Showing posts with label Mint Chocolate Squares. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Mint Chocolate Squares. Show all posts

Wednesday, March 19, 2008

Chocolate Mint Squares...Or Is It Mint Chocolate Squares?

It was a tough call, on a Tuesday evening, after a lousy day at work, whether to go for back to back classes of Body Pump and Body Combat, or veg out a bit and only go for one class... Then I happen to glance at the book that I bought at the MPH sale, THE GOLDEN BOOK OF CHOCOLATE, and flipped the page to a bookmarked "Mint Choc Squares" recipe. I just needed to "mix" something, stir up something....it can be very theraupeutic. I can understand why witchcraft is such a popular hobby. All the stirring of cauldron and throwing in of ingredients into a boiling soup does wonders for the soul.

So, I was quite pleased to see that this particular recipe did call for some stirring, but not overbearingly so. Really wasn't in the mood for full fledged dodol or concrete.

To make the base, you need:
150gm flour (approx 1 cup)
2 tablespoons cocoa

1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 cup castor sugar

Sift the above ingredients, and rub in
2 tablespoons butter (I just chucked in about 50gm)

I just pulsed in the butter with the dry ingredients in a food processor.

Add in 1 egg beaten in 1/3rd cup water. It should form a thickish batter, almost like cookie dough, but less not as thick. I honestly expected my base to turn out like one large cookie. Spread evenly onto a 8"x8" square (obviously, if its 8 by 8 its a square la) tin, and bake for 15 minutes, in a 180C preheated oven.

Meanwhile, to make the mint filling:
Sift 350gm icing sugar
Add 2 -3 tablespoons of milk

Book called for 1 tablespoon peppermint liquer, but since I didnt have any (gasp!!! what a disgrace), I added 1/2 teaspoon of peppermint essence, which turned out a tad too strong, so maybe try 1/3rd.
Stir until the mixture becomes creamy and spreadable. I think I may have ended up adding too much milk, (I think I went up to 4½ tablespoons), which seems okay while spreading, but as I left it out of the fridge, it started melting.

For the Chocolate topping, use:
125 gm dark chocolate
60gm butter


Melt together on double boiler, OR microwave.

When the base has cooled, spread the mint filling, followed by the chocolate topping. I chose to refrigerate it awhile, as the choc topping was still runny.

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