Brownie Bites again – with Mint Icing!

Remember when I made the low fat brownie bites with strawberries for Valentine’s Day?  I’ve actually made that brownie recipe many times – with peanut butter, with chocolate chips, with nuts…  It’s my favorite go-to, easy, chocolate but not terrible for you sweet.  For St. Patrick’s Day, I made them with mint icing, obviously because it’s green, but mostly because I love chocolate and mint together and wanted an excuse to make them.

My icing turned out a bit too thin, and it didn’t help that it was an exceptionally warm day, but I’m posting pics anyway because they were. so. good.  So don’t judge my melty icing on its looks.  I also drizzled the tops with some melted dark chocolate, but that’s totally optional.  Remember, the brownies themselves are low fat, so it’s okay to add a little chocolate on top.  It’s girl math.  I would suggest keeping these in the fridge and serving them cold, simply because they’re really good that way.

Brownie Bites with Mint Icing

Ingredients:

• 1 box brownie mix (21 oz., or mix for 9 x 13 pan)
• 1/2 cup of water
• 1/2 cup of applesauce (unsweetened)
• 2 egg whites, lightly beaten
• 1/4 cup mini chocolate chips
• 2 cups confectioner’s sugar
• 2 T butter, softened
• 1-2 T milk
• 1/2 tsp mint extract
• 1/4 tsp vanilla extract
• 3-5 drops green food coloring

Directions:

Empty the brownie mix into a large bowl.  Whisk dry mix to break up any lumps so you’re not fighting with them once you add the wet ingredients.  Add the rest of the ingredients and mix until just incorporated.  Do not overmix.  Line mini muffin tin with muffin liners and fill 2/3 of the way with the brownie batter.  It will be runny, but don’t worry.  They turn out juuuuuust fine.  Trust me.  Bake for 12-14 minutes.

For the icing, with an electric mixer, beat together the sugar, butter, extract, food coloring and 1 tablespoon of milk.  Mix until everything is incorporated and add more milk if needed.  Warning: a little bit of milk goes a long way!  I would suggest adding it – literally – a few drops at a time.  But if it ends up too runny (and you’ve run out of confectioner’s sugar), it’s ok because they’ll still taste good.