"Zspider" > wrote in message
m...
> Kimberly wrote:
> > It would be easier to tell what went wrong if you posted the whole
recipe.
> > 3/4 cup of powdered sugar isn't going to take much liquid.
> > An easy frosting if you like the fudge kind is to take 1/2 stick of
butter
> > and melt it with 1 ounce of unsweetened chocolate and 1/4 cup cocoa
powder.
> > Add to 2 cups powdered sugar, adding a little coffee or hot water if
it's
> > too thick.
> > For grasshopper brownies, I made Barb's brownies, then made a cream
cheese
> > frosting that I added peppermint (you can use spearmint) oil to, and a
bit
> > of crème de menthe. Then I made a firm ganache and added that over the
mint.
> > What did you use?
>
> *************
> Thank you for your frosting suggestion, Kimberly. Your method of
> starting out with the frosting a little too thick and thinning it
> to taste with coffee or hot water sounds reassuring after my "too
> thin to begin with and no fixing it" experience.
>
> The grasshopper bars started out with a base of cooked brownies.
> The green stuff consisted of 3 cups powdered sugar, 1/3 cup butter,
> 1/4 cup of milk, 1 teaspoon of peppermint, and food coloring.
> Directions were to pour it over the brownies and refrigerate for
> 15 minutes before pouring a thin thin coating of melted bittersweet
> chocolate on top. The green stuff never hardened. I also had
> trouble getting the melted bittersweet chocolate to spread. Once
> it hit the cooled green stuff, it hardened into a brittle layer.
>
> How did you make your green cream cheese frosting? What is a
> ganache?
>
> Again, thank you for taking the time to write.
>
> Michael

For the cream cheese frosting layer:
6 oz cream cheese, softened
2 tbsp butter, softened
1/2 tsp peppermint oil (or spearmint if you prefer)
1 tbsp crème de menthe
small amount of milk, if needed
3 cups powdered sugar
(this recipe is for a 9x13" baking pan of brownies)

Combine the butter and cream cheese with the flavoring oil and crème de
menthe. Add powdered sugar and mix with the paddle attachment of your mixer
or a wooden spoon until smooth, adding milk a little at a time (no more than
a couple teaspoons) until the desired consistency is reached.
Spread on completely cooled brownies.
Make the ganache and pour it over the top before you refrigerate. This will
help with the spreading problem you had with the chocolate, as will using a
ganache rather than just the chocolate.

For the ganache:
12 ounces of good quality chocolate
6 ounces heavy cream (3/4 cup)
1 tbsp butter

Chop chocolate, using a serrated bread knife. Put into a bowl. In a small
saucepan, heat cream to boiling. Pour over the chocolate, and add butter.
Stir until chocolate is completely melted and smooth and the mixture is
homogenous. Cool until just slightly warm, and pour over the brownies,
working quickly to spread smooth. Refrigerate until set.

The butter will ensure a shiny finish, even after refrigeration. You'll want
to remove them from the fridge for about 15 min or so before serving for the
maximum flavor.

Hope this helps!

kimberly