My Very Favorite Chocolate Mint Brownie Cake

Ahhhh...the perfect marriage of chocolate and mint.
My mom used to make these while I was growing up and they quickly became my favorite. She found the recipe in one of her standby cookbooks, The Cotton Country Collection. Interesting name, I know. I usually omit the food coloring. There could not be an easier recipe for the result and it is so versatile. Cut it into bite-size squares for a party, eat it right out of the pan with a spoon (not that I've ever been guilty of that), or cut into diamonds and place on a chocolate drizzled plate for something stunning.

My Very Favorite Chocolate Mint Brownie Cake

Brownie:
2 squares unsweetened chocolate
1/2 cup butter
2 eggs
1 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon mint extract
1/2 cup flour

Frosting:
1 cup powdered sugar
2 Tablespoons butter, melted
1 Tablespoon milk
1/2 teaspoon mint extract
1-2 drops green food coloring (optional)

Glaze:
2 squares unsweetened or bittersweet chocolate
2 Tablespoons butter

To make brownie, melt 2 squares unsweetened chocolate and 1/2 cup butter together. In another bowl beat eggs and sugar together. Add chocolate mixture to egg mixture and mix together. Add remaining brownie ingredients. Bake in a 8 or 9 inch square pan at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes. (Note: They should still be glossy and moist, but not too jiggly. Don't over bake or they will be dry.) Cool brownies in pan. Meanwhile, mix frosting ingredients together. Spread over brownies. Chill. For the glaze, melt the chocolate and butter together. Stir to combine and pour/spread over frosted brownies. Garnish with fresh mint, if desired & enjoy!

Pesto!

If you are lucky enough to live down South and you were a good little gardener and planted your herbs, chances are you have TONS of basil right now. Well, here's what you're going to do with it. This is just the thing for using up great big quantities. I always double this recipe.

Pesto
2c. fresh basil leaves (1 large bunch)
1/4c. chopped walnuts
1/4c. olive oil
2t. lemon juice
2 cloves garlic
1/4t. salt
1/4c. freshly grated Parmesan cheese
2T. freshly grated Romano cheese (if you have it)
Process first 6 ingredients in a food processor or blender 2 min. or until smooth. (Scrape down sides, if necessary.) Stir in cheese.
You can toss this with pasta, eat with toasted French bread or crackers, or place in ice cube trays and freeze up to 3 months. Replacing the basil with half Italian parsley and half fresh mint leaves is equally delish- just leave out the cheese.

And speaking of mint! If you have tons of mint, use it to make mint syrup.

Mint Syrup
3c. coarsely chopped fresh mint
2c. sugar
2c. water
Combine all ingredients in a large saucepan; bring to a boil. Cook, stirring constantly, until sugar dissolves. Remove from heat; cover and cool completely. Pour mixture through a wire mesh strainer. Use to make Mint Juleps (2-4T. bourbon to 1T. mint syrup) or to sweeten tea or give away to a friend. With your used mint leaves place them on a paper towel lined plate and sprinkle liberally with sugar. Place in a slightly warmed oven. When the leaves are dry (a few hours?) you have candied mint!