Mint Chocolate Ganache Recipes

MINT CHOCOLATE CHEESECAKE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 325°. Place a greased 9-in. springform pan on a double thickness of heavy-duty foil (about 18 in. square). Wrap foil securely around pan. In a small bowl, mix cookie crumbs and sugar; stir in butter. Press onto bottom of prepared pan., In a large bowl, beat cream cheese and sugar until smooth. Beat in cooled chips, creme de menthe, flour, creme de cacao and extract. Add eggs; beat on low speed just until blended. Pour half the batter over crust; sprinkle with crushed Oreos. Carefully spoon remaining batter over top. Place springform pan in a larger baking pan; add 1 in. hot water to larger pan., Bake until center is just set and top appears dull, 75-80 minutes. Remove springform pan from water bath. Cool cheesecake on a wire rack 10 minutes. Loosen sides from pan with a knife; remove foil. Cool 1 hour longer. Refrigerate overnight, covering when completely cooled. , Remove rim from pan. Place chocolate chips in a small bowl. In a small saucepan, bring cream just to a boil. Pour over chocolate; stir with a whisk until smooth. Spread over cheesecake.

CHOCOLATE-MINT LOVE CAKE WITH MINT GANACHE

Steps:

• For the cake: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease a 9-by-13-inch baking pan with canola spray.
• Prepare the boxed cake batter according to the package directions, adding the peppermint extract. Spread evenly in the prepared pan and set aside.
• Combine the ricotta, mascarpone, sugar, eggs and vanilla in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Beat until smooth. Gently scoop the filling onto the cake batter and spread so the top is completely white.
• Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean, 50 to 65 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool 20 minutes.
• For the ganache: Combine the chocolate chips, cream, corn syrup and peppermint extract in the top of a double boiler. Gently stir the mixture until the chocolate melts and the ganache becomes very smooth.
• Spread the ganache evenly over the cooled cake and let stand 10 minutes to set. Cut the cake into 18 squares.

MINT CHOCOLATE GANACHE

Steps:

• Heat cream on stove and bring to a boil, stirring continuously. When it reaches a boil, add chocolate and stir until melted and smooth. It will thicken up a little as you stir.

CLASSIC MINT CHOCOLATE BROWNIES

Steps:

• Melt the butter and chopped chocolate in a medium saucepan on medium heat, stirring constantly, about 5 minutes. Or melt in a medium microwave safe bowl in 20 second increments, stirring after each, in the microwave. Remove from the heat, pour into a large mixing bowl, and allow to slightly cool for 10 minutes.
• Adjust the oven rack to the lower third position and preheat oven to 350°F (177°C). Line the bottom and sides of a 9×13 baking pan* with aluminum foil or parchment paper, leaving an overhang on all sides. Set aside.
• Whisk the granulated and brown sugars into the cooled chocolate/butter mixture. Add the eggs, one at a time, whisking until smooth after each addition. Whisk in the vanilla. Gently fold in the salt, flour, and cocoa powder. Pour batter into the prepared baking pan and bake for 35-36 minutes or until the brownies begin to pull away from the edges of the pan. A toothpick inserted in the center should come out with only a few moist crumbs when the brownies are done. All ovens are different, so keep an eye on them after 30 minutes and use the toothpick test to see when yours are finished. Allow the brownies to cool completely in the pan set on a wire rack. Once completely cooled, lift the foil out of the pan using the overhang on the sides. Place the whole thing on a baking sheet as you make the frosting. Do not cut into squares yet.
• In a medium bowl using a handheld or stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter on medium speed until smooth and creamy, about 2 minutes. Add the confectioners' sugar and milk. Beat for 2 minutes on low speed, then increase to high speed and beat for 1 additional minute. Add the peppermint extract and food coloring (if using) and beat on high for 1 full minute. Taste and add a drop or two more peppermint extract if desired. Frost cooled brownies, that you placed on the baking sheet, and place the baking sheet in the refrigerator. This allows the frosting to "set" on top of the brownies which makes spreading the chocolate layer easy. Keep in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour and up to 4 hours.
• Melt the butter and chocolate chips in a medium saucepan on medium heat, stirring constantly, about 5 minutes. Or melt in a medium microwave safe bowl in 20 second increments, stirring after each, in the microwave. Once melted and smooth, pour over mint layer. Gently spread with a knife or offset spatula. Place the brownies, that are still on the baking sheet, in the refrigerator and chill for 1 hour (and up to 4 hours or even overnight) to set the chocolate.
• Once chilled, remove from the refrigerator and cut into squares. For neat cutting, make very quick cuts, using a very sharp large knife, and wiping the knife off with a paper towel between each cut. Brownies are OK at room temperature for a few hours. Cover tightly and keep leftovers in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.

MINT-CHOCOLATE GANACHE

Steps:

• In a small saucepan over medium-high heat, bring the cream to a simmer.
• Place chocolate in a medium bowl; set aside. Pour cream over chocolate and let melt for 2 to 3 minutes. Whisk together until chocolate is fully melted. Add butter, extract, and salt, whisking after each addition to incorporate.
• Once butter is fully incorporated, allow ganache to stand until slightly thickened and glossy.

MINT CHOCOLATE MACARONS

Steps:

• Before you start, get all of the ingredients ready. Prepare a large piping bag, fitted with a large round tip, I use a 0.5" tip. Set aside.
• Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone mat.
• I use a baking mat with the macaron template already in it. You can make your own or print it from the internet, and just place it under silicone mat, or parchment paper. I recommend using a silicone mat.
• Measure out all of the ingredients.
• Sift the powdered sugar and almond flour together. Set aside.
• Place the egg whites and granulated sugar in a heat proof bowl or in a double boiler. Over a pan of simmering water, whisk the whites and sugar until frothy and sugar completely melted. It will take a couple minutes. You can test by touching the mixture between your fingers, and if you feel any sugar granules just keep whisking mixture over the water bath.
• Make sure the bottom of the bowl isn't touching the simmering water.
• Transfer the mixture to the bowl of a stand mixer.
• With the whisk attachment, start whisking the mixture on low for about 30 seconds, then gradually start increasing speed to medium. Whisk on medium for one to two minutes, until mixture is white and starting to become fluffy. Raise speed to medium-high and finish whipping for a few more minutes until stiff peaks are formed. Best way to check this is to keep your eye on the whites. Once they get glossy and you start seeing streaks formed by the whisk, it might be time to stop.
• Whisk until stiff peaks have formed. When you pull your whip up, the peaks should be shooting straight up, not bent down.
• Pour the sifted powdered sugar and almond flour into stiff whites.
• Start folding gently forming a letter J with a spatula.
• Add the food coloring at this point, if using. In the case of these Mint Macarons, I used two different colors.
• To make the two color shells, follow these instructions.
• Add a little bit of green and teal to the meringue.
• Fold the dry ingredients with the meringue until just incorporated.
• Once you can see no more streaks of dry ingredients in the batter, separate it into two different bowls.
• Cover one bowl with a towel so the batter doesn't start drying, and work with one batch at a time.
• Fold the first batter until it reaches the proper consistency, flowing effortlessly off the spatula. Read below on tips for identifying the right consistency.
• Then, transfer this batter to a piping bag, secure the top so the batter doesn't leak out, and set it aside.
• Next, it's time to color the remaining batter. I wanted to do a swirl effect with a darker green color, so grab the second bowl, and add a bit more green to the batter, to make a stronger more vibrant color. Fold until the proper consistency is achieved, and transfer the batter to another piping bag.
• How to know when to stop folding the batter: It's time to stop folding when the batter is glossy and has a thick and flowing consistency. There are several ways to test this.
• First, pick up some batter with the spatula and try to draw a figure 8 with the batter that is dripping off the spatula. If you can form several 8 figures without the batter breaking up, that's one indication that it might be ready.
• There's another test you can do. I call it the Teaspoon test.
• Grab a teaspoon of batter and spoon onto the parchment paper or silicon mat. Wait a minute to see how it behaves.
• If the batter stays stiff, forming a point and doesn't spread out a bit, start folding a little bit more, about 3 folds.
• Test again.
• Once the batter spreads out a bit and starts to look glossy and smooth on top, on the baking sheet, transfer it to the piping bag.
• You don't want the batter to be too runny either. So be careful not to over mix. It's always best to under mix and test several times until the proper consistency has been achieved.
• The best way I can describe this stage being perfect is when you hold the spatula with batter on top of the bowl and the batter falls off the spatula slowly but effortlessly. The batter will keep flowing off the spatula non-stop, but not too quickly.
• So, when both batters are ready and inside piping bags, snip the end of the piping bags with scissors, and place both piping bags in the piping bag fitted with the large round tip. (watching the video located on this page, or on Youtube will help you see how this was done)
• Place the piping bag containing both batters directly 90 degrees over the center of each macaron template. Apply gentle pressure and carefully pipe for about 3 seconds, and then quickly pull the bag up twisting slightly.
• Once you've piped as many circles as you could, bang the trays against the counter a few times each. This will release air bubbles that are in the batter and prevent your macaron shells from cracking.
• Use a toothpick to pop any air bubbles in the surface of the shells.
• Let the trays sit for a while so the shells will dry out a little bit. I usually leave about 20-40 minutes, depending on how humid the day is. You'll know they're ready when you gently touch the surface of a macaron and it seems dry.
• Pre-heat the oven to 325ºF.
• Bake one tray at a time.
• Bake for 5 minutes, rotate tray.
• I bake each tray for about 18 minutes.
• When baked, the macarons will have a deeper color and formed feet. If you try to move a macaron, it shouldn't feel jiggly. If the macaron is still jiggly, keep baking.
• Remove from the oven and bake the other tray.
• Let the macarons cool down before proceeding with the filling.
• Chop dark chocolate very finely. Place it in a bowl. If you are using chocolate chips no need to chop them, simply place them in a bowl.
• Heat the coconut cream in a small pan over medium heat, or in the microwave. No matter what method you choose, be very careful not to boil the cream.
• Pour hot cream over chopped chocolate. Let it stand for a minute.
• Start whisking gently until completely melted.
• Add the mint extract and stir to combine.
• Let it come to room temperature. Refrigerate for about 20 minutes before using, until it has piping consistency.
• If the ganache stays in the fridge for too long, and it's too thick and hard to pipe, insert it in the microwave for a few quick seconds, and stir it again. Test for consistency and keep going until you achieve the desired consistency.
• To be pipeable, the ganache should be thick, but easy to spread.
• If it happens that the ganache is too thin, you might want to put it in the fridge for a few minutes so it will harden up.
• Place the ganache in a piping bag.
• Pipe a bit of frosting in the middle of each bottom shell.
• Top with another shell.
• If you wish to dip the macarons in chocolate, as I've done with some of mine, first place them in the fridge for at least 30 minutes, so the ganache filling will have a chance to set.
• Then remove the macarons from the fridge, melt 3 oz. of chocolate.
• Dip half of each macaron in the chocolate, and then place it on the baking sheet.
• You can also place the melted chocolate in a piping bag and snip the end with scissors, and drizzle on top of the shells, and then top with chopped chocolate.
• Let the macarons chill in the fridge.
• It's always best to let the macarons mature overnight before serving.
• These Mint Macarons will stay well in the fridge for 5 to 7 days, and they will also keep well if frozen for 1 to 2 months, in an airtight container.