RECIPE: Christine McConnell's 'Brownie Bug'

Peppermint Brownie Bugs:
Ingredients:
3/4 cup butter
1 1/4 cup sugar
1/3 cup light brown sugar
3/4 cup cocoa powder
1/2 ts salt
1 ts vanilla
2 large eggs
1/2 cup all purpose flour
3/4 cup toasted and salted walnuts

Instructions:
1. Pre-heat oven to 325. in a sauce pan on medium heat melt down butter, sugar and cocoa until you was a warm paste. Remove from heat and add salt, vanilla and eggs. Mix with a wooden spoon until smooth. Add flour and walnuts and mix until completely blended. Pour batter into buttered brownie tin lined with parchment (9X9 inch pan) and bake 20-25 minutes.

2. Once done remove from oven and allow to cool to room temp. At this point remove the brownies by the parchment paper and refrigerate till chilled. With a sharp knife cut out brownie bug ovals., place back in fridge.

Peppermint Chocolate Body
Ingredients:
1 cup white melting chocolate
1/4 cup green melting chocolate
1 ts peppermint extract
2 tb corn syrup

Instructions:
In a sauce pan on very low heat melt down all but the corn syrup, mixing constantly. When a liquid state is reached turn off flame. One by one take your brownie bugs out of fridge and dip the bottom into the peppermint chocolate. Flip over on parchment paper and allow to cool and set. Once this is done with all; heat your remaining peppermint chocolate again and add light corn syrup and mix quickly. This will create a modeling chocolate you can use for the legs. Once a ball forms wrap modeling chocolate in plastic wrap and allow to sit an hour before molding.

Wings were made using edible wafer paper drawn on with edible black ink. Both of these items can be found at your local cake supply store. They were then glued on using just a dab of melted brown chocolate.