From Thin Mint Girl Scout Cookies to Mint Chip Ice cream to Peppermint Patties, chocolate and mint have proven they belong together as one of the world's most compatible flavor combinations. I'm adding another fabulous chocolate mint treat into the mix with these delectable Chocolate Mint Brownie Cups.
Let's dive in!
Please note: Eagle Brand® Sweetened Condensed Milk has sponsored this content. All opinions are my own.
A wonderful new Chocolate Mint Recipe
In creating a new chocolate mint recipe, I wanted something relatable and accessible to the home baker. There are a few components to this recipe, however, each one comes together rather easily.
I intended the brownie recipe to mimic that of a boxed brownie mix in terms of the sturdy yet chewy texture it creates. And, a little shortcut for you with this recipe if you are short on time or don't have the necessary ingredients to make the brownie recipe below- just use a boxed brownie mix instead!
It'll save you time and you'll still end up with a delicious chocolate mint brownie cup. And believe you me, no judgment whatsoever for making life easier! I'm all for that.
The best chocolate ganache
To take these chocolate mint brownie cups up a notch, I added a rich chocolate ganache to the brownies before adding the mint whipped cream.
To make the chocolate ganache extra special, instead of using a basic ganache recipe where hot heavy cream is poured over chocolate, I added in sweetened condensed milk.
This gives the chocolate ganache an added layer of richness and sweetness that creates the perfect contrast with the chewy brownie and the airy whipped cream. It's the little things that make the biggest difference, am I right?
I find Eagle Brand® sweetened condensed milk to work perfectly in this chocolate ganache recipe.
You'll have some leftover ganache after you've filled all the brownie cups. Save this for drizzling on top of the mint whipped cream before serving. And eat the rest with a spoon!
Topping it all off with a light and fluffy mint whipped cream
Is there anything better than freshly made whipped cream? I don't think so. And for this brownie cup recipe, this is where it all comes together.
A few drops of peppermint extract, a bit of powdered sugar, and a few (optional) drops of green food coloring added to achieve that iconic soft mint green color make this the perfect topping for our brownie cups.
Homemade whipped cream is thicker and richer than store-bought and allows you to control the amount of sugar going in. The store-bought stuff has lots of other not-so-natural add-ins as well - no bueno especially when you can make it so easily yourself at home!
When it comes to the mint flavoring, definitely use peppermint extract versus spearmint for this recipe. Spearmint will taste more like toothpaste and we certainly don't want that ruining our perfect chocolate mint brownie cups.
Tips for Making Chocolate Mint Brownie Cups
- The best way to form brownie cups is to wait a few minutes after removing the brownies from the oven then, using a flat-bottomed shot glass or small drinking glass sprayed with a bit of cooking spray, press down into the middle of each brownie. Allowing the brownies to cool for a few minutes before forming the cups will prevent the brownies from falling apart in the middle because they are too warm. Waiting too long will make it difficult to press down on the brownies. I found waiting about 5 minutes is ideal
- If you have a hard time getting the baked brownie cups out of the muffin tin after they've cooled, run a butter knife or small offset spatula along the edges to loosen and carefully lift them out
- Be careful when whipping the heavy cream. Whipping it for too long will result in butter. You’ll know this has happened because the liquid will start separating from the solids and you’ll hear sloshing in the bowl. Keep an eye on the whipped cream and when it begins to look fluffy and forms stiff peaks when the whisk is raised out of the bowl, it's done
- Be sure to use peppermint extract rather than spearmint in this recipe. Spearmint tends to taste like toothpaste while peppermint extract will give you the true taste of mint we are after here
- You will have extra ganache and whipped cream. I highly recommend eating them straight outta their containers with a spoon. Together or separately, whatever you choose
- These brownie cups are best served just after assembling. If they won’t be served or consumed right away, keep brownies, ganache and whipped cream separate in the fridge until ready to serve then assemble and enjoy
Useful Kitchen Tools for Making This Recipe
Whisk Attachment for Stand Mixer
Like this recipe? Follow me on Pinterest for lots more recipes just like this one! And don’t forget to pin this recipe for later by clicking on one of the images below the recipe. Or, click on any of the images in this post to save to Pinterest.
For even more brownie recipes, give these a try:
Ingredients
Brownie Cups
- ⅓ cup unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder
- ½ cup + 2 tablespoons hot brewed coffee
- 2 ounces unsweetened baking chocolate chopped
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter melted
- ½ cup + 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 2 large eggs room temperature
- 2 large egg yolks room temperature
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2 ½ cups granulated sugar
- 1 ¾ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
Chocolate Ganache
- ¾ cup heavy cream
- 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate baking bars chopped or semi-sweet chocolate chips
- ⅓ cup Eagle Brand Sweetened Condensed Milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Mint Whipped Cream
- 16 ounces heavy whipping cream chilled
- ½ cup powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon peppermint extract
- green gel food coloring
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray two standard or mini muffin tins with nonstick cooking spray and set aside.
Make Brownie Cups
- In a large bowl, whisk together the cocoa powder and hot coffee until smooth.
- Add the chopped unsweetened chocolate and whisk until the chocolate is completely melted.
- Add in the melted butter and oil and whisk until fully incorporated.
- Add in the eggs, egg yolks, and vanilla extract and whisk until smooth.
- With a wooden spoon or rubber spatula, stir in the sugar first then the flour and salt until combined.
- Fill muffin tins ¾ of the way full. (for mini muffins, you’ll get about 36, for regular sized muffins, about 24).
- Bake until edges are set, but centers still look shiny and a bit wet - 15-18 minutes for minis, 20-22 minutes for regular sized.
- Allow to cool in pan for 5-8 minutes then press the back of a spoon or flat bottomed shot glass sprayed with nonstick spray into the center of each brownie to form a cup. Allow to cool in the pan.
Make Chocolate Ganache
- Place chopped chocolate in a medium-sized bowl and set aside.
- In a microwave safe bowl, add heavy cream and microwave for 45-60 seconds just until bubbling, not boiling.
- Pour hot cream over chocolate and allow to stand for 5 minutes then stir until smooth.
- Add sweetened condensed milk and vanilla, stirring to incorporate evenly.
- When brownies have cooled, add a spoonful of chocolate ganache to each cup, approximately ½ - 1 tablespoon.
- With the spoon spread the ganache up the sides of each cup.
- Place in the fridge for 20 minutes to set while you prepare the mint whipped cream.
Make Mint Whipped Cream
- In the bowl of a stand mixer with whisk attachment affixed, add cold heavy cream.
- Turn mixer on low, gradually increasing to medium speed for a total of 1-2 minutes.
- Once the cream starts to thicken, turn off the mixer and add in the powdered sugar.
- Turn the mixer on low again for a few seconds then gradually increase the speed to high.
- Once the cream begins to form peaks, turn it off and add in the peppermint extract and green food coloring.
- Resume whisking on high until food coloring has been evenly incorporated and the whipped cream has formed peaks that hold their shape.
- Fill a piping bag or tiptop bag with the corner cut off with whipped cream.
- Remove brownie cups from the fridge and pipe whipped cream into the center of each brownie cup on top of chocolate ganache (alternatively, spoon a dollop of whipped cream into the center of each brownie cup).
- Garnish with a drizzle of chocolate ganache and serve.
Notes
- You can use a boxed brownie mix instead of the brownie recipe listed here. Boxed brownies will cut down on time and still produce great results in this recipe
- Brownie cups can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 4 days
- Whipped cream is best when served right away. Stored unused whipped cream in the refrigerator in a tightly sealed jar for up to 3 days
Nutrition
Thank you to Eagle Brand for sponsoring this post!
Tasia ~ two sugar bugs
My husband is a HUGE chocolate and mint fan so I definitely need to make these for him! Thanks for a great recipe Kim!
Kim
I'm a huge fan of this flavor combo too! So excited you're going to make them!!