These are unequivocally, hands down, NOT low carb. And they are unequivocally, hands down, NOT for me! Apparently I’ve come to the acceptance stage of being a diabetic, when I can make a decadent treat for other people and not be tempted to eat it. Okay, so I snuck a small taste of the batter, but only because it was on my finger when I was pouring it into the pan. And yes, I did try a tiny bit of the ganache from the spatula, but I had to make sure that the mint flavour was coming through. But that’s it! I unequivocally, hands down did NOT eat one of the peppermint patties. I swear.

I have made these delectable chocolatey-minty creations a number of times before, but this was the first time I actually tried to quantify what I did. And I can tell you from past experience that these are good. So very, VERY good. If you are a fan of the chocolate/mint flavour combination, these brownies will make you very happy. So very, VERY happy. The idea of putting York Peppermint patties into the middle of the batter came from a friend. Well, actually, I think it originally came from her husband. He of the “sex cookie” fame, as a matter of fact. I do believe that immediately after this conversation, I ran out to buy a big bag of peppermint patties so that I could make my first batch. But I couldn’t stop there. Oh no. I had to step it up a notch. I knew from the get go that I could not make these brownies without glazing them with a chocolate mint ganache. Because all brownies are better with a glaze, and when it comes to dessert, I don’t do things by halves!

You might wonder why, now that such decadence is forbidden to me, that I would risk temptation by making these now. Since I know just how good these are and can’t pretend to myself that they might not taste as good as they look (and smell), only a special occasion could warrant their recreation. And the occasion was the completion of my first half-marathon. But the brownies weren’t to reward me. They were to reward the lovely women of my local YMCA who watched my children three times a week as I trained. As a newly-minted stay at home parent, the childwatch services have been invaluable to me and my sanity. And the best part is that they all seem to actually like my children!

The Results: I didn’t actually taste this batch, beyond the few little tastes of batter and ganache. But they came out perfectly, as always. They smelled divine, of that I can assure you. They won rave reviews from the Childwatch ladies, my husband, my kids and my running partner. So I think I can safely say…YUM!

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Peppermint-Filled Brownies with Chocolate Mint Ganache

Brownies:
8 tbsp butter
2/3 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 cup sugar
2 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
2/3 cup flour
25 small York Peppermint Patties, unwrapped

Ganache:
2 tbsp butter
2/3 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 tsp peppermint extract

Brownies:
Preheat oven to 350F, and spray an 8-inch square pan with cooking spray.

In a small saucepan, melt butter and chocolate chips over low heat, stirring until smooth. Let cool slightly.

Whisk sugar, eggs, vanilla, baking powder and salt together in a large bowl. Whisk in melted chocolate. Stir in the flour and mix well.

Pour half of batter into prepared pan. Top with single layer of peppermint patties in five rows of five. Pour rest of batter over top and smooth, making sure to cover all of the peppermint patties.

Bake 20-25 minutes, or until set. I like my brownies somewhat soft and moist, so I take them out on the early side.

Cool in pan.

Ganache:
In small saucepan over low heat, melt butter and chocolate. Stir in peppermint extract until smooth.

Pour over cooled brownies and use knife or small off-set spatula to spread to the edges of the pan. Chill in fridge until topping is set. Cut into bars.

Serves 16 (although these are really decadent, so feel free to cut them into bite-sized brownies).

Carbs? Too many to count!!!