Snowbaking - Mint Chocolate Chip Brownies

Last weekend the DC metro area was socked with about 6 inches of snow - perhaps not much compared with the 20-30" we are expected to get during our current storm (more on that in posts to come) or the 18-20" we got during the Snowpocalypse of December 2009, but still more than enough to justify a bit of snowbaking. For this endeavor, I decided to try brownies made with the mint & chocolate chips I found at the grocery store during the holiday season. If you don't happen to have mint & chocolate chips on hand, try these with white, milk, or dark chocolate chips, peanut butter chips, or whatever your favorite mix-ins happen to be. These brownies come out moist and on the cakey side.

Mint Chocolate Chip Brownies (~ 24-32 brownies)
3/4 c. butter
1 1/4 c. sugar
1/2 c. unsweetened cocoa powder
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla (or mint extract)
1 1/2 c. flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. baking soda
1 c. milk
1 c. mint & chocolate chips + additional chips for sprinkling on top

1. Spray a 9 x 13 baking pan with nonstick spray and preheat oven to 350F.

2. Melt butter in microwave (1 1/2 - 2 minutes). In a large bowl, combine melted butter, sugar, and cocoa powder and stir with a wooden spoon until well mixed. Add eggs and vanilla and stir until just combined.

3. In a separate bowl, combine flour, baking powder, and baking soda. Alternate adding dry ingredients and milk to the butter mixture, stirring after each addition. Fold in mint & chocolate chips.

4. Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake at 350F for 20-25 minutes, or until a toothpick can be inserted and removed cleanly. If desired, sprinkle additional mint & chocolate chips on top of the batter about 10 minutes into baking.

5. Remove pan from oven and allow to cool on a wire rack for about 2 hours, then cut into squares. If you cut a little earlier, use a plastic knife to reduce the amount of brownie that sticks to your knife.