If your family’s idea of “going green” involves hefty hunks of pastel-sage ice cream speckled with delectable little chips, Feb. 19 is your day! The made-for-each-other merger gets its due on National Chocolate Mint Day. So why not indulge your sweet tooth a tad?
Whether it’s a tantalizing scoop or two, or something you whip up at home, this Friday is a perfect excuse to snap up this always-delish dessert. Here are a few recipes that have us lickin’ our collective chops!
Chocolate Mint Candy
No need to buy them at the store – you can make these chocolate mint candies from the Taste of Home right in your own kitchen. You’ll need plenty of semisweet chocolate chips, white candy coating, sweetened condensed milk and peppermint extract to get started. Create layers by melting half of the condensed milk with dark chocolate and the other half with white candy coating. These creamy chocolates take only 20 minutes to make – and even less time to eat!
Chocolate Mint Cookies
These chewy chocolate mint cookies from Nigella have just a hint of mint – even though your kids may not be able to tell just by looking at them. First make the chocolate cookies (no mint quite yet). As the cookies are cooling drizzle them a chocolate glaze spiked with peppermint essence.
Classic Mint Chocolate Brownies
Layered with dense, chocolatey brownies and topped with a double layer of smooth mint followed by smooth ganache, these classic mint chocolate brownies from Sally’s Baking Addiction will inspire ooos and ahhs from your family. The mint layer tastes almost like a frosting with its creamy mix of butter, confectioner’s sugar, milk, peppermint extract and a drop or two of green food coloring.
Chocolate Mint Cake
The cool flavor in this chocolate mint cake from Confessions of a Cookbook Queen comes from the frosting, not the rich, dark cake batter. The frosting is made with a generous helping of heavy cream, butter, mint extract and powdered sugar. Stir in mini chocolate chips and then frost!
Mint Chocolate Chip Cupcakes
Swirl a double dose of flavor using this recipe for mint chocolate chip cupcakes from My Baking Addiction. Creating the duotone frosting is easier than it looks – place each of the different frosting flavors in their own piping bag and then place both into one before adding the piping nozzle. Then frost away. Don’t forget to sprinkle with mini chocolate chips.
Chocolate Mint Brownie Milkshake
You need a drink to go along with your dessert, right? What about this chocolate mint brownie milkshake from Two Peas and Their Pod? Chop up chunks of chewy brownies to blend with mint chocolate ice cream and milk. Top with plenty of whipped cream.
‘Thin Mint’ Cake Balls
Here’s another fun loving “rip-off” spin on a blue-moon marvel. When you can’t get your hands on the Girl Scout Cookies fave, replicate it in your own kitchen. We adore the Dine & Dish blog’s cupcake-casing presentation of these wee cake balls. It uses a cake recipe from I Am Baker – which means you can also easily transform these babies into bonafide cupcakes (green frosting and Jimmies, anyone?).
Magic Mint Chocolate Bark
A swirly pattern lends this tasty treat mesmerizing appeal. This one gets mega points for simplicity, too: All you need are some dark chocolate and mint morsels, chopped almonds (or crumbled pretzel pieces) – and an oven to bake up your “bark.” As Wayne’s World‘s Garth might say: Woof!