excited about pinning this recipe, I lost my first comment I left! Ha! Love how fudgy these brownies look. Can't go wrong with chocolate and mint!! Just pinned so I can make sometime.
Paula Montenegro says
They're one of my favorites by far! Hope you like them. Have a great holiday season!
Anjali says
Chocolate and mint is one of my favorite combinations!! I loved how fudgy these brownies turned out!! So decadent and delicious!
Patty at Spoonabilities says
Oh yes! These brownies really are the perfect texture and flavor! Love the crusty outside and then the inside is so moist and sooooo darn good!
Pam says
Chocolate and mint are a match made in heaven. But, would you believe I've never had mint brownies? Can't wait to try this.
Deanne says
My daughter ADORES chocolate and mint and these brownies were hit favorite!
Jacqueline says
Oh yes I'll have two please! They look so good. I love that you added mint too. I've never thought of adding mint, but now I am craving these. Sharing them now 🙂
Pam says
Oh my gosh, you are speaking my language here. I could live on brownies alone and this chocolate mint combination is perfect!!
Danielle says
If you say it might be one of your favorite brownies, I've GOT to try the recipe! They certainly look incredible - the type of brownies I would LOVE to have on my table!
Dannii says
I love mint and chocolate together and these look delicious.
Angie@Angie's Recipes says
Slightly cracked top and moist center...perfect brownies!