These are dangerously delicious.  Which is to say that they are not very nutritious and highly addictive.  For these reasons, I make them once a year to share.  When I met my husband, I stopped going home to Michigan for Christmas.  These mint squares are part of the traditions from my youth that I knew had to continue on with me as we built new traditions in California.  I got in touch with my great aunt who made them without fail every year, and I was in business.

First Layer
½ cup butter, softened
1 cup sugar
4 eggs
1 cup flour
½ tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla
1 ½ cups chocolate syrup

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Combine butter, sugar, and eggs with an electric mixer.  Mix in flour, salt, vanilla, and chocolate syrup until you have a silky batter.  Pour into an ungreased 9×13 glass pan.
Bake for 30 minutes.  Cool overnight.

Second Layer
½ cup butter, softened
2 cups powdered sugar
a dash of mint extract, to your taste.  (use either mint extract from the spices area of your market, or food grade peppermint essential oil)

Combine butter, powdered sugar and mint with mixer.  Spread over cooled cake.  Chill until firm.

Third Layer
6 oz semisweet chocolate chips
6 TBS butter

Melt chocolate chips and butter, stirring until silky and completely combined.  Pour over top.  Refrigerate to cool.

Once cooled and set, bring to room temperature.  Cut into 1 inch squares.  Dipping the knife periodically in clean water makes clean cuts (messy cuts mean nibbles for the person slicing though – your choice).  The squares freeze and thaw nicely, just wrap them really well.