Grasshopper Bars

 

Chewy brownie+mint buttercream+chocolate glaze=surprisingly delicious.

I can never decide whether I like "grasshopper"y desserts. I love mint and chocolate together, but something about Crème de Menthe makes me...squeamish. It COULD taste medicinal, if the proportions weren't just right. And I've certainly had that experience. I thought, for just a moment (and then I remembered I should just trust the BAKED boys) that this was headed down that path. The brownie portion, I knew, would be perfect.

 

But then I started in on the buttercream. All went smoothly (I've even figured out why my buttercream sometimes doesn't work, and realized the surefire trick is to beat the living HECK out of it) until I added the Crème de Menthe and peppermint extract.

The smell wafting from the mixer bowl scared the daylights out of me. Doctor's office?  Maybe. I plugged away. Finished the buttercream. Tasted it. Divine. Subtle, minty, buttery flavor. Like these guys, which I love:

Together with the delightfully chewy, dense brownie layer and the smooth, ganache-like glaze on top, this is a perfect dessert. 

It's not too heavy, but it's not too light. It's beautiful to look at. 

And it contains chocolate. And a little bit of booze. What more could you want?!

The recipe is from this book. But a blogger has also posted it online. You know I'm still going to recommend that you go out and buy the book. You will not be sorry.

TGIP Rating--Grasshopper Bars--KEEPER. Also, not difficult at all.

Next up: I MADE the Chocolate Macarons, I just haven't BLOGGED about them yet. You get that next time.