St. Patrick’s Day Mint Brownies

For Ina Garten’s Outrageous Brownies:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Butter and flour a 12-by-18-by-1-inch baking sheet.

Melt together the butter, 1 pound of chocolate chips, and the bitter chocolate in a medium bowl over simmering water. Allow to cool slightly. In a large bowl, stir (do not beat) together the eggs, coffee granules, vanilla, and sugar. Stir the warm chocolate mixture into the egg mixture and allow to cool to room temperature. 

In a medium bowl, sift together 1 cup of flour, the baking powder, and salt. Add to the cooled chocolate mixture. Toss 12 ounces of chocolate chips in a medium bowl with ¼ cup of flour, then add them to the chocolate batter. Pour into the baking sheet.

Bake for 20 minutes, then rap the baking sheet against the oven shelf to force the air to escape from between the pan and the brownie dough. Bake for about 15 minutes more, or until a toothpick comes out clean. Do not overbake! Allow to cool thoroughly, then refrigerate.

Using an offset spatula, spread the mint buttercream over the brownies, and refrigerate again. Then, using a clean offset spatula, spread the ganache over the buttercream, and refrigerate again for at least 1 hour.

Use a knife run under a hot water tap (and dried on a towel) to cut the brownies into squares. These keep perfectly in the freezer.

For Mint Buttercream:

Place all the ingredients in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Beat on low speed for 30 seconds, then beat on medium-high speed for 2 minutes.

For Chocolate Ganache: 

Place the chocolate in a medium bowl. In a small saucepan over medium heat, bring the cream to a simmer. Pour the cream over the chocolate and let it stand for 1 minute. Stir the chocolate and cream together until smooth. Let the ganache cool to room temperature.