Grease an 8-inch square baking dish with nonstick cooking spray or line the pan with parchment paper. Preheat the oven to 350°.
In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, eggs, oil, vanilla extract, and salt. Stir well to combine. Pour this into the prepared dish.
½ cup unbleached, all-purpose flour, ½ cup granulated sugar, ⅓ cup unsweetened cocoa powder, 2 egg, ¼ cup neutral oil, ½ teaspoon vanilla extract, ¼ teaspoon salt
Bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until a tester comes out with a few crumbs attached. Cool on a rack.
To prepare the chocolate glaze, melt ¼ cup butter (½ stick) in a small sauce pot. Remove the pan from the heat and dump in the chocolate chips.
½ cup butter, 1 cup chocolate chips
As the chips start to melt in the hot butter, whisk until smooth. Allow this mixture to cool.
To prepare the mint layer, cream together the powdered sugar and the remaining ¼ cup butter (½ stick).
1 cup powdered sugar
Add the half and half and peppermint extract and whip until light and fluffy. Spread this mixture over the cooled brownie layer.
1 tablespoon half and half, 1 teaspoon peppermint extract
Spread the cooled chocolate glaze over the mint layer. Chill for about an hour or until ready to serve.
Notes
Nutritional values are approximate and account for 1/16 the recipe. Store leftovers at room temperature for up to 4 days. Store in the fridge during warm weather.To freeze: You can freeze these Chocolate Mint Brownies for up to a month. Simply wrap well and store in the freezer. To serve: thaw, slice, and serve.
Variations
There are so many ways you can tweak these double Chocolate Mint Brownies! Consider one of these options:
Green Mint Brownies - Add a bit of green food coloring to the buttercream if you'd like a green layer.
Mint Chocolate Chip Brownies - Stir mini chocolate chips or chocolate shavings into the buttercream before spreading it on the brownies.
Mint Cream Cheese Brownies - substitute the buttercream layer with a half batch of our Fluffy Cream Cheese Frosting.
Gluten-free - substitute gluten-free baking mix for the flour in the brownie layer. Be sure to check that all other ingredients have no gluten warnings.
Anne's original, boozy version - Substitute 2 tablespoons creme-de-menthe for the mint extract in the buttercream layer.