Creme de Menthe Brownies

I have already told y'all about Thelma.

Many of Thelma's recipes are staples in our family.

Like these brownies.  Every party.  These brownies.  Without exception.

People.  They're ah-mazing.

Here's the breakdown.  Fudgy brownie.

Creme de menthe layer.

Ganache on top.

Must serve chilled.

Heavenly.

Here's the rules.  Don't overbake the brownies.  And then cool them completely before trying to schmear the creme de menthe layer on.  Also, I think this chocolate syrup is the key.

Creme de menthe: find it in a liquor store.  You probably figured that.  There are two types: clear and green.  If you buy the clear kind (like I did), then you need to add 2 drops of green food coloring.  If you buy the green kind, leave the food coloring out.

Ganache: don't overheat it.  You want it to be glossy and shiny.  If you overheat it, it will be dull and I will be mad at you.  Don't be dull is what I'm saying.

Chill them all together for several hours - overnight is even better - and then cut them into itty bitty squares to serve.

The smaller you cut them, the more you can eat!  You can make up the rules next time.

Go forth and be creme de menthed.  And don't have a party without them.

Creme de Menthe Brownies
Recipe from Thelma Linton

Brownies:
1 stick butter, softened
1 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
4 eggs
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup flour
16 oz. can Hershey's chocolate syrup (find this with the ice cream toppings)

Creme de Menthe Layer:
1/2 stick (4 T) butter, softened
2 cups powdered sugar
2 T creme de menthe
2 drops green food coloring (use only if you use clear creme de menthe; no food coloring necessary if you use green creme de menthe)

Chocolate Ganache:
1/2 stick (4 T) butter
1 cup (6 oz.) semi-sweet chocolate, chopped (or use chips)

For the brownies, cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy - about 3-4 minutes with an electric mixer.  Add the vanilla and mix.  Add one egg at a time and mix completely after each addition.  Add the salt and mix.  Add the flour alternately with the chocolate syrup, beginning and ending with the flour.

Pour brownie batter into a greased 9x13 baking dish.  Bake in a 350 degree oven for 24-25 minutes (do not overbake!).  A knife inserted in the middle should have a few moist crumbs sticking to it.  Allow the brownies to cool completely.

For the creme de menthe layer, cream together the butter, powdered sugar and creme de menthe until smooth.  If you used clear creme de menthe, then add two drops of green food coloring and mix until incorporated.  Spread evenly on the cooled brownies.

For the chocolate ganache layer, place a heat-proof bowl (I use a Pyrex bowl for this) over a pan of simmering water.  Do not let the water touch the bottom of the bowl.  Melt the butter and chocolate in the bowl until smooth and shiny.  Stir it often.  Pour it on top of the creme de menthe layer and smooth it evenly on top.

Refrigerate the brownies for at least 4 hours or overnight.  Cut into small squares and serve.

Fluffy Fruit Dip

I passed the bar exam, y'all.  What, like it's hard?  (Name that movie.)

That was on Friday.  So I celebrated with family on Friday night.  And had a wedding shower on Saturday morning.  And then celebrated again with more family on Saturday night.  And then went to a Passover Seder on Sunday night.

It was a fabulous weekend.  I'm hiding out at home trying to dig my way out from under the mound of laundry I found at my house.  Who wears all these clothes, anyway?

But I wanted to tell you about the shower.  It was wonderful, the bride is beautiful and sweet (two important qualities of a Southern girl).  We had yummy food, too!

The menu...

Broccoli-Cheddar Quiche
Quiche Lorraine
Country Ham on Butter Biscuits

Benedictine Sandwiches

Strawberries with Fluffy Fruit Dip

Party Punch (which I will be sharing soon)

Coffee (with cream and sugar, of course)

I love showers, for brides and babies alike.  Have a shower.  Or at least go make this food, because it's good enough to eat.

Fluffy Fruit Dip

8 oz. cream cheese, softened
1 cup powdered sugar
3 oz. box instant vanilla pudding
1 cup whole milk
8 oz. Cool Whip
Fruit, for serving

Beat together the cream cheese and powdered sugar.  Add the vanilla pudding mix.  Mix together.  Add the milk and mix well, scraping the sides of the bowl.  Fold in the Cool Whip gently, being careful to not deflate it.  Refrigerate until ready to serve.  Serve with a variety of fruit.

Benedictine Party Sandwiches

These little Benedictine sandwiches were the star at our last party.  Every last triangle was eaten.

Who knew white bread with green filling could be so good?  This lady knew:

Meet Thelma Linton.  She was a caterer in Harrodsburg, Kentucky, for about 150 years.  She's a legend.

And she inspired some of our party food, including the Benedictine sandwiches.  For anyone who isn't familiar with Benedictine, it's a filling made with mayo, cream cheese, cucumber, onion and, yes, green food coloring.  And it's named after Mrs. Benedict, who invented the sandwich.

So there you go.  A trip down memory lane for some and a small dose of Southern food history for others.

Start with the cream cheese, and make sure it's room temperature.

Beat it up with some mayonnaise and salt.

Now for the green food coloring.  You just need a few drops.  And yes, food coloring is an essential ingredient for Benedictine.  It's artificial in an old-fashioned, nostalgic kind of way.  So don't leave it out.

Now chop the cucumber and onions.  I don't normally peel cucumbers, but you must peel them for this.  Thelma will know if you don't.

Now chop them super tiny.

Meet Sam.  He's my opportunistic weiner-dog assistant.

And chop the onions into the same little tiny pieces.

No one wants to bite into a huge chunk of onion.  Well, I do, but I'm probably the only one.  So I tried to make this a pleasant experience for everyone.

Stir it all together!

This was so fantastically delicious, I'm going to have to make it again soon.  Party or not.

Take squishy white bread.  Note: sandwich bread (the bread that is actually square) works best for cutting the crusts off.  But I could only find old-fashioned white bread (with the rounded top) and it worked fine.

Be sure to only spread a thin layer of Benedictine spread on the bread.  These are supposed to be light sandwiches.  Like this:

This was my first sandwich, and I slathered on too much filling:

So just remember that more is not always better.  Just most of the time.

You can either cut the crusts off before filling them:

Or after filling them:

Either way works.  Just remember that these are addictive.  And that you will probably need more than you think you will.  And that you'll need two loaves of bread for this one recipe of Benedictine spread.  And that you'll probably eat two whole sandwiches while you're assembling them for the party.

Here's how we stored them: in a large tupperware with pieces of wax paper to separate the layers.

Now go forth and have a party!  And definitely make Benedictine sandwiches.  Thelma says they go well with pimento cheese, but we did ham biscuits instead.  Equally yummy.

Benedictine Party Sandwiches


2 8-oz. bricks of cream cheese, softened
1 English cucumber, peeled and minced
1 small onion, minced
2 T mayonnaise
1/4 tsp salt
3 drops green food coloring
2 loaves white bread

Beat the cheese, mayonnaise and salt with a hand mixer.  Fold in the rest of the ingredients with a spatula.  Make sandwiches with white bread.  Cut the crusts off with a serrated knife and cut into triangles.  Wrap in plastic wrap and store in the refrigerator until ready to serve.