It's acceptable to eat frosting by the spoonful, right?

Acceptable or not, who cares? Grab a spoon. Just looking at this frosting will make you feel like you're visiting an old fashioned ice cream parlor. The color, the texture, the chunks of dark chocolate, and that perfect balance of sweet cream and fresh mint flavor. Just like the classic ice cream, this frosting is delicious.

My oldest son LOVES mint chip. Even if I encourage him to try something new, he continues to order it again and again. He gets very upset if the ice cream doesn't have the vibrant green color. "It tastes different when it's not green." 

So you can imagine his excitement when I made this very minty green frosting, on Saint Patrick's Day, of course...and slathered it on top of a gooey chocolate brownie. "Holy moly. Mom, this is the best thing you've ever made," he said, his mouth full of mint chip bliss.

One thing I learned while testing this recipe- good quality peppermint extract is key. I started with mint extract, as it only made sense to use mint to create the mint chip flavor we know and love. But I was wrong, and ended up with many batches of frosting that closely resembled toothpaste. So take my advice and don't substitute. Peppermint is where it's at.

This frosting belongs with chocolate. Layer it in a cake, top off a cupcake, or take a brownie over the edge. Or, take a cue from me, and eat it with a spoon. In my house, it's perfectly acceptable.

Mint Chip Frosting

* Makes about 3 cups

• 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 4 cups powdered sugar, sifted
• 3 tbsp heavy cream
• 1/2 tsp pure peppermint extract
• 1/4 tsp kosher salt
• 2/3 cup finely chopped dark chocolate or mini chocolate chips
• 2-3 drops of green food coloring

1. In a large bowl, with an electric mixer, beat the butter till smooth.
2. Add the powdered sugar, heavy cream, peppermint extract, kosher salt, and green food coloring. Beat till smooth and creamy. Add more green color if needed. 
3. With a wooden spoon, stir in the chopped chocolate.

Enjoy!