Cosmic Brownies - But Homemade!
I decided to start this blog in an attempt to share some of my recipes, as I create/discover them. I thought I would start out with a recipe that I made the other day, that turned out really well!
I'm not a very nostalgic person, but I understand that baked goods often create links between peoples' pasts and presents. I find myself baking things that my grandmother baked when I was a kid; I even look to her old recipes for inspiration. Now, my grandmother never tried to recreate Little Debbie cakes, but she did always have them around the house. My grandfather's most favorite thing was the Little Debbie Oatmeal Cream Pies, and mine was always the Cosmic Brownies.
I went searching, and I found quite a few different recipes for DIY Cosmic Brownies, but this one made the most sense to me. The creator uses the creaming method, along with some baking powder to create almost a cookie bar instead of a brownie. That sounded most excellent to me, and the brownies had a texture I could compare to the original CB. My favorite part of these brownies, however, was the ganache frosting. I have my own recipe for that, which I will provide as well! I couldn't find any candy coated chocolate sprinkles, so I stuck with what I had in my pantry. In order to create my ganache recipe, you will need to have a scale and some time. If you can make the frosting the day before, it will be better! If you cannot, you can line a cookie sheet with saran wrap, pour the hot ganache onto it, cover with another layer of saran wrap, and place it in the fridge. It will take less time to cool and set, but you should still give it an hour or so.
I know you can't wait to eat these, so let's begin!
COSMIC BROWNIES
Yields : 24 Brownies OR One 9x13 Pan
1 1/4 c All Purpose Flour
3/4 c Cocoa Powder
1 c Sugar
2/3 c Brown Sugar
1 1/2 sticks Melted Butter
2 Eggs
3 Tbsp Milk
1/2 tsp Baking Powder
1 Tbsp Cornstarch
2 tsp Vanilla Extract
1 pinch salt
Preheat your oven to 350.
In a stand mixer, beat together melted butter, the sugars, the vanilla extract, the baking powder, the salt and the cornstarch for ~2 minutes, or until light and fluffy.
Add eggs, one at a time, scraping down the bowl after each addition.
Whisk together your cocoa powder and your all purpose flour.
Add your flour mixture in three additions, alternating with the milk.
Mix until just combined, scraping down the bowl to ensure even mixing.
Bake at 350 for 18-25 minutes. (It took me 22, but I probably could have pulled them at 21.)
Remove pan and allow to come to room temperature before frosting.
CHOCOLATE GANACHE
Yields : 1 quart
259g Heavy Cream
34g Corn Syrup
63g Sugar
2g Salt
230g Chocolate
84g Butter
6g Vanilla Extract
In a large bowl, combine chocolate, butter and vanilla extract.
Bring the heavy cream, corn syrup, sugar and salt to a boil.
Pour hot heavy cream mixture on top of your chocolate, and allow to sit for one minute.
If you have an immersion blender, use it to blend your ganache together until it is smooth and creamy. If you do not, use a whisk! Try to incorporate as little air as possible.
Place in the fridge to cool. If you have a day, place it in any container, place a piece of saran wrap directly on top of the ganache, and store it in the fridge until ready to use. If you have less time, please see the instructions in the earlier part of the post.
When your brownies are nice and cool, spread the frosting liberally and coat with the sprinkles of your choice.
Voila! Cosmic Brownies that you made yourself! Enjoy with friends and family, or don't share them at all! I would understand!
