*Healthier* Crème de Menthe Brownies

When anyone asks me what my favorite food is…brownies is always my reply. And crème de menthe brownies are at the top of my list! Crème de menthe brownies are made up of three decadent layers:

A fudgy brownie base
A mint buttercream icing made with crème de menthe mint liqueur, and
A rich chocolatey topping

Think Andes mints, but in brownie form.

It is a dessert recipe passed down that my mom still makes every year at Christmas. When I grew up and moved out on my own, I naturally asked my mom for the recipe. The brownie base of the original recipe called for a 16 oz can of Hershey’s Chocolate Syrup. Picture me in the grocery store calling my mom: “where can I find a can of Hershey’s syrup”? (In the early days of living on my own, calling my mom in the grocery store was a normal occurrence to help me find things.) “I don’t think they sell it in a can form anymore,” she replied. “Just buy it in the plastic squeeze bottle and estimate how much 16oz would be.”

Fast forward several years where I now read the ingredient list on the back of every label. I cringe while reading the ingredients on a Hershey’s Syrup bottle: high fructose corn syrup, corn syrup, sugar…lots of other ingredients I don’t know how to pronounce to "maintain freshness” and the clincher…”artificial flavor” (i.e., undisclosed synthetic chemical). No thank you!

In recent years, I have found a new favorite healthier brownie recipe using zucchini that is amazing!!! For a while now, I’ve been wanting to combine these brownies with the crème de mint icing and chocolate layers on top. This year (thank you, food blog) I finally did it. My favorite holiday dessert that I can feel good about eating! I even made a Christmas tree version of these to bring over to a friend’s Christmas party this year.

If you think i’m crazy for adding zucchini to my brownies…try it before you judge. Before adding the zucchini, your batter will feel so dry that you’ll think I’m am crazy. THEN, once the zucchini is completely mixed in, you will see (and taste!) how mind-blowing the brownie batter is! The original recipe called for 1.5 cups of sugar. My recipe replaces half the sugar with monk fruit sweetener to reduce the actual sugar content of the brownies. I also use dark chocolate chips sweetened with stevia to bring down the overall sugar content. If you want to make these brownies on their own without the mint & chocolate layers, I recommend stirring in 1.25 cups of dark chocolate chips into the batter after the zucchini is added. This is what I did for the Christmas tree brownies pictured above.

Check out how much zucchini are in these brownies!

A few more comments:

Each layer of these brownies must cool before you add the next. I recommend to make these a day in advance of when you plan to enjoy them.

Store the brownies in the fridge in an enclosed container. These brownies are best enjoyed straight from the fridge.
Cut as you eat them. That way they don’t dry out.

I hope you enjoy my heathier spin on the vintage crème de menthe brownie! The photos are of two brownies (‘cause I know you will go back for seconds).

Ingredients:

Brownie Base

1/2 cup coconut oil, melted
3/4 cup sugar or brown sugar
3/4 cup monk fruit with erythritol sweetener (or could use regular sugar here)
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup cocoa powder
1.5 tsp baking soda
1 tsp sea salt
3 medium zucchini, unpeeled & grated (about 3 packed cups) (do not drain the valuable liquids)
Crème de Menthe Icing
2 cups powdered sugar
1/2 cup (113 g) unsalted grass-fed butter, softened
1/4 cup green crème de menthe liqueur
Chocolate topping

1 cup dark chocolate chips (I use Lily’s brand which is sweetened with stevia)
6 Tbsp (85 g) unsalted grass-fed butter

Instructions:

Preheat the oven to 350 F (175 C). Line a 9”x13” baking dish with parchment paper (otherwise it will stick!).
Combine dry brownie ingredients in a small bowl: flour, cocoa powder, salt and baking soda. Stir to mix.
In a larger mixing bowl combine the wet ingredients: melted coconut oil, sugar, monk fruit sweetener and vanilla. Stir to mix.
Combine the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients. Stir it all up. (The batter will seem dry at this point until the zucchini is added.)
Stir in the grated zucchini. Let everything sit for about 5 minutes (while you tidy up your kitchen). The batter will get moist and dense thanks to the zucchini’s natural moisture.
Pour into baking dish and bake for 30-35 minutes.
Remove from the oven and let it cool completely.
Once the brownies are completely cooled, whisk the powdered sugar, softened butter and crème de menthe together with a hand or stand mixer. Spread on top of the brownies. Let it sit in the refrigerator to cool.
In a small saucepan on low-medium heat, melt butter and chocolate chips together until smooth. Stir frequently to avoid burning the chocolate. Pour and spread over the green icing and place back in the refrigerator.