Chocolate Mint Bars, GF

By MaryEllen

Ingredients

• Crust
• 1 cup All-Purpose Flour Blend or gluten-free all-purpose flour blend of choice
• ¼ teaspoon xanthan gum
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• ½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter or dairy-free alternative
• 2/3 cup sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 2 ounces unsweetened chocolate, melted
• ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• Icing
• ¼ cup (½ stick) unsalted butter, softened, or dairy-free alternative
• 2 cups confectioners’ sugar, sifted
• ½-1 teaspoon mint extract
• 3-6 tablespoons cream or milk of choice
• Glaze
• 2 ounces bittersweet or semisweet chocolate
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter or dairy-free alternative

Details

Adapted from glutenfreeandmore.com

Preparation

Step 1

Preheat oven to 350°F. Lightly grease a 9-inch square pan.

2. To make crust, mix together flour blend, xanthan gum and salt.

3. In a separate bowl, cream ½ cup butter and sugar until fluffy and white, about 5 minutes. Add eggs, 1 at a time. Slowly mix in melted chocolate and vanilla.

4. Add dry ingredients to creamed mixture, mixing until just blended.

5. Pour batter into prepared pan, spreading evenly. Place in preheated oven on middle rack and bake 15 minutes or until done. Cool in the pan.

6. To make icing, beat ¼ cup butter and confectioners’ sugar in a medium bowl. Add mint extract and enough cream to make icing a spreadable consistency. Spread icing over cooled crust.

7. To make glaze, melt 2 ounces chocolate in a double boiler. Remove from heat and whisk in 2 tablespoons butter until thoroughly combined.

8. Gently spread glaze evenly over icing. Allow glaze to harden before cutting. Cut into 36 bars.

For Egg-Free Chocolate Mint Bars, omit 2 eggs. Combine 2 tablespoons flaxseed mea with 6 tablespoons hot water; let sit 5 minutes until thickened. Add this mixture in step 3 to replace 2 eggs.

For Chocolate Orange Bars, replace the mint extract in the icing with an equal amount of orange extract.

TIP: To prevent chocolate from seizing (or thickening), melt it gently in a double boiler over hot (not boiling) water or melt it in the microwave on medium power for 30- to 40-second intervals, stirring each time.

Each bar contains 111 calories, 7g total fat, 4g saturated fat, 0g trans fat, 25mg cholesterol,14mg sodium, 13g carbohydrate, 1g fiber, 9g sugars, 1g protein, 8 Est GL.