By: Danya Weiner

Disclosure #1: This recipe is an atypical version of the most typical dessert. Ok, continue…

For some odd reason, the (may I saw) amazing combo of mint-chocolate hasn’t become a big hit in Israel. Personally I love the blend, and almost always have a bar of Lindt (Swiss) Mint  (70% cacao) on hand (hidden), for those (many) times when I’m craving something bitter-sweet.

A few weeks ago we were invited by friends to a dinner party and I offered to bring dessert. I have a sure-fire recipe for brownies, which I decided I was going to make. The recipe, which belongs to a colleague of mine, Michal Moses, produces the most delicious almost black, rich, bitter-sweet cake. When I got down to making the cake, I realized that I was out of regular dark chocolate, and with two small kids at home, a trip to the market was not in my destiny. There was no other choice than to take my mint chocolate out of hiding. *Disclosure #2- I have a thing for making classic recipes with a twist.

When we shot this for the blog, I felt that these brownies needed a visual aspect to highlight the minty part of the recipe. I had some Mentos in my purse, and I tried them on the brownies. It was an amazing addition; the inner part of the mentos melted and the outer part was crispy- Delicious!

Some tips before getting started:

This is a great recipe for brownies- if you don’t want to go the minty route- simply switch the mint chocolate with the same amount of your favorite type of chocolate.

With brownies- less is more- when it comes to baking time. It’s better to take them out a few minutes too early than a few minutes too late.

I like to store these in the freezer and slowly finish them, while still frozen.

Ingredients for an 8 inch (20 cm) square baking pan:

7 oz./200 grams mint chocolate (no less than 60% cacao)

7 oz./200 grams/1¾ sticks, butter

3 eggs, at room temperature

1¼ cup sugar

½ cup cocoa powder

⅔ cup all-purpose flour

½ package regular (mint) Mentos, cut in half

Preparation:

1. Preheat oven to 350ºF/180ºC. Line the baking pan with parchment paper.
2. Melt the chocolate and butter in a non-reactive bowl set over a pot of simmering water. Mix until ingredients are melted and combined. Allow to cool for 10 minutes.
3. Using a mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, whisk the eggs and sugar on medium speed for about 3 minutes, until the mixture is light and fluffy. Add the chocolate and mix to combine.
4. In a separate bowl, mix together the cocoa powder and flour. Add the chocolate mixture to the flour mixture and fold just until the mixtures are combined.
5. Pour the mixture into the prepared baking pan and evenly sprinkle on the Mentos. Bake for 25-30 minutes. Allow to cool to room temperature before serving.