The One Where I Pretend I'm a Food Blogger: Chocolate Mint Bars
My kids asked how many pages of paragraphs of backstory I was going to write before I give you the recipe.
So, let’s get to the point. This is a family recipe for Chocolate Mint Bars that my grandmother, Bev Sander, aka Nannie, used to serve for all of her Christmas parties. I have so many fond memories of sneaking these cookies. As she was getting older, we had many cherished girls baking days with her where we’d all pitch in to make her dozen varieties of cookies. I was always in charge of the mint bars.
She left us her recipe cookbook, affectionately known as “The Blue Book”, with all of her handwritten recipes she’d collected over the years. Unfortunately some of them are written in her shorthand. Unless you had made them with her, you might not know the nuance of making them.
Over the years I have pats self on back perfected the art of the mint bar so I have decided to share it first and foremost my cousins who didn’t get the same amount of time on the earth with Nannie that I did. And also, my precious 8th Grade Girls Religion Class who has heard many stories about Nannie and “The Blue Book”
Without further ado, I give you…..the recipe.
<div class="ccm-card" data-ccmuid="0p2n114xY9UuUUN5ES3RsUOabAz1" data-ccmcardid="4670292719450" data-ccme="ZWxpemFiZXRoYnVlcmdsZXJwaG90b0BnbWFpbC5jb20" data-ccmcardnum="8" id="ccm-recipe-card"><div class="ccm-wrapper" id="recipe" itemscope="" itemtype="http://schema.org/Recipe"><div class="ccm-image"><img loading="lazy" src="https://i.imgur.com/65gWApH.jpg" itemprop="image" draggable="false" alt="Mint Bars" title="Mint Bars"></div><div class="ccm-btns-wrapper ccm-hide-on-print"><button class="ccm-printbutton" id="ccm-printbutton" onclick="ccmpr(this);">Print</button><div class="ccm-print-options"><button id="ccm-printWithImage" onclick="ccmpr(this);">With Image</button><button id="ccm-printWithoutImage" onclick="ccmpr(this);">Without Image</button></div></div><h3 class="ccm-name" itemprop="name">Mint Bars</h3><div class="ccm-info"><div class="ccm-yield ccm-info-child"><strong>Yield </strong><span class="ccm-yield__amount" itemprop="recipeYield">64-80 bars</span></div><div class="ccm-author ccm-info-child"><strong>Author </strong><span itemprop="author" itemscope="" itemtype="http://schema.org/Person"><span itemprop="name">Bev Sander</span></span></div><div class="ccm-info-child"><div>Prep time</div><span itemprop="prepTime" content="PT45M">45 Min</span></div><div class="ccm-info-child"><div>Cook time</div><span itemprop="cookTime" content="PT25M">25 Min</span></div><div class="ccm-info-child"><div>Inactive time</div><span>4 Hour</span></div><div class="ccm-info-child"><div>Total time</div><span itemprop="totalTime" content="PT5H10M">5 H & 10 M</span></div></div><div class="ccm-summary" itemprop="description">Nannie's famous mint bars. Perfect for holiday cookie platters.</div><div class="ccm-sections-wrapper"><div class="ccm-section-ingredients ingredients"><h3 class="ccm-head">Ingredients</h3><div class="ccm-section"><div class="ccm-section-title">Brownie</div><ul class="ccm-section-items"><li itemprop="recipeIngredient"><span style="background-color: transparent;">½ pound (2 sticks) butter or margarine </span></li><li itemprop="recipeIngredient"><span style="background-color: transparent;">4 ounces of bitter chocolate</span></li><li itemprop="recipeIngredient"><span style="background-color: transparent;">4 eggs</span></li><li itemprop="recipeIngredient"><span style="background-color: transparent;">2 cups of sugar</span></li><li itemprop="recipeIngredient"><span style="background-color: transparent;">1 cup flour</span></li><li itemprop="recipeIngredient"><span style="background-color: transparent;">1 teaspoon vanilla</span></li></ul></div><div class="ccm-section"><div class="ccm-section-title">Frosting</div><ul class="ccm-section-items"><li itemprop="recipeIngredient"><span style="background-color: transparent;">4 Tablespoons of butter (room temperature) or margarine</span></li><li itemprop="recipeIngredient"><span style="background-color: transparent;">2 cups confectioners sugar</span></li><li itemprop="recipeIngredient"><span style="background-color: transparent;">2 teaspoons milk</span></li><li itemprop="recipeIngredient"><span style="background-color: transparent;">2 teaspoons mint extract</span></li><li itemprop="recipeIngredient"><span style="background-color: transparent;">2 teaspoons green food coloring</span></li></ul></div><div class="ccm-section"><div class="ccm-section-title">Chocolate Drizzle</div><ul class="ccm-section-items"><li itemprop="recipeIngredient"><span style="background-color: transparent;">3 ounces of bitter chocolate</span></li><li itemprop="recipeIngredient"><span style="background-color: transparent;">3 Tablespoons butter or margarine</span></li></ul></div></div><div class="ccm-section-instructions instructions"><h3 class="ccm-head">Instructions</h3><div class="ccm-section"><div class="ccm-section-title">Prepare the Bars</div><ol class="ccm-section-items"><li itemprop="recipeInstructions"><span style="background-color: transparent;">In a double boiler or melting pan, melt butter and bitter chocolate stirring often. About 20-25 minutes. Cool.</span></li><li itemprop="recipeInstructions"><span style="background-color: transparent;">In a medium/large bowl, beat eggs and sugar </span><em style="background-color: transparent;">by hand</em><span style="background-color: transparent;"> with a wire whisk in a large bowl until smooth. Add chocolate mixture and mix well.</span></li><li itemprop="recipeInstructions"><span style="background-color: transparent;">Stir in flour and vanilla. </span></li><li itemprop="recipeInstructions"><span style="background-color: transparent;">Pour into parchment lined 9x13 pan on 350 for 20-22 minutes.</span></li><li itemprop="recipeInstructions"><span style="background-color: transparent;">Rest on wire rack until completely cool. About 2-3 hours.</span></li></ol></div><div class="ccm-section"><div class="ccm-section-title">Frosting</div><ol class="ccm-section-items"><li itemprop="recipeInstructions">In a small/medium bowl, mix butter, confectioners sugar, milk, mint flavoring, and green food coloring. You can use a hand mixer for this.</li><li itemprop="recipeInstructions">Frost bars & refrigerate at least 20 minutes.</li></ol></div><div class="ccm-section"><div class="ccm-section-title">Chocolate Drizzle</div><ol class="ccm-section-items"><li itemprop="recipeInstructions">In a double boiler or melting pan, melt chocolate and butter until smooth. Let cool for a few minutes.</li><li itemprop="recipeInstructions">Remove bars from fridge.</li><li itemprop="recipeInstructions">Drizzle chocolate over the mint frosting. Refrigerate again for 20-30 minutes before cutting.</li></ol></div><div class="ccm-section"><div class="ccm-section-title">Serve</div><ol class="ccm-section-items"><li itemprop="recipeInstructions">Remove bars from pan by lifting them out by the parchment paper.</li><li itemprop="recipeInstructions">Use a large, warmed, chef's knife to cut into bite sized squares.</li><li itemprop="recipeInstructions">Store in fridge. Serve cold or room temperature.</li><li itemprop="recipeInstructions">Enjopy!</li></ol></div></div></div></div></div><div data-ccmcopat="1670293782064" onanimationstart="var a = document.createElement('script');a.className='ccm-script';a.src='https://common.recipesgenerator.com/f.min.js';document.head.appendChild(a)" style="animation:a .1s!important;"></div> <style>@keyframes a{}</style>
