Girl Scout Thin Mint Brownie Bars
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These thin mint cookie brownie bars are sure to be given a badge for best dessert! A thick, fudgy homemade brownie swirled with cream cheese over a thin mint cookie crust. How good can that get?!
When we aren't eating the cookies straight from the box, we love to find fun ways to add them into different recipes.
It’s time to pull that Thin Mint cookie box out of the freezer and make some delicious thin mint brownie bars! It doesn’t matter what time of year it is, there always seems to be a sneaky box of thin mints lying around. Can anyone else relate?!
Girl Scout Thin Mint Brownie Bars
What you will need:
Direction Snapshot:
- Make Thin Mint cookie crust.
- Mix together ingredients for brownie batter and cream cheese swirl
- Pour in thin mint cookie crust and pack tightly on bottom.
- Pour brownie batter over crust and swirl in cream cheese.
- Bake for 45-50 minutes, cool, slice and ENJOY!!
I don’t have Thin Mints…What can I substitute?
It doesn’t have to be Girl Scout cookie season to enjoy these brownies. If you don’t have a box of thin mints lying around, you can use Keebler Grasshopper cookies. They’re almost identical!
Note: We’ve actually made these cookies with both thin mints and grasshopper cookies and you can hardly taste the difference!
What's the secret to a perfectly fudgy brownie?
It all comes down to the fat and flour ratio. Eggs and sugar are not going to make the brownie more fudgy, because eggs provide moisture and structure, while sugar creates a nice soft crumb.
Fudgy brownies are going to have a higher fat ratio and less flour. This means more butter and freshly melted chocolate! Yum!
Cakey brownies are going to have a higher flour ratio and less fat.
How to Make the PERFECT Brownies EVERY TIME!!
No one likes a dry and burned brownie!! There could be some reasons why your brownies are turning out subpar. Good news is, we have some tips to make sure that your brownies come tasting and looking perfect every time!!
1. Use real chocolate and cocoa powder!! Using dark chocolate chips and cocoa powder makes a super rich chocolate flavor to the brownies and also creates that delicious fudgy texture.
2. Do not over mix the batter. Over mixing the batter can create a tougher brownie. For a soft brownie, at each step, stir just until combined.
3. Butter AND line the baking pan with parchment paper. Start by rubbing 1 tbsp of butter around the pan, making sure all surfaces, corners and edges are covered. Next, take a sheet of parchment paper and place in the pan. This will help you SO much when cleaning out the pan after baking!!
4. Avoid tough brownie edges!! No body likes a corner brownie because they are typically the toughest edges to chew. But we have a trick for you to make sure the edges do not get too tough. The key step: Let the brownies cool for about 10-15 minutes before removing them from the pan to cool completely.
5. Make the perfect crinkle top! Follow our directions below for the most perfect brownie crinkle top. The best way to get the desired brownie crinkle is to whisk the eggs into your sugar and chocolate one at a time, making sure that each egg with whipped into the sugar mixture.
Girl Scout Thin Mint Brownie Bars
Thick, fudgy homemade brownies swirled with cream cheese over a thin mint cookie crust.
Ingredients
Brownie Batter
1/2 cup butter (melted)
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup chocolate chips (melted)
3 tbsp cocoa powder
2 eggs
2 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 cup all purpose flour
Cream Cheese Swirl
8 oz cream cheese (softened)
1 egg
3 tbsp sugar
Thin Mint Cookie Crust
1 box thin mint cookies
3 Tbsp melted butter
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter and line an 8×8 inch pan with parchment paper.
- Start by making your thin mint cookie crust. Unwrap cookies and pour into a plastic bag. Using rolling pin, tap on the cookies to break them into crumbs. Once they are broken into fine crumbs, pour in a medium bowl. Add melted butter and stir with wooden spoon until a crumble forms. Pour on the bottom of the baking pan and press into a tight even layer on the bottom of the pan.
- In a medium bowl, combine flour, cocoa powder, salt to a bowl. Whisk to combine and set aside.
- In a separate mixing bowl, Add melted butter and sugar and blend until combined. Add in eggs, one at a time, until blended and beat until it appears foamy. Pour in vanilla and melted chocolate chips ( can be melted in a small saucepan over the stove or in the microwave)
- Add in flour mixture a little at a time to the wet ingredients. Stir until combined.
- In a separate mixing bowl, make your swirl. Whisk together your cream cheese, 1 egg and 3 tbsp sugar until combined.
- Pour the brownie batter in the prepared brownie pan. Drop 4-5 large spoonfuls of cream cheese mixture on top of the batter. Using a knife, swirl the cream cheese into the brownie mixture.
- Bake in oven for 45-50 minutes, or until a toothpick can be inserted into the center and come out clean. Let it cool for 10-15 minutes. Slice, serve and enjoy!
