Grasshopper Squares

I'm not sure if I've mentioned previously but i am partial to a chocolate brownie or two... Another thing i love is after eights chocolates and will eat a whole box given half a chance!

Imagine combining the two.

Grasshopper squares do this; mixing the best aspects of two great things to make something even more amazing like taking the best bits of Carmen Electra, ass, and Elle Macpherson, legs, and creating a perfect lower portion of the female form.

My choice of lady pin up might be showing my age there... I wonder who the kids fancy these days? That mechanic chick from transformers i bet, or maybe Cheryl Cole is still popular with the naive younglings? Taking a quick flick through FHMs top 100 girls of 2011 i don't even recognise half the names...

Surely none of these young pretenders can hold a candle to Tiffani Amber Thiessen in her prime anyway?

I digress.... the grasshopper squares are immense and well worth the little extra effort it takes to make the three layers, so if you're a fan of mint and chocolate, give them a go!

Ingredients -

For the brownie base:

100g good quality dark chocolate, 50g butter, 125g golden caster sugar, 2 eggs, 50g plain flour, 1/2 tsp baking powder, 20g cocoa, 1/4 tsp vanilla essence.

For the mint ganache layer:

200g good quality white chocolate, 100ml double cream, 3tsp peppermint extract, green food colouring.

For the chocolate icing top:

150g dark chocolate, tbsp of golden syrup, 50g butter

• First preheat your oven to 180C/160C not fan/fan and line an approx 22cm square baking tin/dish with greaseproof paper. 
• For the brownie base - melt the butter and chocolate in a microwave or in a bowl over simmering water, leave to cool.  
• Beat eggs, vanilla essence and sugar together until mixed, thick and pale. 
• Fold the chocolate mixture into the egg mixture then sift over the flour, baking powder and cocoa, fold this through until evenly mixed. 
• Pour into the baking dish and put in the oven for 15-20 minutes, the middle should just be set. Leave to cool in the tin.  
• Now the mint ganache - Chop the white chocolate into small pieces and place in a bowl. 
• Heat the cream until just simmering, then pour over the white chocolate, Allow to sit for a few seconds and then stir until the chocolate has melted. Add the peppermint extract and a drop of food colouring so you have a pale mint colour or whatever green colour you're aiming for. 
• Cool until thickened then spread evenly over the brownie base. Put in the fridge for approx 45 minutes until the ganache has set.
• Lastly the chocolate icing - Break the dark chocolate into pieces and place in a bowl with the syrup and butter. Gently melt in a microwave or in a bowl over simmering water. 
• Cool until it won't melt the mint ganache layer, then spread evenly on top. 
• Put it back into the fridge for 1 hour.
• Take the whole thing out of the baking dish, remove paper, trim the edges and then cut into small squares .