Adding a Little Mint: The Reward of Slight Changes

For a year I have been making black bean carob brownies. I took a black bean brownie recipe and altered it [image error]because I can't eat chocolate (please don't feel bad for me, there are many other great options of desserts to eat). I used carob powder instead of cocoa powder and carob chips instead of chocolate chips. I also added about a cup of peanut butter chips and a cup of chopped walnuts. Because the recipe doesn't use butter, flour, or sugar (maple syrup is used instead), I feel better eating these brownies.

As much as I love to eat them, though, they can get boring after a while, just like life feels mundane when we repeat what we do day after day. Over the weekend I began to wonder if there was a way I could make them taste more like a Marshall Field's Frango Mint. On Monday I found peppermint extract at my local grocery store and proceeded to make a batch with a few drops of mint.

Oh my. While I could have added more mint (I was hesitant to add too much since this was the first try), these brownies were heaven. And all it took was a little peppermint extract. Making slight changes in life isn't hard. And the rewards are often larger than life.