Tradition: Peppermint Patty Brownies

Let me start by saying... these brownies could probably kill you.  That said, I should also tell you that I've tried to adjust things (i.e. using egg replacements and etc.) and um.... NADA.  Not happening.  No.  Don't bother.

Here's the rule at our house.  We only make them at Christmas time.  Serious.  And at Christmas time (and Christmas time only) we eat them like they're going out of style (or as much as you can with one pan-full).

{UPDATE: The Peppermint Patty Brownie recipe can now be found in Gooseberry Patch's Best-Ever Cookies cookbook!  See page 136.}

York Sensational Brownies
{The recipe was found in a magazine years ago -- in a York Peppermint Patty ad.} 

3 sticks margarine (1.5 cups)
3 c. sugar
1 T. vanilla extract
5 eggs
2 c. flour
1 c. Hershey's unsweetened cocoa
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
24 small York peppermint patties

Heat oven to 350 degrees.  Grease 9 x 13 pan.  Stir together margarine, sugar, and vanilla. Add eggs, and blend well.  Stir in flour, cocoa, baking powder, & salt.  Blend well.  Reserve 2 cups batter, setting aside.  Spread remaining batter in pan.  Arrange peppermint patties in single layer over batter.  (I usually do a 4 x 6 arrangement of patties in the pan - so that there's a little bit of patty in every brownie.)  Spread reserved batter carefully over patties. Bake 50-55 min. or until brownies begin to pull away from sides of pan.

Cool completely before cutting.  About 36 bars.

Tip:  One year, I thought I would be fancy and use the special peppermint patties that were PINK for breast cancer awareness.  I thought the brownies would look so festive when you cut into them & saw pink.  It didn't work.  Not only did they NOT show up as pink, but they melted differently than the traditional patties.

Sorry, no photos.  These disappear pretty quickly around here.

Gooseberry Patch

p.s.  You know how all-crazy I am for anything peppermint?  My daughter and I got to talking the other day about how peppermint (anything) makes us feel.  If you like peppermint too, you might be interested in THIS PAGE from the University of Maryland Medical Center.  It has some really interesting information about the medicinal characteristics of peppermint!  You'll be amazed.