These mint chocolate brownies have a fudgy bottom layer, a mint cheesecake middle, and a smooth chocolate ganache topping. This dessert is perfect for Spring and makes a great St Patty Day dessert!
Mint Chocolate Brownies
These brownies have a rich and fudgy bottom layer that is absolutely delicious to make on it's own if you're in the mood for a quick dessert.
The center of these brownie bars is a delicious and creamy mint no-bake cheesecake filling. The middle layer does require some chilling time to allow it to set and become firm. Oh, but it is worth the wait!
Chocolate ganache is then spread over top of these brownies and then allowed to chill in the refrigerator so it can become firm.
RELATED: Chewy Mint Chocolate Brownies
Delicious Spring Dessert
The bright and beautiful mint green color in these mint chocolate brownies are perfect to celebrate spring with and they're perfect for when you're looking for a green dessert for St Patty Day.
Another bright and colorful dessert perfect for St. Patrick's Day are these Green Velvet Cupcakes. They're incredibly easy to make and made from scratch. They have homemade cream cheese frosting, too!
If you're a fan of mint, these White Chocolate Mint Chip Cookies are great cookies for spring. The white chocolate chips and mint chips bring balance to the chocolate cookie base. The chocolate cookie pairs with the mint flavor in this cookie well!
Ingredients in Mint Chocolate Brownies
Here is the list of ingredients that you will need to make these Mint Chocolate Brownies for this spring or St Patty Day! The full detailed list with ingredient amounts can be found in the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
- Unsalted Butter - used in all three layers of the brownie bars
- Cream Cheese - for the middle layer
- Heavy Cream - used in the middle layer and the ganache layer
- Confectioner's Sugar - Added into the cheesecake layer
- Mint Extract - used to flavor the cheesecake filling
- Granulated Sugar
- Cocoa Powder - for the brownie layer
- Vanilla Extract
- Salt
- Eggs
- Dark Chocolate - used in the brownie layer and the ganache.
- Green food coloring - to give color to the cheesecake filling
How to Make Mint Chocolate Brownie Layers
The first step in making these brownies is to start with the brownie layer. The recipe for the brownies itself is very straightforward and comes together quickly.
Butter and chocolate are melted into a saucepan and then removed from the heat. All of the other ingredients are blended together and the melted chocolate mixture is combined into the ingredients as well.
It is then spread into a prepared 8x8 dish greased and lined with parchment paper. This will make it easy to remove the brownie bars from the dish without much trouble!
The brownie batter is baked in the oven for 30 minutes and then removed from the oven allowed to cool for one hour.
Once the hour is up, it is then time to create the mint cheesecake filling. Room temperature ingredients make this so much easier and quicker to do!
The shade of green that you use for your brownies is easy to change and I recommend starting with a small amount of green food coloring and increasing it based on preference.
If you would rather not use food coloring, you can skip this step and it won't affect the outcome of the mint cheesecake layer whatsoever.
RELATED: White Chocolate Mint Chip Cookies
The mixture is then spread evenly on the brownies. To make this easier, I place parchment paper on top of the cheesecake filling and gently roll from the middle out using a small glass. This helps spread the filling without getting any of the filling stuck to your fingers and having it pull away from the brownie layers.
The cheesecake filling needs to cool for about 2 hours before adding the ganache frosting. It's important to allow this layer to chill and become firm so that the chocolate ganache doesn't seep down into the mint cheesecake filling layer.
The ganache is very easy to make and all you need is a saucepan and the three ingredients to do it. The ingredient's are melted together until smooth and creamy and then it is allowed to cool for 15 minutes before pouring into the middle layer.
It is important not to pour it on while hot because it will melt and and blend into the middle layer.
The mint chocolate brownies should be placed back into the refrigerator for at least an hour before slicing into bars.
📖 Recipe
Mint Chocolate Brownies
Equipment
Ingredients
Brownie Layer
- ½ cup butter - unsalted, sliced into pats
- 4 oz dark chocolate bar
- 2 eggs
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- ¼ cup cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¾ cup all purpose flour
Mint Layer
- 2 tablespoon butter - unsalted, softened
- 3 oz cream cheese - softened
- ¼ teaspoon mint extract
- 3 tablespoon heavy cream
- 3 cups confectioner's sugar
- Green food coloring
Ganache Topping
- ⅓ cup heavy cream
- 1 ⅓ cup dark chocolate chips
- 2 tablespoon butter - unsalted
Instructions
Brownie Layer
- Preheat the oven to 350°F
- Grease and line an 8x8 baking dish with parchment paper.
- In a saucepan over medium-low heat, melt the dark chocolate bar and the butter. Stir until completely melted and remove from heat.
- Combine the granulated sugar, eggs, cocoa powder, vanilla extract, and salt together in a bowl.
- Add in the all-purpose flour as well as the cooled melted chocolate mixture.
- Mix until all ingredients are combined.
- Transfer to the prepared baking dish and bake for 30 minutes.
- Remove from the oven and allow it to cool for one hour.
Mint Layer
- Combine the softened butter and the cream cheese together until creamy.
- Add in the heavy cream and mint extract.
- Beat in the confectioner's sugar a little at a time.
- Add the green food coloring a little at a time until the desired color is reached.
- Transfer the filling to the brownie dish.
- To make spreading easier, cover with parchment paper and use a small glass to roll from the center outwards.
- Continue smoothing the layer until it is evenly layered on the brownie layer.
- Place in the refrigerator for 1 hour before topping with the ganache.
Ganache Layer
- Heat the 2 tablespoons of butter and the heavy cream on the stovetop in a small saucepan.
- Add the dark chocolate chips and stir to combine.
- Remove from the heat and stir to help the chocolate chips melt.
- Allow the ganache to sit for 15 minutes before pouring over the mint filling.
- Once the ganache has cooled for 15 minutes, carefully and evenly pour the mixture on top of the middle layer.
- Give the baking dish a little shake to help create an even layer.
- Place back in the refrigerator for 1 hour before slicing.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional information is an estimate based on third-party calculations. Actual values may vary due to ingredients, measurements, and serving sizes.
© Mama Needs Cake
Tried this recipe?
Let us know how it was!Dana is an experienced recipe creator who crafts easy and delicious recipes for all levels of home cooks.
Her recipes range from classic comfort foods to healthy and nutritious meals, and she is always on the lookout for new and exciting ways to bring flavor and variety to the table.
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