Clare's Cosmic-Inspired Brownies

As a baked goods enthusiast, Clare, from our Customer Service team, also doubles as our unofficial resident baker (you might remember her deliciously decadent Take 5-Inspired Cake!). Now, she's back with a modern take on the nostalgic Cosmic Brownies by Little Debbie. These fudgy treats are everything you loved as a kid reimagined for a grown-up palate — featuring dark chocolate, naturally-dyed rainbow candy-coated chocolate chips and plenty of sparkly flake salt. The bonus? They're egg-less!

Recipe by: Clare O' Bryan
Adapted from: Mommy's Home Cooking

Makes 1, 8x8-inch brownie

Process

Make the Chocolate Ganache

Place the chocolate in a heatproof bowl and set aside.

Pour heavy cream into a saucepan and heat over medium-low until the cream comes to a simmer. Once the cream is simmering, pour over the chocolate and cover the bowl. Set aside for 3-5 minutes.

After ~5 minutes, uncover and gently mix until completely melted and smooth. At this point, you can set aside the ganache for about an hour to thicken up and become more frosting-like, or place it in the fridge for 10-minute increments until it sets up to your liking! 

Chocolate Tip: You can also use any type of chocolate you prefer. I used a mix of dark and milk chocolate, so it wouldn't be too sweet, and I also increased the chocolate-to-cream ratio to 1.5:1 so the ganache would be thicker.

Make the Brownies

Preheat the oven to 325º F. Line an 8x8-inch baking pan with parchment paper and lightly spray with baking spray. Set aside. 

Combine flour, cornstarch, baking powder, and salt in a bowl. Set aside.

In a mixing bowl or liquid measuring cup, combine the milk and vinegar. Let the mixture rest for 5-8 minutes, until thickened and curdled.

Melt butter in the microwave (alternately, you can do it over the stovetop in a medium saucepan). Stir in the sugars and mix until well combined, for about 2-3 minutes. The mixture must be homogeneous and glossy, not oily.

Add the milk mixture to the butter mixture, then mix with a whisk to incorporate. Microwave the mixture for 2 minutes. Carefully remove the bowl from the microwave and continue mixing for 1–2 minutes.

Undissolved sugar will prevent you from getting the crackly top on the brownies, so rub a little of the batter between your fingers to test. If it feels smooth with no grains of sugar, it's ready! If you can still feel some grains, place the mixture in the microwave and heat for another minute before mixing for 1-2 minutes. Repeat until you don’t feel the grains anymore. 

Once the batter is smooth, add cocoa powder and mix to incorporate, then continue to stir for 2 minutes. Add vanilla and instant espresso powder (if using), and mix until incorporated. Add the flour mixture and stir until mostly combined, then add the chocolate chips (reserving 1/4 cup for the top, if desired) and stir until no flour remains.

Pour the batter into the pan, then using a spatula, spread the batter to the edges of the pan and smooth the top. Be sure to tap the pan once or twice on the counter to settle any air pockets, and poke the air pockets that rise to the top with the tip of a knife or toothpick. Top with more chocolate chips, if desired.

Bake for 40–50 minutes or until the brownies are set and the tops are cracked and shiny. When the brownies are ready, remove them from the oven and set the pan on a wire rack until completely cooled.

To Assemble

When the brownies are completely cool, run a thin knife around the edge of the pan to loosen, then lift from the pan using the parchment paper sling. 

Frost the brownies with ganache and top generously with rainbow candy-coated chocolate chips and flaky salt (or level it up with Pinot Noir Salt)!