Cosmic Brownies
My mom was a fabulous cook, but she never baked. Consequently, my school snacks usually consisted of either Twinkies, Devil Dogs, or Hostess cupcakes. Things changed when my own kids were little as I love to bake, and I always packed a homemade treat in their lunch boxes. As a result, they never had any supermarket baked goods such as Hostess or Little Debbie type products.
Fast forward to grandparenthood… Believe it or not, I had never heard of cosmic brownies (a very popular brownie made by the Little Debbie manufacturer) until very recently. When I saw a photo of them with their iconic rainbow candy-coated chocolate chips, I decided they had to be one of the desserts I planned on making for my two-year-old granddaughter’s birthday party.
Besides being fun and festive, these brownies are decadently fudgy and topped with a creamy chocolate ganache. Since I have never tried an actual Little Debbie cosmic brownie, I can’t give you a comparison. What I can tell you is that I can’t imagine the supermarket brownie being as good as the ones I made from this recipe.
p.s. They were a big hit at the party. 🙂
Cosmic Brownies
Ingredients for the Brownies
- 1/4 cup vegetable oil
- 3/4 cup flour
- 7 tbl. unsalted butter, melted
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1/3 cup packed light brown sugar
- 2 large eggs, plus 1 egg yolk
- 1 tbl. corn syrup
- 1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
- 3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1/2 tsp. salt
Ingredients for the Ganache
- 1/2 cup finely chopped semisweet chocolate (I used chocolate chips)
- 6 tbl. heavy cream*
- 1/2 tbl. corn syrup
- 1/2 tsp. pure vanilla extract
- Pinch salt
- 1/2 cup rainbow-coated candy chocolate chips (I ordered Wilton’s Rainbow Chip Crunch Sprinkles)
*The 6 tablespoons of heavy cream makes a very soft ganache (even after chilling). If you want a firmer ganache, cut down the heavy cream to 4 tablespoons.
Directions for the Brownies
Spray the bottom of an 8×8” baking pan with a baking spray (or use a little Crisco shortening). Now, make a sling out of parchment paper so that you can easily lift the brownies out of the pan after baking. The spray (or shortening) is so that the parchment will stay in place in the pan. Set the pan aside and preheat your oven to 350o F.
Whisk the melted butter, vegetable oil, and the sugars in a large bowl until well combined.
Add the whole eggs, egg yolk, corn syrup, and vanilla. Whisk until sugar granules are dissolved and the mixture is creamy, about 5 minutes.
Combine the cocoa powder, flour, and salt in a small bowl.
Whisk the dry mixture into the wet ingredients until just combined and no visible streaks of dry ingredients remain.
Transfer the brownie batter to the prepared baking pan. Use a butter knife or offset spatula to spread the batter into an even layer.
Bake the brownies for 20 to 25 minutes until the top is shiny, the brownies are set, and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out mostly clean (a few tender clinging crumbs are okay). The brownies took exactly 25 minutes in my oven.
Let brownies cool in the pan while you make the ganache.
Directions for the Ganache
Put the chocolate chips and heavy cream in a microwave-safe bowl. Heat for 30 seconds at 50% power. Stir—then microwave in 15- to 20-second increments at 50% power, stirring between each heating. Continue this until the chocolate-cream mixture is completely melted and smooth.
Add the corn syrup, vanilla, and salt. Stir to combine.
Pour the chocolate ganache over the brownies in the pan. Use an offset spatula or butter knife to spread ganache in an even layer, covering the entire top of the brownies.
Sprinkle the brownies with rainbow-coated candy bits. Cover and refrigerate until the ganache is set. Use the parchment sling to remove the brownies from the pan before cutting.
Source: A slightly adapted recipe from Spruce Eats