Recipe (and gratuitous ring shots, natch)

Since the holidays are all about giving, here I am, giving you a wonderful Pug family recipe. I remember making this during the holidays every year, they're always a hit and they're easy!

Mama Pug is maybe notsomuch known as an awesome cook/baker. She once put ammonia in a cake by accident and then when she realized by the smell, she considered baking it!!!, saying that it would burn off in the oven!!!!! Luckily my dad stopped her and no one died. She can't screw these brownies up so that makes them inherently easy.

Miss Pug's Famous Family Mint Brownies

Layer one:

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. My mom didn't remember if you grease the pan, so I very lightly greased the bottom of a 9x13 pan.

-1 cup sugar
-1 stick butter
-4 eggs
-1 cup flour
-1 1/2 cups Hershey's chocolate syrup

Mama Pug, again, said to just "mix everything." After doing this, I realized it might be easier to cream the butter (ROOM TEMPERATURE!!!!) and sugar, and maybe eggs, first. I had a hard time breaking down the butter 100%. The batter is strange... VERY watery. Don't be fooled. It is perfect. Bake the brownies for 25-30 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean.

Here's mine!

This is important now... it has to cool. Til it's COOL, not just room temperature, but really cooled. We used to have a tiny mudroom off our kitchen that was freezing in winter, and would always stick the brownies out there to cool for an hour or so. I put mine on the counter (on a cooling rack) for an hour and then into the fridge when they hit room temperature. During the cooling stage I tried on my wedding bands. Blame me?

Oh those are some fabulous whore-ish chipped red fingernails, Pugs. Way to take off the Halloween polish, it's only been a month.

When your brownies are cool, it's time to work on the frosting.

Layer two:

-2 cups powdered sugar
-1 stick of butter (ROOM TEMP AGAIN! ALWAYS... and cut into pea-sized cubes)
-2-3 drops of food coloring
-1/2 teaspoon peppermint extract
-1 tablespoon water

Using an electric mixer again, mix all ingredients. It will take a while to come together, you'll probably panic, but don't worry. If you have a Kitchenaid, well, then I hate you, since they're deeper and you probably wouldn't have powdered sugar all over you 2 seconds in. Typically you will add 2-3 drops of green food dye, I used my neon food coloring (both blue and green), but pretty much anything will do. Green tends to equals mint though, so it's a good way to alert others to the flavor.

When it has come together, taste it, make your man taste it and let him marvel in your mad skillz, and then spread it on the cooled brownies. Try to make it as even as possible. Put it back in the fridge to set.

Neon mint food coloring! Woot!

Ok, now that your mint layer is cooling, you can work on the third and final layer.

Layer three:

This layer is the hardened chocolate layer.

-1 cup chocolate chips
-6 tablespoons butter (3/4 of a stick)

Set up a double broiler. That means an inch or so of water set to simmer with another pot over it, so that the steam can heat the top pot. Or you can just buy a real double broiler. I prefer to be ghetto.

Cut the 6 tablespoons of butter into bits again, and add it to the chocolate chips in the double broiler pan. The bottom pan will heat it indirectly and slowwwly melt it down.

See that butter? This recipe includes 2 and 3/4 sticks. Where is Paula Deen when I need her!?

Once it is all melted down, take it off the stove. Let it cool down a bit while you stir, until you can comfortably touch it.

Then, pour it onto your brownies! Pour it as evenly over the brownies as possible, and then use a spatula to spread it out. You could also spaz like me if you like and get it all over the pan, but that step is optional.

Immediately stick that puppy in the fridge until it's good and hardened. When it's time to serve, cut them in cute little squares. I'm talking 1 inch by 1 inch... these babies are RICH. I've wanted to try using a round cookie cutter, so who knows, I might get brave tomorrow. Then watch as people cry in delight while shoving them in their mouths.

I hope that everyone traveling for the Holiday is safe or safely en route. I cannot make it to NJ this year (stupid budget) so that means spending time in Indiana! What will you be cooking or baking for your Thanksgiving get-togethers?