Mint Chocolate Trifle

When we got a couple days notice of a St. Patrick's Day "bring green food" pot luck at work I knew I needed something easy but impressive (a girl has to maintain her culinary reputation).   I decided on a trifle because few things look more impressive (and more importantly trifles are so simple and easy, but that's a secret so don't tell anyone).

A Pinterest search of St. Patrick's recipes yields a plethora of mint chocolate.  I am not sure that mint and chocolate are authentically Irish, but there is the whole green thing of the mint and what goes better with mint than chocolate?  However, nothing really stood out to me as "the one".   So I abandoned Pinterest and set off on my own adventure to make a mint chocolate trifle.
When I was trying to decide what I was bring to work I just called it "Leprechaun Surprise" so that is an alternative name

Mint Chocolate Trifle 

Ingredients 

1 box brownie mix, mixed according to package directions

2 large boxes vanilla pudding 

4 cups milk 

1 large container Cool Whip 

mint extract 

green food coloring 

mint chocolate cookies such as grasshopper or Thin Mints 

1 box Junior Mints 

Directions

Mix the brownies according to the package directions 

Lay parchment paper on the bottom of your baking pan and bake according to directions

When the brownies are done lift the parchment paper up and  jostle a bit to break up the brownie while it is very hot and crumbly 

Let the brownies cool completely 

While the brownies are cooling mix the pudding with the milk, you'll use less milk than the package directions call for

Mix the mint extract in to taste 

Add green food coloring until the desired shade of green is reached

Fold in the Cool Whip 

When the brownies are cool layer a third in the bottom of a trifle dish

Cover with a layer of one third of the pudding mix 

Break the cookies and and a thin layer over the pudding followed by half the remaining brownies 

Cover with another layer of half the remaining pudding mix

Layer the remaining brownies over the pudding mix 

Cover with the rest of the pudding mix 

Decorate with the Junior Mints as desired 

Tips and Hints

• I made the brownies and pudding mix the night before assembling the trifle 
• The mint seems to intensify as it sits 
• If the pudding mix is not reaching a shade of green you like it may be due to the yellowish hue of the pudding you can add a bit of blue coloring as well

Luscious Lemon Bars

I have a confession to make:  I. Love. Lemon desserts!   Not the artificial flavored junk, but the real lemony goodness of fresh lemons mixed into butter and sugar to create delicious confections that taste like sunshine. 

Searching Pinterest yields numerous lemon bar recipes all claiming to be "the best ever,"  it is confusing and enough to make my head swim.  They are all fairly similar but nothing striking.   It is rare for me to find a lemon dessert that is lemony enough for me, but this one has achieved that lemon level. I pulled some unique bits from various recipes and added more lemon plus a special ingredient of my own; and while I can't definitively claim these are "the best" recipe out there I can claim they are everything I think a lemon bar should be: sweet, tangy, creamy, chewy and most importantly yummy! 

Luscious Lemon Bars 

Ingredients:

Crust:

2 sticks of butter - chilled 
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1-2 Tablespoons lemon zest 
2-3 drops lemon doTERRA essential oil*
2 cups flour
1/4 teaspoon sea salt 

Filling:

6 eggs 
1-2 Tablespoons lemon zest
1 cup fresh lemon juice
2-3 drops lemon doTERRA essential oil* 
3 cups sugar
1/2 cup flour 
1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder 

fresh raspberries (optional) 

powdered sugar

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350

Cut the butter into pieces

Using an electric mixer cream sugars into the butter

Add the vanilla, lemon zest, lemon essential oil

Blend a bit longer, until thoroughly mixed

Add flour and salt 

Continue mixing until well blended and smooth

Press into a "bar pan" (10x15) size pan covering the bottom of the pan 

Bake for 15 minutes.

Meanwhile beat the eggs until frothy

Add lemon zest, lemon juice, and lemon essential oil while mixing 

Reduce mixer speed slightly and add sugar, mix well

Combine flour and baking powder together, then add to the mixture

Increase speed and beat until very smooth, about three minutes

With the crust on the oven rack (to prevent the filling from spilling during transfer) pour the filling into the crust 

If you are using raspberries gently fold them into the mix just before pouring onto the crust. You may need to move them evenly over the crust 

Bake for about 45 minutes until the filling is golden and firm.

Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely 

Sprinkle with powdered sugar 

Cut into squares and enjoy!  

Tips and Hints 

• *The only essential oils I can recommend for this recipe are doTERRA which is Certified Pure Tested Grade and approved by the manufacturer for internal use.  Most (if not all) other brands contain synthetic components and should not be consumed.  If you don't have access to doTERRA lemon essential oil you can skip adding the oil, but you'll have less intense lemon flavor.
• You can use a 9x13 pan but I prefer the thinner and more plentiful squares 
• You can use strawberries or blueberries in place of the raspberries