The first bag was NESTLÉ® TOLL HOUSE® DELIGHTFULLS™ MINT FILLED MORSELS. I was delighted when I found on VeryBestBaking.com by Nestle this recipe. I had all the ingredients with the exception of the Nescafe Taster's Choice instant coffee granules, but I did have Starbuck's Via which I thought would be nearly an equal (if not better) substitute. I was baking them for my church small group gathering that evening and ran out of time to make the coffee glaze (not to mention, I ran out of instant coffee). But they turned out "delightfull" and my friends really enjoyed them. Hope you will bake some for yourself! Here is the recipe:
MOCHA BROWNIES WITH MINT FILLED DELIGHTFULLS™
INGREDIENTS
1 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 cup baking cocoa
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) butter
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
3 large eggs
2 tablespoons instant coffee granules, dissolved in 1 tablespoon hot water
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups (9-oz. pkg.) NESTLÉ® TOLL HOUSE® DelightFulls™ Mint Filled Morsels, divided
Coffee Glaze (optional - see recipe below)
INSTRUCTIONS
Preheat oven to 350° F. Line 13 x 9-inch baking pan with foil. Lightly grease. Combine flour, cocoa and baking soda in small bowl. Melt butter in large, microwave-safe bowl on HIGH (100%) power until melted. Stir in sugar. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Stir in coffee granule mixture and vanilla extract. Gradually stir in flour mixture. Fold in 1 cup DelightFulls morsels. Spread into prepared baking pan. Sprinkle remaining 1/2 cup DelightFulls morsels over batter.
Bake for 28 to 31 minutes or until wooden pick inserted near center comes out slightly sticky. Cool completely in pan on wire rack.
If desired, drizzle with Coffee Glaze. Allow to set slightly. Lift out by foil edges to cutting board. Carefully remove foil. Cut into bars. Store in airtight container.
For Coffee Glaze:
Dissolve 1/2 teaspoon instant coffee granules and 1 tablespoon hot water in small bowl. Stir in 1/2 cup powdered sugar and 1 1/2 teaspoons baking cocoa until smooth.
So, for the second tasty treat, I had a bag of NESTLÉ® TOLL HOUSE® DARK CHOCOLATE & MINT MORSELS (like I said, must have been a sale or had a coupon). Really wanting to stay away from the usual cookie, I looked a bit online and then thought up how I wanted to use them. Since they were so old that the cocoa butter had begun to appear on the chocolate morsels, they looked spotty and unappetizing. I knew that they were still good to eat but would be best melted down so that the cocoa butter could mix back in. I decided to melt almost the entire bag of morsels in the microwave (picking out a few of the mint morsels for decoration). The best way to melt morsels in the microwave is in 20 second intervals - stirring well between intervals.
 |
| Mint Chocolate Brownie Bites |
After having melted the morsels, I needed to put them in something. What better treat to add a spark of chocolate mint to than brownie bites! I usually almost always have a box of brownie mix in my pantry (never know when I'll be invited to a party and need to bring something). So, I mixed up just a regular fudge brownie box mix and poured it up in a mini muffin pan (with cute brown and green liners). Then I took a small spoonful of melted chocolate and added a dab to each brownie bite, swirling it in to the brownie mix with a toothpick each time. Once they were baked I topped each bite with 1-2 mint morsels and let them cool. They turned out well with the exception of a hollow spot in a few. Once again, the mint chocolate combo is always a winner!
As a bonus, I'll share with you a new drink I created that goes along with this theme of mint chocolate. Basically, I discovered that if I added 8oz of Pure Peppermint tea to one package of Hot Cocoa Mix I get a delicious hot minty chocolaty beverage! I bought a box of Twinings Pure Peppermint tea Keurig K-cup pods at a local discount store and didn't really care for the tea that much by itself. It's a very strong peppermint flavor and I'm use to peppermint tea having other herbs in it. So when I thought of adding it to the hot chocolate it was the perfect blend!
Thanks for visiting my blog! Hope you're enjoying your week and living life the way it's "mint" to be lived!
