Chocolate Peppermint Brownies

I made this before Christmas, to give to the kids' teachers at church and to our neighbors.  They have quite a Christmas-y look about them, so if I did make them again, it wouldn't be til next Christmas.  But they were good (of course we sampled them before sending them out into the world...).  This recipe came from the Better Homes & Gardens Christmas cookbook I am working through.

Chocolate Peppermint Brownies
1/2 cup butter
2 (1 oz) squares unsweetened bakers chocolate
1 cup sugar
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1/2 cup flour
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup chopped pecans (left out due to: not everyone likes nuts in their brownies)
Peppermint Frosting (recipe follows)
1 tbsp butter
1 (1 oz) square unsweetened bakers chocolate

Melt 1/2 cup butter and 2 squares chocolate in large saucepan over low heat.  Remove from heat and let cool 10 minutes (I put the butter and chocolate in a microwave safe bowl and microwaved on high for 1 minute, then stirred until the chocolate melted...also I did not wait 10 minutes before proceeding to the next step).  Add sugar and eggs, stirring well.  Combine flour, baking powder, and salt; add to chocolate mixture, stirring well.  Stir in vanilla and pecans.

Spoon batter into a greased and floured 13x9 pan.  Bake at 350 for 20 minutes or until toothpick comes back clean.  Cool brownies completely on wire rack.  Spread with Peppermint Frosting (recipe follows).

Melt 1 tbsp butter and 1 chocolate square in small saucepan over low heat (again I used the microwave).  Remove from heat and let cool.  Spoon chocolate mixture into ziploc baggie and snip a tiny hole in one corner.  Pipe decorative design over Peppermint Frosting.  Cover and chill thoroughly (I didn't...).  Cut into 2x1 inch bars. 

Peppermint Frosting
1/4 cup butter, softened
2 cups powdered sugar
2 tbsp whipping cream
1 1/2 tsp peppermint flavoring
2 drops red food coloring

Beat butter at medium speed of an electric mixer until creamy; gradually add powdered sugar, beating well.  Add whipping cream, flavoring, and food coloring.  Beat until frosting is spreading consistency.  (I did it all by hand, I didn't want to get out my big Kitchen Aid just for this...it came out perfect anyway)

Okay.  So the brownies were not very thick.  I almost think the brownie portion could be doubled.  The frosting layer was as thick as the brownies.  But, the flavor combination was so yummy.  I was nervous about using unsweetened chocolate for the last step, but the sweetness of the frosting was perfect with it.  So these came out really good.  Way better than the last time I tried to make mint brownies, a few years ago, and I just bought "mint extract" and not specifically peppermint extract, and it tasted like I had made Toothpaste Brownies.  So yeah, these were way better than that.