On Friday, February 12, all of the AP Biology students brought in an evolution-themed dessert in honor of Charles Darwin’s birthday. As an AP Biology student, I was also given this assignment, and to complete it I decided to combine my favorite dessert of all time with a birthday-themed twist. Hence, I made Melting Mint Brownies and made myself a delicious, birthday-cake-shaped concoction.

The Melting Mint Brownies recipe (which can be found here) comes courtesy of King Arthur Flour, whose desserts have never failed to impress me. I made this recipe with my friend Grace and my sister Willa, both of whom are avid bakers. To start, I hunted around my kitchen for all of the ingredients, and then we followed the simple, clear instructions and made the brownies. As they baked, we made the mint glaze. Then, after the 20 minutes were up, Grace took the brownies out of the oven.

Next, Willa slid a knife into the center of the brownies. The knife came out with only a few crumbles sticking to its surface, which told us that the brownies were fully cooked. After the brownies cooled, Grace and I spread the glaze across the top, and we were done.

Using a birthday-cake cookie-cutter, I cut out a piece of the brownie and decorated it in honor of Darwin’s birthday. Then, we cut the rest of the brownies out of the pan, and it was finally time for the taste test.

The brownies were delicious! With the perfect balance of rich chocolate and a creamy, magnificently minty glaze, the thick and fudgy brownie made my day and my list of favorite desserts. All in all, we declared the Melting Mint Brownies a success!