When I worked in the CES office during college, there were a few weeks in the year that were absolute nightmares. The opening week of EFY registration, Education Week and the worst, Women's Conference. While Women's Conference is probably a very uplifting time for most women, my office dealt with the special needs women. Like the woman who was disappointed in President Hinckley's talk and demanded her money back because she didn't feel the spirit. Oi. Anyway, mint brownies are the holy grail during this week. Its nearly impossible to buy them because any place that sells them is out within the first 30 seconds of opening their doors. One day, I had an assignment from my supervisor: the on-site registration desk in the WILK had an entire pan of mint brownies hidden away, cleverly disguised in a nametag holder box. My mission was to get a dozen brownies from the WILK to the Harmon building. Now, this isn't the longest distance wise trek across campus. The WILK is in the middle of campus, and the Harmon building in on the north side of campus. There's no fast way there. If I was on the south side trying to get to the north side, I could hop in a car, but from the WILK, the nearest parking lot is almost as far as the Harmon building. So I had to walk. I managed to time it so that the bulk of my walking was while most of the women were in classes. I miscalculated one thing: the women who were skipping classes, waiting in line at the Marriot Center to make sure they got prime tickets for President Hinckley's devotional. As I approached the Marriot Center, I clutched the plate of brownies to my chest (don't worry, they were covered in many layers of plastic wrap). I had women grabbing at the plate, pulling on my back pack, even offering large amounts of money (I think I got offtered $20 at one point) trying to take these brownies from me. I had some women yelling obscenities at me because I was just a student and could have mint brownies anytime, but this was their only chance each year to get some. My supervisor saw me being accosted, pushed his way through the large group of women and helped me escape from a very dangerous situation. The brownies were smushed, I had some bruises on my legs, but we made it. Recently, BYU published the mint brownie recipe in the alumni magazine. While many will think this was a very magnanimous action, I'd like to point out that they didn't publish their chocolate frosting recipe, which I think is really what makes the brownies good.
BYU MINT BROWNIES
1 c. margarine
1/2 c. cocoa
2 Tbsp. honey
4 eggs
2 c. sugar
1 3/4 c. flour
1/2 Tbsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1 c. chopped walnuts
12 oz. chocolate icing (Use your own icing recipe or purchase some chocolate frosting. You can also search the Internet for chocolate icing recipes.)
MINT ICING
5 Tbsp. margarine
dash of salt
3 Tbsp. milk
1 Tbsp. light corn syrup
2 1/3 c. powdered sugar
1/2 tsp. mint extract
1-2 drops green food coloring
1. Melt margarine and mix in cocoa. Allow to cool. Add honey, eggs, sugar, flour, baking powder, and salt. Mix well. Add nuts. Pour batter into a greased 9-by-13 baking pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes. Cool.
2. Prepare mint icing: Soften margarine. Add salt, corn syrup, and powdered sugar. Beat until smooth and fluffy. Add mint extract and food coloring. Mix. Add milk gradually until the consistency is a little thinner than cake frosting.
3. Spread mint icing over brownies. Place brownies in the freezer for a short time to stiffen the icing. Remove from the freezer and carefully add a layer of chocolate icing.