BYU Mint Brownies- Simply The Best

For 3 years I worked on BYU campus in the freshman dorms' cafeteria.  One of the most popular desserts was the mint brownies.  They are so popular that they always had 2 different variations on hand.  There were with nuts and without nuts.  We would make trays of them and I was always amazed at how fast we would go through those trays.  They really were wonderful but my particular favorites were the ones without nuts.

One day I stumbled upon the recipe that they posted online for those who had visited and wanted to make them.  The recipe had been reduced to a standard recipe size rather than the bulk we made it in.

They are fairly easy to make considering two thirds of it is made from scratch.  I love to make them for our Sunday dinner get together where there are about at least 13 of us there.  This recipe provides amply for 13 with even a little leftover (if people only have 1 which isn't too common).  They taste wonderfully rich and the mint is the perfect balance to all of that delightful chocolate.  Hope you enjoy them as much as all of us at BYU do.

BYU Mint Brownies

1 cup margarine

½ cup cocoa

2 Tbsp honey

4 eggs

2 cups sugar

1 ¾ cup flour

½ Tbsp baking powder

½ tsp salt

1 cup chopped walnuts

12 oz chocolate icing

Mint icing

5 Tbsp margarine

Dash of salt

3 Tbsp milk

1 Tbsp light corn syrup

2 1/3 cup powdered sugar

½ tsp mint extract

1-2 drops green food coloring

Melt the margarine and mix in cocoa.  Allow to cool.  Add honey, eggs, sugar, flour, baking powder, and salt.  Mix well.  Add nuts.  Pour batter into a greased 9 by 13 baking pan.  Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes.  Cool.

Prepare mint icing: soften margarine.  Add salt, corn syrup, and powdered sugar.  Beat until smooth and fluffy.  Add mint extract and food coloring.  Mix.  Add milk gradually until the consistency is a little thinner than cake frosting.

Spread mint icing over brownies.  Place brownies in the freezer for a short time to stiffen the icing.  Remove from the freezer and carefully add a layer of chocolate icing.