Chocolate Chocolate Chocolate Mint

When I received my email for this month’s challenge I was excited by the words assigned to me. I felt motivated to do something really special with them. Then I saw who submitted them. Karen of Baking In A Tornado, the mastermind and ringleader behind these fantastic challenges. I knew I had to try something new.

Summer has settled in here in the Northeastern US. The warm days outnumber the cool ones for the most part. The unending and bitter cold days of winter have faded and my yard has sprouted all sorts of goodies.

One of those goodies is chocolate mint. My best friend had gifted me a single plant a couple years ago and I planted it outside my kitchen door and, if we are being honest, showered it with an amazing amount of neglect. It did not seem disturbed in the least bit as a matter of fact it has flourished. I was determined to actually do something with it besides stopping to inhale it’s chocolaty minty goodness.

I have always preferred to cook with fresh ingredients, cooking from scratch over anything processed from a box. My husband’s multiple food allergies and Celiac’s shifted our eating years ago. I found that my four-month battle with morning sickness had left me lacking in motivation to create delicious foods for my family. This mint that perfumed my yard from my door all the way to my maple trees was a constant reminder that I should look as close to home as possible for inspiration.

As I picked the hundredth leaf of the season and rubbed it between my fingers, releasing the tummy soothing scent, it hit me. Gluten free brownies. Chocolate mint gluten free brownies. I had everything I needed so I got to work.

The biggest trick with gluten free (gf) baking is moisture/tenderness. GF goodies can quickly become dry and crumbly. I scoured the internet and no one had the recipe I wanted. I decided that I needed to create these brownies completely. I took guidance from a handful of recipes, my own experience with gf ingredients, and that amazing green mint growing feet away from me.

As I mixed and measured I felt my mind settle into the rhythm of baking. I no longer thought about my nausea or our impossibly tight budget. Instead, I thought about each ingredient and how they would work together to make a (hopefully) delicious treat for my family. I realized how much I love being in my kitchen and how much I had missed it. I was able to appreciate my family’s rejection of living a faster-is-better lifestyle and instead focusing on slower, simpler approach. As I stirred the batter and scrapped it into the pan I felt a sense of calm, a sense of deep gratitude for the little things.

Once the brownies had baked and cooled I called my family to come have a seat. It was the moment of truth. When someone you love takes a bite of something you made just for them and silence takes over, you know you succeeded. The reviews came pouring in after a quick chug of milk.

“These are some of the best brownies I have ever had!” My husband declared.

My daughter smiled at me when I asked her what she thought. “They are so good!” Her smile grew wider, “can I have more, Momma?”

Can’t argue with those reviews.

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 Chocolate-Chocolate-Chocolate Mint Gluten Free Brownies

Ingredients:

- ½ cup gluten free all purpose flour blend

- ½ cup unsweetened coca powder

- ¼ teaspoon gluten free baking powder

- ¼ teaspoon salt

- ¾ cup PLUS 2 tablespoons granulated cane sugar

- ½ cup softened unsalted butter (1 stick)

- 2 large eggs

- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

- 1 cup chocolate chips (I used dark)

- ¼ cup chopped fresh chocolate mint

Prep:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F/ 176 degrees C for metal pan or 325 degrees F/ 163 degrees C for glass pan

Grease 8x8-inch pan with butter or coconut oil

Batter:

Sift together gf flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, salt and sugar. Set aside.

In large mixing bowl combine butter, eggs, vanilla and chocolate chips. Mix until well combined.

Slowly stir in dry mixture. Batter will be thick and fudgey. Gently mix in chopped mint leaves.

Scrap batter into greased pan.

Bake for 22 minutes, making sure you do not over cook as brownies will become hard. Cool in pan for 15-20 minutes before cutting and serving.

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My words were: wider ~ faster ~ disturbed ~ unending ~ motivated ~ trees

They were submitted by:  http://Bakinginatornado.com

This post is part of the Use Your Words Challenge. Participating bloggers picked 4 – 6 words or short phrases for someone else to craft into a post. All words are to be used at least once and all the posts will be unique as each writer has received their own set of words. That’s the challenge, here’s a fun twist; no one who’s participating knew who got their words and in what direction the writer will take them. Until now.

Check out the other fabulous participants here:

http://bakinginatornado.com                                Baking In A Tornado

http://spatulasonparade.blogspot.com/                          Spatulas on Parade

http://stacysewsandschools.blogspot.com/                      Stacy Sews and Schools

http://berghamchronicles.blogspot.com/                      The Bergham’s Life Chronicles

http://thethreegerbers.blogspot.ch/                    Confessions of a part-time working mom

http://www.someoneelsesgenius.com                     Someone Else’s Genius

http://batteredhope.blogspot.com                      Battered Hope

http://www.healingtomato.com                         Healing Tomato

http://www.eviljoyspeaks.wordpress.com             Evil Joy Speaks

http://thesadderbutwisergirl.com                       The Sadder But Wiser Girl