Growing up, one of my favorite activities was grocery shopping with
my mom and choosing what my lunchbox dessert would be for the week
(easily entertained kid). I was usually an Oatmeal Cream Pies or Swiss
Cake Rolls kind of person, sometimes swapping out for the occasional
Nutty Bar or Zebra Cake.
It’s worth noting that this was
before everyone started frowning upon pre-packaged, preservative-filled
lunchbox treats. From what I can tell, kids these days have really
stepped up their lunchbox game (e.g. elaborate bentos
– ?!?). But for my 12-year-old self, organic was a completely foreign
concept, and I enjoyed my Little Debbie’s in judgment-free bliss.
The
Little Debbie dessert that never made the lunchbox first-string was the
Cosmic Brownie. I couldn’t tell you why my chocoholic self never wanted
those, but if those Cosmic Brownies taste anything like this copycat
version I was wrong.
Forget cakey brownies. If
that’s what you’re into this isn’t the recipe for you. These are fudgy,
rich and delicious. It’s like brownies and fudge joined up for a fun
party (obviously with lots of confetti m&ms) and realized they were
meant to be together. I would recommend adding the m&ms after
cutting the brownies/ganache so that you can get really smooth lines. A
trick for cutting into something like this is to run a knife under hot
water for 5-10 second and dry it off before slicing into the dessert.
Repeat the process between each long slice. The heat from the knife will
help create the smooth line.
Enjoy!
Copycat Cosmic Brownies
Recipe from Averie Cooks
Ingredients:
For the Brownies
3/4 cup unsalted butter (1 1/2 sticks), melted
2 large eggs
1 cup granulated sugar
2/3 cup light brown sugar, packed
2 tablespoons coffee or water (coffee leftover from the morning brew is fine)
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3/4 cup unsweetened natural cocoa powder or dark cocoa powder
1 teaspoon instant espresso granules (make sure it’s instant so it dissolves), optional but recommended
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
For the Ganache
1 1/2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup half-and-half or cream
1 cup M&M minis (you can either buy them in small tubes or check out your local grocery store for the larger bags. I like the little ones, but if you can’t find them anywhere you can use regular size)
Directions:
- For the Brownies – Preaheat oven to 350F. Line a 9-by-9-inch baking pan with aluminum foil, spray with cooking spray; set aside.
- In a large, microwave safe bowl, melt the butter, about 90 seconds on high power.
- Add the eggs, sugars, coffee, vanilla, and whisk to combine.
- Add
the cocoa powder, instant espresso, and whisk until incorporated, free
from lumps, and smooth. It could take a few minutes if your cocoa powder
is lumpy. - Add the flour and stir until it’s just incorporated; don’t overmix.
- Turn
batter out into prepared pan, smoothing the top lightly with a spatula.
Bake for 25 to 29 minutes, or until top has just set, isn’t jiggly in
the center, and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean or
with a few fudgy moist crumbs, but no batter. I baked mine for 26
minutes. Allow brownies to cool completely in pan. While brownies cool,
make the ganache. - For the Ganache – Add
chocolate chips to a medium, microwave-safe bowl and heat on high power
for 1 minute to soften chips. They won’t be melted, this is okay. Don’t
stir; set bowl aside. - Heat cream in a glass measuring cup or
microwave-safe bowl until it begins to bubble and show signs of just
beginning to boiling, about 1 minute on high power. - Pour cream over chocolate chips and let stand for 5 to 10 minutes.
- With
a whisk, beat mixture until silky, smooth, and combined. If your
mixture isn’t smoothing out, heat in 15-second bursts in the microwaves
until it can be stirred smooth. - Pour ganache over mostly cooled
brownies (after about 30 minutes is fine; they don’t have to be
completely cooled). Smooth ganache lightly with a spatula or offset
knife. - Evenly sprinkle with M&Ms. Cover pan with a sheet of
foil to prevent fridge smells, and place pan in refrigerator until
ganache sets up before slicing and serving, at least 2 hours. Do not
slice into them until the ganache has set; feel free to make these in
advance and store them in the fridge; they get better with time.
Brownies will keep airtight for 1 week at room temperature, for 2 weeks
in the refrigerator, and for up to 6 months in the freezer. I highly
recommend storing them in the refrigerator because having a slight chill
to brownies this rich and fudgy is almost imperative.