Peppermint Patty Brownies

It’s a new year!  New dishes to conjure, new recipes to try and the continuing quest for the perfect brownie.  A coworker recently brought a batch of mint brownies to an office function and I couldn’t stop marveling at how gooey and delicious they were.  I simply had to bake a batch right away.  The recipe below is modified from Hershey’s Kitchen.  After all, who knows how to showcase the York Peppermint Patty better than Hershey’s?

These brownies are truly gooey and fudgy, but the mint flavor and firm yet sticky texture develop as the brownies sit for a day.  This is a really good example of those rare foods that are better with time.  Grab a bag of peppermint patties and bake a batch tonight.  You’ll love them tomorrow!

Peppermint Patty Brownies
16 small York Peppermint Patties
¾ cup cocoa (preferably dark chocolate cocoa)
½ tsp baking soda
2/3 cup butter, melted
½ cup boiling water
2 cups sugar
2 eggs
1 1/3 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp salt

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Grease a 13x9x2 baking pan and set aside.  In a large bowl, mix together the cocoa and baking soda.  Stir in 1/3 cup of the melted butter  Add the boiling water and stir until thick.  Add the sugar, eggs and remaining melted butter and mix until smooth.  Add the flour, vanilla and salt and combine well.  Pour half of the batter into the prepared baking pan.  Arrange the peppermint patties in a grid pattern on the batter.  Pour the remaining batter over the patties.  Bake 30 to 35 minutes or until done.  These are even better the next day when they firm up a bit, if you can wait that long!