Chocolate Minty Bars

When you've been out of work for an extended period of time, it can be important to make a good impression upon returning so that your coworkers remember just how much they missed you.  Or, if you don't feel like doing that, just bribe them with sugar so they pretend they're glad to see you again like I did.  To that end, I made some tasty chocolate minty bars.  To do the same you'll need: For the chocolate bit: 6 tablespoons of butter, 1/2 C cocoa powder, 2 C confectioners' sugar, 3 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon milk, and 1 teaspoon vanilla.  For the minty bit: 3 oz cream cheese (softened), 2 C confectioners' sugar, 1/2 teaspoon vanilla, 1/4 teaspoon peppermint extract, green food coloring.

Line an 8 inch square pan with foil and set it aside.  Now in a saucepan, melt the butter over low heat and add the cocoa, stirring until it's smooth.  Take it off the heat and add 2 C confectioners' sugar, 3 tablespoons of milk, and 1 teaspoon vanilla.  Put it back on low heat and stir constantly until it's all melted and glossy looking.  Pour half of this into your foil-lined pan, spreading it evenly.  Put the half in the pan in the fridge and set the other half aside while you make the minty filling.

In a bowl, beat together your cream cheese, 2 C confectioners' sugar, 1/2 teaspoon vanilla, 1/4 teaspoon peppermint, and a few drops of the green food coloring.  I actually used about 4 times as much peppermint as the recipe calls for--just start with 1/4 teaspoon and go from there according to your taste.  Also, you of course don't have to use green food coloring, but it does make it look prettier.  Just don't be some weirdo and color it orange or something.  Unless you want to mess with people.  Then by all means, turn it some crazy, non-minty-looking color.  After you have this all mixed, take the pan out of the fridge, spread your mint filling over the top of the chocolate, and put it back in the fridge for another 10 minutes or so.

It's green so you know it's mint!

Once that's done, put your remaining chocolate back over low heat and add the last teaspoon of milk.  Cook this, stirring constantly, until the chocolate is all melted once again.  Now pour it over the mint filling and spread it evenly. 

And back to the fridge with it!  This time leave it there for at least a couple hours, until it's completely chilled and nice and solid.  Then take it out, flip the pan over onto a cutting board, remove the foil, and cut into small squares.  And that's it!  You now have a delicious, and nutritious*, treat!  That ought to keep people off your back your first day returning to work.

*Note: Chocolate minty bars are in no way nutritious.