Yesterday I thought long and hard about what recipe I wanted to begin 2021 with. That's a great responsability you know, being the first recipe in one of probably at least 365 choices! (The rate at which I blog anyways!)
I had a box of Mint Chocolates that needed using up and I had seen a recipe online for After Eight Brownies. Actually I saw it here. I felt it was a bit vague however much I liked the concept.
I don't trust recipes that are somewhat vague, especially when you are talking baking and the use of expensive ingredients. I decided to go with my old and trustworthy brownie recipe and just adapt it to the use of the mint chocolates.
I have been baking that brownie recipe for years and years. It is tried and true and incredibly trustworthy, even with adaptations to add ons/ins.
They always turn out rich and fudgy. They are the perfect consistency for a brownie. When I worked at the Manor, the Mr requested a pan of them at least once a month. The staff never minded either. The smell of them baking always brought a few of them in the kitchen to investigate and a sneaky bite or two later on after they had cooled.
True confession here. I did not use After Eights. I actually used a box of Ganong Mint Patties because that is what I had. Worked perfectly.
I cut the mint patties into eights and used half the box to stir into the batter before baking. They were a lot thicker than After Eights, but worked well.
The remainder of them (16 in total) I laid out in rows across the top of the baked brownies. Four rows of four, making sixteen.
Then once they had softened I spread them out a bit with the back of a spoon. I could have just left them sitting there I suppose. That might have been pretty
But I wanted to have a white and chocolate swirled topping to look at when they were totally done. I thought it would be really pretty.
I also thought it would showcase the dark chocolate drizzle that I was planning on flicking over them in the end. So you got a mix of mint, milk and dark. Perfect!
Perfectly gliding the promise of deep, dark, chocolate fudgy goodness. I just adore my Brownie recipe. It is perfect in every way.
Did I ever tell you about my experience in attending a cooking show in London. I was contacted when I was still living down in Kent and asked would I like to attend the taping of a new cooking show in London at the Channel four studios.
Overall I thought it would be a good experience and it was. I got a true picture of how they actually put together a cooking show. They actually filmed it quite differently than what one would suppose. First they did the middle and then the beginning and finally the end. They had signs to show the audiance when to ooh and ahh and when to clap, laugh, etc.
It was really interesting. They had the Tanner Brothers (chef's from Kent) and Paul Rankin (the Irish Chef) in attendance. There was a celebrity guest as well, Vanessa Phelps. I had brought some of my Parsnip and Apple Soup and Paul Rankin declared it delicious in his Irish accent.
Anyways, part of the show was a Brownie bake-off between the chef's. I have to be honest here. They had no idea of what a proper brownie should be like. Their Brownies were gooey sludge.
You should be able to pick up a good brownie in your hands to hold it. You shouldn't need a spoon to hold or eat them. Their Brownies were grossly under-cooked. But who am I to say . . .
Anyways, I could have taught them a thing or two about what a real Brownie should be like. They had no clue. Myself, I am always open to learning new things.
I think I just don't fit the mold of who or what they want people to see. Too ordinary. Too fat. Too old. I have noticed by and far that most people you see on these shows are much younger.
Most people of a certain age never get a look in these days. I am okay however with things just as they are. Maybe it is that people of a certain age don't really want to put up with all of the nonsense that goes along with something like that.
I can't be bothered at any rate! People are always saying to me you should go on the GBBO. No thank you! I cook for pleasure and nothing else. To please myself and my loved ones.
And these Brownies certainly fit that bill on all counts. They are moist. They are delicious. You can pick them up in your hand. You will enjoy them.
And if you don't . . . well, I guess we all have different tastes. Happy New Year. I sure hope that 2021 is a lot better year for all of us!
After Eight Brownies
Ingredients
- 1 cup (240g) butter
- 1 cup (140g) plain all-purpose flour
- 4 ounces (115g) good quality bitter chocolate
- 4 large free range eggs
- 2 cups (190g) sugar
- 1 TBS vanilla essence (YES 1TBS)
- Pinch salt
- 1 package After Eight chocolates, divided
- melted dark chocolate to drizzle
Instructions
- Pre-heat the oven to 180*C/350*F. Grease and line an 8 inch square glass baking dish. (I like to leave an overhang so that I can lift the brownies out when they are completely cold for cutting.)
- Melt the butter along with the chocolate over low heat in a large pot.
- Allow to cool, then stir in the sugar, eggs (one at a time) vanilla, flour and salt, mixing with a wooden spoon and being careful not to over mix, no more than 50 strokes!
- Break half of the After Eight into bits and fold into the brownie batter.
- Pour batter evenly into the prepared pan and bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out a little wet if you want fudgy brownies. Bake until it comes out cleaner if you want cake type brownies, about 40 to 45 minutes for the fudgy ones.
- Place pieces of the remaining mint patties on top and return to the oven for a minute to melt. Remove from the oven and spread out a bit with the back of a spoon.
- Melt the dark chocolate and drizzle over top. (You will literally only need about 2 TBS)
- Let cool completely before cutting into squares. Store in an airtight container.
Did you make this recipe?
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