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Great-Grandma's Mint Bars
By Julia Janes
Since I could remember we made them every Christmas, it didn’t matter the weather or the plans, we’d always make my Great-Grandma’s mint bars. Deciding what holiday desserts to make was always a bickering feud, but mint bars would always top the list. They were our unspoken staple of Christmas-passed down through the generations, changed ever so slightly, improved with their timeless charm still intact. They were the go-to when Great-Grandma passed in the midst of our frozen isolated world. The mint bars are a reminder of her legacy, one that would live on forever.
They were Dorothy’s mint bars, made in a way no one else could replicate, with a precision no one would touch. When she began to teach the grandkids to recreate the mint bars, it was obvious no one would ever match her technique. But it would be the closest anyone would ever come. Her one inch squares, sliced so perfectly it looked inhuman, the chocolate drizzle spread into an unmeasurable grid. Each time she made them they were the same. They were perfect. Before they ever met the gatherings of Christmas, they were meant for church. At her church all of the attendees had their own special baked-good or dish that they’d always bring to the potlucks. But mint bars weren’t always Dorothy's, as she used to make donut holes. Problem was Dorothy hated baking. The donut holes would take too much time, too much effort. So when she found a recipe with her favourite flavours mixed together, with the bitterness of the chocolate and the sweetness and coldness of the mint icing, she had created her own twist on the dessert, delicious and simple. The original recipe was scrawled on the back of the 1980s mint chocolate Chipits bag. So when the mint chocolate Chipits were discontinued Dorothy had taken it into her own hands. From mint Chipits and gram crackers to an Oreo cookie base with a dash of mint extract. She fiddled with the recipe until it was just to her liking. Tinkered and changed before becoming what we know them as today. As our family’s favourite dessert, the one treat we cannot go a Christmas without, as Great Grandma’s legendary mint bars. 
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Replication of a mint bar, plated on Great-Grandma's china dish. Christmas 2024 Mint Bar Recipe
Ingredients: ¾ cup chocolate chips (any type) ½ cup margarine or butter ¼ cup icing sugar 1 egg 1 ½ cups oreo/chocolate cookie crumbs 2 tbsp milk ½ tsp mint extract 1-2 drops green food colouring Steps: 1. Preheat the oven to 325° Base 2. Melting Chocolate: Start by melting 3/4c of any chocolate chips & 1/2c margarine together, ideally on the stove top or if necessary in the microwave (do it in short intervals 10-30 seconds each, stir in between). If using a stove, get a pot of water and put it on the stove to create a double boiler (by putting a metal bowl on top). In the metal bowl, put the chocolate chips and margarine and set the element to medium heat. Use a fork or spoon to keep it moving and stir as it melts (make sure not to burn it), once it's completely melted take off of the stove. *Once melted put 1/4c to the side 3. Mix In a separate bowl, mix together: The melted chocolate (*Minus the 1/4c off to the side*) 1/4c of icing sugar 1 egg 1 1/2c Oreo crumbs NOTE: if you are using actual oreos and crushing them with the icing in them do not add icing sugar. If you are using chocolate cookie crumbs add the icing sugar. 4. Bake and cool Once you are finished mixing the batter and it is well combined, press the batter into an 8x8 pan and put it in a preheated oven (at 325°) and bake for 20 min Once baked let cool until it is no longer warm to the touch (room temperature or cooled), before adding the middle. *Cool either on the counter or in the fridge* Middle 5. Make Icing In a bowl or stand mixer (recommended) whip together: ¼ cup softened margarine 2 cups icing sugar 2 tbsp milk ½ tsp mint extract 1-2 drops of green food colouring (optional, though recommended) 6. Put it all together Spread icing over the base evenly. Take leftover melted chocolate (reheat if needed) and spread it over top using a fork, by gently dragging it along the top of the icing. Put it into the fridge for a minimum of 5 minutes before taking it out of the fridge. Next cut in approximately one inch squares. Leave in the fridge when not being served to preserve. Finally enjoy a chocolate minty treat! |