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makes: 30 small squares | start to finish: 1 hour
from Edible Seattle November/December 2011
This ain’t your seaside fudge shop stuff. Packed with sugar, infused with fresh mint leaves and baked in a low oven, it’s more of a brownie, albeit gluten-free. You could call it portable chocolate-mint cake, but “fudge” seems so much more festive. Fresh basil also works nicely in place of mint.
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, cut into pieces, plus 2 teaspoons for greasing the pan
1/2 pound semisweet chocolate, chopped
1 packed cup fresh peppermint leaves (stems removed)
1/2 cup sugar
4 large eggs, at room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 cup cocoa powder
Preheat the oven to 300°F. Grease a 9” x 9” square baking pan with half the butter, line the pan with waxed paper, and grease the paper. Set aside.
Melt the butter and chocolate together in a medium heavy-duty saucepan over low heat, stirring constantly, until smooth. Transfer the chocolate mixture to a large mixing bowl.
In the work bowl of a food processor, pulse the peppermint and sugar together until the peppermint is finely chopped, and the sugar is evenly green.
In the work bowl of a standing mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the eggs and the sugar mixture on medium speed until thick and a shade lighter in color, about 4 to 5 minutes. Mix in the vanilla extract. Fold 1/3 of egg mixture into the cooled chocolate mixture. Gently fold in the remaining egg mixture, one half at a time, sifting in the cocoa over the batter between additions. Pour the batter into the prepared pan.
Bake for about 40 minutes, or until the edges are firm and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out with just a few crumbs attached. Cool completely in the pan on a wire rack, then cut and transfer to the refrigerator to chill overnight. Invert the fudge onto a cutting surface, peel off the waxed paper, and cut into small pieces with a hot, clean knife. The fudge can be stored for up to 1 week in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
vegetarian • gluten-free
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