Nuh-UH!

I am stunned. Shocked. Speechless.

Peeps, speechless does not happen around here very often.

I am wading through all of your wonderful comments and I promise I will get to you all. Don't forget, the comments are open until midnight EST on Thursday, and I will draw a random winner on Friday.

I wish I could send you all something spiffy from MA, so...

How about a brownie? A brownie recipe maybe?

My Grasshopper Brownie recipe, now with new and improved whipped ganache, courtesy of Lauren!

A few years ago, a mom of a friend of my sis-in-law made a minty brownie concoction that my husband fell in love with. When he asked her what was in it, it included Creme de Menthe, and a bunch of stuff he didn't quite catch. He's not a baker, and we don't exactly stock Creme de Menthe, so - enter my ninja kitchen skills. The end result? Grasshopper Brownies.

Start by preparing your favorite brownie recipe. I have made them from scratch, but I'm still tweaking that one, so boxed it is.

I use the largest pan I have, 11x9. It makes the brownies thinner to begin with, but remember, they're getting two yummy layers of frosted goodness, so thin is good.

Using either a Silpat or parchment paper, do this:
Weird, I know, but trust me. Rather, trust Alton Brown, my guru of all things edible. This step is key to the easiest de-panning you will ever do. I also use a little baking spray on the ends not covered by the Silpat. Do not try to sub in wax paper, or you will end up with crayon flavored brownies.

I am the voice of experience on this one.

Fill 'er up, and bake as directed. Remember, it's thinner, so adjust accordingly!
Once the brownies are cooled, heat 1/2 cup heavy cream. I do this in the microwave on high for about 30 seconds . When warm, add 12 ounces of semi-sweet chips.
Stir...
Stir... You may need to put it back in the microwave, but only do so for 10 seconds at a time. Burnt chocolate is not yummy.

Keep stirring!
When it looks like this:
Stop stirring and park it in the fridge.

In a mixer, or mixing bowl with hand held beaters combine the following:

3 cups powdered sugar
1/3 cup water
1 tablespoon butter, melted
Green food coloring
2 tablespoons peppermint extract
(You can add more or less, but take it easy or you will be exuding minty freshness for days!)
Whip until it is the consistency of frosting. This may require adding a little more powdered sugar or water until it's just right.

Use a light touch.
Plop - technical term of course - on top of the cooled brownies.
And spread with an offset spatula, if possible.
Dipping the spatula in warm water will help keep the frosting from sticking and will spread it more evenly.

Your ganache should be cool, and starting to chill and almost become firm around the edges.

Time to whip it!

Action shot!
It will become lighter as you whip in more air.

Scrape your bowl...
And plop again.
Spread again, and return to fridge to firm up.
Pause to lick spatula.
Then clean up the mess you made while whipping.
When the ganache is firm, run a small knife around just the ends of the pan where the Silpat does not reach.
I couldn't photograph the next step, but grab the edges of the Silpat and wiggle just slightly.

Lift and...

TA-DA!
Easiest de-panning ever!

Slice...
And serve with milk. Or coffee. Or actual Creme de Menthe if that's your thing.
What wine goes with chocolate minty yumminess?

Enjoy!