Friday, May 12, 2017

Kentucky Derby Party Recipe: Mint Julep Brownies

We were invited to a Kentucky Derby party at my aunt and uncle's house, which was a great excuse to get dressed to the nines (or the sevens or sixes as our case tends to be these days) and throw on some crazy big hats. And we brought some delicious Kentucky Derby-themed Mint Julep Brownies (recipe at the bottom).

But first, photos of the big day:

Say, "Always Dreaming!"

My little Derby goofballs

The closest thing to "date night" we'd seen in a while. I'll take it!

Grandma came too and won Best Hat with a Horse Theme and also won $34 for betting on the winning horse. Leo said, "I love you Grandma because you're a winner." Let's hope she never loses, or it will put my son's fickle love to the test!

On to the recipe. I love to bring themed treats to parties. I don't like to spend a lot of time in the kitchen. This easy recipe ticked both of those checkboxes. I started with this recipe for Philly Cheesecake Brownies and jazzed it up for the Kentucky Derby party.

The perfect Kentucky Derby party recipe: Mint Julep Brownies

Mint Julep Brownies

1 package brownie mix
3 eggs
1/4 cup water
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 package light Philly cream cheese
1/2 cup sugar
green food coloring (optional)
Andes mints, chopped (or you can buy a bag of pre-chopped ones)

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Start the preheating way later if your kids are "helping" with the preparation (i.e. licking the bowls and making everything take longer). Grease 9x13 baking pan.

2. Mix brownie mix, 2 eggs, water, and oil by hand until well blended. Pour into pan.

3. Beat cream cheese, sugar, and 1 egg white with electric mixer until well blended. Add a bit of green food coloring. (It's optional, but it somehow makes the brownies seem mintier!)

4. Spoon cream cheese mixture over brownie batter, then swirl lightly with a knife to create marble effect.

5. Top with chopped Andes mints.

6. Bake 28-30 minutes. Cool before serving.

Enjoy with an actual mint julep for extra Kentucky Derby party fun!