Microwave Mint Chocolate Chip Brownies

Ever wanted to make brownies but with all the dinner you're cooking, there was just no room in the oven? Or maybe you don't even have an oven (like me). Or maybe waiting 5 minutes for them to cook instead of 25 is way more appealing. Either way, I give you microwave brownies. Fast, delicious, easy.

What you need

For the brownies

1/2 c. melted butter

2 eggs

1 c. sugar

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. vanilla

1/2 tsp. peppermint extract

3/4 c. flour

1/2 c. baking cocoa

1/2 c. choc chips

1/4 c. peppermint chips (these can be from whatever you want: bashed up candy canes, cut up York peppermint patties, or my personal favorite Andes mint baking chips)

For the frosting

2 ¼ c. powdered sugar

¾ tsp. peppermint extract

2 tbsp. butter

2 tbsp. milk

Green food coloring

What you do

Beat butter, eggs and sugar together with an electric mixer until combined and fluffy. Beat in salt, vanilla, and peppermint until just combined. Ditch the beater and mix in flour and baking cocoa by hand. Fold in chips. Spread batter into a greased microwave-safe pan (I used an 8 inch round glass pan. Microwave on high 5 minutes. (If you know your microwave is more or less powerful than average you may want to let the brownies cook a minute less or more.) When a knife inserted into the middle comes out clean and brownies begin to pull away from sides of pan, the brownies are done.

While the brownies are cooling, combine 2 cups of the powdered sugar, peppermint extract, melted butter, and milk in a bowl for the frosting. Beat with an electric mixer until smooth. Add more powdered sugar or milk as needed to get the right consistency. You want it to be thick but spreadable. Stir in green food coloring one drop at a time until you get a minty green color. Take it slow, I only needed one drop. And viola, deliciousnessssss.

See that big chunk missing on the left side? That's where I couldn't wait anymore before I tried some. Snacking while cooking is always acceptable. :-)