This is the best Crème de Menthe Brownies recipe ever! Rich, chocolate brownies topped with cool, sweet Crème de Menthe buttercream frosting. A fresh and dreamy dessert that’s perfect for St. Patrick’s Day – or any other day, for that matter.
Chocolate and mint. Whoever first thought of combining those two flavors deserves a medal! Whether it’s Girl Scout Cookies, ice cream, or hot cocoa, chocolate and mint are made for each other!
The rich, chocolate brownie provides the base for this great dessert, and the refreshing mint frosting adds a cool, magical zing to every bite. Kids call them “crème de mint” brownies. We just call them delicious!
The St. Patrick’s Dat Brownies are hard to resist. The Crème de Menthe syrup gives a delightful green hue to the frosting, setting the mood for St. Patrick’s Day, Christmas, Springtime, or anytime! And because the syrup is non-alcoholic, you could have lots of fun incorporating these treats into kids’ birthday party themes – Martian Green Space Brownies? Zombie Bars?
INGREDIENTS – WHAT YOU NEED
Crème de Menthe Brownies are made with unsweetened chocolate, butter, eggs, sugar, all-purpose flour, table salt, vanilla extract, and chocolate chips. The frosting is made from powdered sugar, butter, half & half, Crème de Menthe Syrup, and walnuts (optional). The frosting is made from powdered sugar, butter, half-and-half, green Crème de Menthe syrup, and walnuts (optional).
HOW TO MAKE CRÈME DE MENTHE BROWNIES
BROWNIE RECIPE
Combine unsweetened chocolate and butter in a small, heavy saucepan. Cook over low heat, stirring constantly until melted.
Let stand 10 minutes.
Beat eggs at medium speed with an electric mixer until thick and lemon-colored. Gradually add sugar, beating well.
Add flour, salt, vanilla, and unsweetened chocolate mixture to the eggs at low speed 1 minute. Do not overmix.
Spoon mixture into a lightly greased and floured 13 x 9 x 2 pan.
Bake at 350 degrees (F) for 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick poked into the center comes out clean with no batter stuck to it. Please remove the brownie pan from the oven before doing the toothpick test.
Cool 20 minutes; spread Crème de Menthe frosting over top. Chill at least 4 hours.
After the 4 hours are up and the brownies are completely cooled, melt 3/4 cups chocolate chips.
Drizzle melted chocolate over a frosting layer of brownies, or pipe in the desired design. The chocolate will harden on contact with the cooled frosting layer so you will want to cut bars immediately.
Remove from pan and chill for at least 1 hour. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
FROSTING RECIPE
Combine all ingredients except walnuts in a mixing bowl.
Beat with an electric mixer on High until smooth.
Stir in the walnuts, if desired.
WHAT IS CRÈME DE MENTHE?
Crème de Menthe is a liquid extract made from intricately steeped Corsican mint leaves, filtered and sweetened, and colored green. This recipe uses a super-convenient version of Crème de Menthe syrup pre-made by Torani (makers of all kinds of specialty syrups like Pumpkin Spice and Salted Caramel).
Some other yummy and easy recipes with chocolate are Triple Chocolate Zucchini Bread and Freezer-Friendly Double Chocolate Zucchini Muffins.
DO CRÈME DE MENTHE BROWNIES HAVE ALCOHOL?
This recipe uses delicious Crème de Menthe syrup made by Torani, which contains no alcohol.
CAN YOU FREEZE CRÈME DE MENTHE BROWNIES?
As much as I love using my freezer for make-ahead recipes, this one is best enjoyed fresh.
DO YOU NEED TO REFRIGERATE CRÈME DE MENTHE BROWNIES?
Because Crème de Menthe Bars feature a buttercream frosting, you’ll want to keep them refrigerated. Besides, the flavor of mint tastes great when it’s cooled!
WHERE DO I FIND CRÈME DE MENTHE SYRUP?
You can order it directly from Torani.com. Or buy it from good ol’ Amazon. You might also find it at Smart & Final stores. Be sure to buy the green-colored syrup to give your frosting that fun color.
PRO TIPS/RECIPE NOTES
To melt the chocolate chips, pour them into a microwave-safe bowl and heat for 30 seconds on high. Stir chips, then heat another 30 seconds. Stir again. Continue heating/stirring the bowl of chocolate chips in 30-second intervals until the chocolate is completely melted. Be careful, as your bowl will get hot!
A great way to add some extra coolness to this St. Patrick’s Day dessert is by going à la mode! A scoop of vanilla ice cream alongside your Crème de Menthe brownie should earn you a chef’s kiss from everyone in your family.
Depending on the circumstances, you may want to cut the Crème de Menthe Brownies in half or even in fourths. This lets your dessert stretch further when you’ve got a larger crowd. This strategy works well when your dessert is one of several options on the table. People LOVE to sample. And smaller portions are great for kiddos. If you’ve ever come across a half-eaten piece of cake or donut, you know what I’m talking about.
WHAT OTHER DELICIOUS DESSERTS CAN YOU MAKE?
- Make this fantastic Apple Pie Recipe.
- Create this incredibly delicious Coconut Berry Trifle.
- Bake this yummy Old Fashioned Pumpkin Pie
- Make this amazing Bavarian Cream Puff Recipe.
- Create these Freezer-Friendly No-Bake Mini Cheesecakes.
- Bake these Chewy Ginger Molasses Cookies.
If you make this Crème de Menthe Brownies recipe, I would love to see it! Snap a picture of it and share it with me on Instagram using the hashtag #happymoneysaver and tagging me @happymoneysaver.
Creme De Menthe Brownies
Ingredients
Brownie
- 4 1 oz. squares unsweetened chocolate
- 1 cup butter
- 4 eggs
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/2 tsp. table salt
- 1 tsp. vanilla extract
Crème de Menthe Frosting
- 3/4 cup chocolate chips melted (milk chocolate or semi-sweet)
- Frosting Ingredients:
- 4 cups powdered sugar sifted
- 1/2 cup butter softened
- 1/4 cup half-and-half
- 1/4 cup green Crème de Menthe Torani syrup
- 1 cup finely chopped walnuts optional
Instructions
Brownie Recipe
- Combine unsweetened chocolate and butter in a small, heavy saucepan. Cook over low heat, stirring constantly until melted.
- Let stand 10 minutes.
- Beat eggs at medium speed of an electric mixer until thick and lemon-colored. Gradually add sugar, beating well.
- Add flour, salt, vanilla, and unsweetened chocolate mixture to the eggs at low speed for 1 minute.
- Spoon mixture into a lightly greased and floured 13 x 9 x 2 pan.
- Bake at 350 degrees (F) for 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick poked into the center comes out clean with no batter stuck to it.
- Cool 20 minutes; spread creme de menthe frosting over top. Chill for at least 4 hours.
- After the 4 hours are up and the brownies are completely cooled, melt 3/4 cups chocolate chips. Drizzle melted chocolate over frosting layer of brownies, or pipe-in desired design. The chocolate will harden on contact with the cooled frosting layer so you will want to cut bars immediately.
- Remove from pan and chill for at least 1 hour. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
Frosting Recipe
- Combine all ingredients except walnuts in a mixing bowl.
- Beat with an electric mixer on high until smooth.
- Stir in the walnuts, if wanted.
Notes
Nutrition
This recipe was first posted on March 3, 2014, but has been updated with new photos and better-detailed instructions and tips on March 17, 2022.
Yum! Thinking about making this for my sister’s upcomming baby shower.
I need these for a wedding can they be made in advance and frozen?
I haven’t made them ahead and frozen them before… so for a wedding I’d just make them a day or two ahead instead and keep covered & refrigerated.
Can these be made alcoholic by using real creme de menthe instead of the creme de menthe torani syrup? Thank you!
Honestly I am not sure. You may have to experiment with that!
Just curious, but do you have a recipe for home made Chocolate Fudge Brownies without frosting?? I have kids that love brownies and I am having a tough time finding one that is home made and taste good. Love your site and creative thinking!
I don’t have one posted but you have definitely given me a great idea…. 🙂
Okay, these are too tempting! I am going to go make them RIGHT now!!!
was just wondering after reading the recipe for the mint frosting bit what half and half is . not heard that term before
Half and half is a mixture of one part milk to one part cream. It it usually found in the dairy section of the grocery store or you can make it yourself if you have milk and cream!
Mmm, looks good, Karrie! My mom makes a variation of these brownies ever Christmas and they are delicious! She uses actual creme de menthe and gelatin for the middle frosting. It punches up the protein factor of the brownies a little bit. 🙂 I am looking forward to trying your version!!!