Chocolate Mint Glaze Food

CHOCOLATE MINT SANDWICHES

Steps:

• Make cookies: Whisk together cocoa powder and flour in a bowl. Put butter and granulated sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix on medium-high speed until pale and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Mix in egg until well blended. Reduce speed to low. Add flour mixture; mix until just combined. Divide dough in half, and shape each half into a disk; wrap in plastic. Refrigerate until firm, about 1 hour (or overnight).
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Transfer dough to a work surface lightly dusted with confectioners' sugar. Roll out dough to 1/8 inch thick. Cut out cookies using a 2-inch round cookie cutter; space 1/2 inch apart on baking sheets lined with parchment paper. Repeat with remaining scraps of dough. Bake cookies until firm, rotating sheets halfway through, 10 to 12 minutes. Let cool completely on sheets on wire racks.
• Meanwhile, make ganache: Bring cream to a boil in a small saucepan over medium-high heat. Add chocolate. Cook, stirring constantly until chocolate is smooth. Stir in peppermint extract. Let cool slightly, 10 to 15 minutes.
• Spoon 1 teaspoon ganache onto the bottom of 1 cookie; sandwich with another cookie. Repeat with remaining cookies and ganache. Refrigerate until firm, about 10 minutes.
• Make glaze: Melt chocolate in a heatproof bowl set over a pan of simmering water, stirring constantly. Let cool slightly. Dip one flat side of each sandwich into melted chocolate to coat; gently shake off excess. Place sandwiches, chocolate sides up, on wire racks set over baking sheets. Refrigerate until set, about 15 minutes.

MINT BUTTERCREAM FROSTING WITH DARK CHOCOLATE GLAZE

Steps:

• In a large bowl, cream 1 1/3 cups sugar with 1/2 cup butter or margarine, and salt. Blend extract, 2 tablespoons milk, and remaining sugar into mixture. Gradually stir remaining milk into frosting until desired spreading consistency is reached.
• Melt and stir unsweetened chocolate and 2 tablespoons butter or margarine together in a microwave, or in a double boiler. Double this glaze if desired.
• Frost cake. Pipe a frosting scallop at the top edge of the cake to keep glaze from dripping down the sides of the cake. Pour the glaze over the top of the cake. Chill until glaze has set.

DARK-CHOCOLATE MADELEINES WITH CHOCOLATE MINT GLAZE

Steps:

• In a small, heavy saucepan, heat the butter over medium heat until light golden brown and fragrant, about 5 minutes.
• Remove from the heat and stir in the cocoa powder.
• Strain the mixture and let cool until tepid.
• Meanwhile, melt the chocolate, and allow it to cool slightly.
• Sift the flour, baking powder and salt together into a small bowl and set aside.
• Place the eggs, egg yolk and the granulated sugar into a 4 1/2 -quart bowl of a heavy-duty electric mixer.
• Place the bowl with the eggs and sugar over a bowl of hot water to warm them, stirring frequently until the sugar begins to dissolve.
• Remove the bowl with the eggs and sugar from the water and dry off the bottom.
• Attach the bowl to the mixer and beat the egg mixture using the whisk attachment on medium-high speed until the mixture forms soft peaks when the beater is lifted.
• Beat in the vanilla extract.
• In a clean, grease-free bowl using a hand-held electric mixer, beat the egg whites on high speed until they form stiff but not dry peaks.
• Fold the dry ingredients into the egg-sugar mixture.
• Fold in the melted butter and chocolate. Finally, fold in the egg whites. Place the madeleine batter in the refrigerator to chill for 15 minutes.
• Place 2 racks in the lower half of the oven and preheat to 375 degrees.
• Butter and flour two 12-mold madeleine pans. Chill the pans briefly.
• Remove the pans and the batter from the refrigerator.
• Place a dollop of batter in each mold and smooth with an offset palette knife or spatula.
• Bake for 15 minutes, or until the center springs back when lightly touched.
• Do not overbake.
• Remove the madeleines from the molds and cool on a wire rack.
• To make mint-chocolate glaze, place chopped chocolate into a heat-resistant bowl.
• In a small saucepan, bring the heavy cream to a boil.
• Immediately pour the cream over the chocolate and let stand 1 minute before stirring.
• Stir gently until the chocolate is melted and combined.
• Stir in the mint extract.
• Using a pastry brush, generously glaze half of the shell side of each madeleine.
• Allow the glaze to set before wrapping in plastic or storing in an airtight container.

BROWNIES WITH A CHOCOLATE GLAZE AND MINT FROSTING

Steps:

• Put oven rack in middle of oven; set to 325°F.
• Construct a foil sling: Cut one 18" length foil and fold it lengthwise so that it is 8-inches wide.
• Fit foil into length of 9x13-inch baking dish, pushing it into corners and up sides of pan; allow excess to overhang pan edges.
• Cut one 14-inch length foil and, if using extra-wide foil, fold it lengthwise so that it is 12" wide; fit into width of baking pan in same manner, perpendicular to first sheet.
• Spray foil-lined pan with nonstick cooking spray.
• Whisk together flour, salt, and baking powder in medium bowl; set aside.
• Melt chocolate and butter in large heatproof bowl set over saucepan of almost-simmering water, stirring occasionally, until smooth.
• (Alternatively, in microwave, heat butter and chocolate in large microwave-safe bowl on high for 45 seconds, then stir and heat an additional 30 seconds. Stir again, and, if necessary, repeat in 15-second increments; do not let chocolate burn.) When chocolate mixture is completely smooth, remove bowl from saucepan and gradually whisk in sugar.
• Add eggs, one at time, whisking until thoroughly combined after each addition.
• Whisk in vanilla.
• Add about one third of flour mixture and fold with rubber spatula until almost fully incorporated; repeat with half of remaining flour, then all of remaining flour, folding until batter is completely smooth and homogeneous.
• Transfer batter to prepared baking pan; using spatula, spread batter into corners of pan and smooth surface.
• Bake until toothpick or wooden skewer inserted into center of brownies comes out with few moist crumbs attached, 30 to 35 minutes.
• Cool on wire rack to room temperature, about 2 hours.
• For the frosting: In standing mixer fitted with flat beater, beat butter and confectioners' sugar at low speed until just incorporated, then increase speed to medium and beat until smooth and fluffy, about 1 1/2 minutes.
• Add 1 tablespoon milk and mint extract and continue to beat until combined, about 30 seconds, adding up to 1 additional tablespoon milk if necessary to achieve soft, spreadable consistency.
• Using offset spatula, spread mint frosting evenly onto cooled brownies, cover with foil, and refrigerate until firm, about 1 hour.
• For the glaze: Melt chocolate and butter in medium heatproof bowl set over saucepan of barely simmering water, stirring occasionally, until smooth; set aside to cool slightly, about 10 minutes.
• Pour chocolate glaze on frosted brownies; using offset spatula, spread glaze into even layer.
• Cover with foil and refrigerate until firm, about 1 hour; remove brownies from pan by lifting foil overhang; cut into 2-inch squares and serve.
• (Store leftovers in airtight container in refrigerator).

CHOCOLATE MINT GLAZE

Steps:

• In the top of a double boiler set over simmering water, melt the chocolate, stirring occasionally, until smooth. Whisk in the water and creme de menthe all at once. Remove from the heat and stir until very glossy. Use immediately as a glaze for chocolate mint cake.

CHOCOLATE MINT CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Grease a large tube or bundt pan and dust the pan with the cocoa. Tap out excess cocoa and set the pan aside.
• Place the chocolate in the top of a double boiler set over simmering water. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the chocolate is smooth. Set aside to cool slightly.
• Sift together the flour, baking soda and salt and set aside. In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat together the butter, sugar and vanilla until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in the creme fraiche. Beat in the cooled chocolate.
• Remove the bowl from the mixer stand. Using a spoon, stir in the flour a little at a time, alternating with additions of milk and creme de menthe. Stir until smooth.
• Pour the batter into the prepared pan, smooth the top and bake until the cake is springy to the touch and just begins to pull away from the edges of the pan, 65 to 70 minutes. Cool in the pan for 10 minutes. Run a knife around the edges of the pan and invert the cake onto a rack to cool completely.
• When cooled, place the rack over a sheet pan. Pour chocolate mint glaze over the cake and smooth with a spatula. Transfer the cake to a platter and garnish with mint sprigs. Serve or refrigerate.

CHOCOLATE MINT CREAMS

Steps:

• Cream butter and confectioners' sugar until light and fluffy, 5-7 minutes. Add chocolate, egg and vanilla; mix well. In another bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, cream of tartar and salt; gradually add to creamed mixture, beating well. Divide dough in half; shape each half into a 2-in.-diameter roll. Wrap in waxed paper; refrigerate until firm, about 1 hour., Preheat oven to 400°. Unwrap dough and cut crosswise into 1/8-in. slices. Place 2 in. apart on ungreased baking sheets. Bake until edges are firm, 7-8 minutes. Remove from pans to wire racks to cool completely., Combine all frosting ingredients; beat until smooth. Spread over cookies; let dry completely. Store in airtight containers.