St. Patrick's Day M&M Brownies

You know what I just realized? I probably shouldn't be celebrating St. Patrick's Day. I mean, I'm not Irish, I'm not Catholic, and I'm not even much of a drinker, so the day should have no meaning for me.

I do, however, love the color green. A lot. In fact, it's probably my favorite color. Green is so vibrant and lively, and this time of year it reminds me of the spring season that is just around the corner.

And St. Patrick's Day, well, it's the perfect excuse to decorate everything from beer and rivers to fudge brownies in a pretty shade of green. And I think that's enough reason to celebrate for me. :)

These sweet brownies are rich and dense and deeply chocolatly. They have wonderfully thin and crackly tops and while the edge pieces are nice and chewy, the center pieces remain moist and fudgy. The crispy candy shells of the green M&M's that decorate these brownies give them a little bit of crunch and some extra sweetness, which makes these yummy fudgy treats practically irresistible.

This recipe is adapted from the chewy, fudgy chocolate brownie recipe that is posted over at Piece of Cake:

St. Patrick's Day M&M Brownies

14 oz semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 c butter
4 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
6 eggs
2 1/2 c sugar
1 tbsp vanilla extract
1 tsp salt
2 c all-purpose flour
1 c green M&M's

1. Place a rack in the lower third of your oven and preheat it to 350°.

2. Using a double boiler over low heat, melt together the chocolate and butter until they are smooth. Whisk the cocoa powder into the mixture and set it aside to cool for a few minutes.

3. In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, sugar, vanilla extract, and salt until everything is smooth. Add the cooled chocolate mixture and whisk until everything is well combined. Gently stir in the flour until the batter just barely comes together. Gently stir in half of the green M&M's.

4. Spread batter evenly around the bottom of a well greased 9" x 13" pan. Evenly sprinkle the remaining M&M's over the top of the batter. Place the pan in the oven and bake for 35-40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the brownies comes out with a few moist crumbs. Place the brownie pan on a wire rack and allow the brownies to cool completely before you cut them into bars.

Wondering where I got so many green M&M's? Here's my secret: Right after the holiday season I bought a big ol' bag of Christmas colored M&M's when they were on sale for half price. I separated the red M&M's from the green M&M's, and then used the red M&M's for Valentine's Day. I saved the green M&M's for these brownies. Genius!

Also, even though it is a bit expensive, you can order green M&M's online at the M&M's website.