Cosmic Brownies - Little Debbie Style

Don't you just love the Little Debbie Cosmic Brownies? I remember being able to go to the store when I was younger and getting an individual pack for $.25! Isn't that unreal? They're so dense, chewy, and chocolate-y, and none of the brownie recipes I've tried have come close to having that consistency. Until now. This recipe is golden. It is by far the fudgiest brownie I've ever made. I also love that the recipe calls for cocoa powder and not unsweetened chocolate squares as many brownie recipes do. I always have cocoa powder, but it's pretty rare that I'll stock unsweetened chocolate . . . I'm not sure why that is.

These came out so similar to the Little Debbie ones that I've loved since before I can remember, so I know I'll definitely be making them again. The frosting is a simple ganache (cream/milk and chocolate), and the original called for bittersweet chocolate. I only had semi-sweet chocolate chips, so I used those and it turned out great; next time I might use all or half milk chocolate chips because I usually like my frosting a tad sweeter. Any way you frost it, it'll be good - if you have a brownie frosting that you love use it!

This brownie base is really amazing and I think it might end up being my go-to scratch brownie recipe from now on. I hope you enjoy these as much as I did!

Cosmic Brownies (original can be found here)
Brownies
1 c. sugar
2/3 c. brown sugar
3/4 c. butter, melted
2 Tbls. water
2 eggs
2 tsp. vanilla
1 1/3 c. flour
3/4 c. cocoa powder
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1. Preheat oven to 350, and line a 9x13 pan with parchment paper and spray lightly with nonstick spray.
2. Whisk together sugar, brown sugar, butter, water, eggs, and vanilla.
3. Slowly whisk in cocoa, baking powder, and salt. Fold in flour until just combined.
4. Spread into prepared pan and bake 18-20 minutes. Don't overbake these. Allow to cool.
Ganache
1/2 c. heavy cream (I used whole milk and it worked well)
7 oz. semi-sweet chocolate chips
pinch of salt
sprinkles, if desired
1. Pour chocolate into a bowl and set aside.
2. In a small pan, bring milk or cream just to a simmer (bubbles around the edges of the pan). Pour over chocolate and allow to sit for 1-2 minutes.
3. Add salt, and gently stir everything together with a spatula until it's smooth. Spread over prepared brownies and refrigerate about 1 hour so the ganache can set.

Hugs and cookies,

Amanda

Eat, and Be Happy

When it comes to bad days, down days, stressful days, sad days, etc., there's nothing that cheers me up the way home-baked goodies do. 

Some days, I can't shake that stressed/harried feeling, even after Dusty gets home from work and can help with the boys. Those are usually the days that you can find me baking (in addition to lots of other days). If the boys are in "rare," grumpy form early in the morning, I know it'll be a loooong stretch until naptime comes. If you're a SAHM, you know the feeling - crying, screaming, yelling, hitting, "NOs" - all of those things continue repeatedly until it's time for naps. Ah, sweet naps.

My go-to move to relieve some stress is to make something easy and delicious. (For example, there was a day last week that was horrible all around, so I whipped up some of my Grandma's Peanut Butter Bars and enjoyed them during the boys' naps.) Not only do I feel better as I'm making it, but then I also get to eat it after it's done. It's a win-win situation! Usually, I wait to eat stuff like that until the boys are napping or in bed for the night for two reasons: 1) they don't need to eat sweets every time I do, and 2) it's a lot more relaxing and enjoyable to eat uninterrupted. Sometimes Dusty and I will sit with the boys while they eat supper, but then just the two of us will eat ours after they've gone to bed. It's a nice change of pace sometimes to do it that way.

This recipe I'm sharing with you today was easy, but no one was in a grumpy mood while making/eating these! Oreos baked in-between layers of brownie? You can't lose! And, there's ice cream stirred into the batter. Bonus. (Note, I had to substitute a chocolate cake mix for the brownie mix because I didn't have any on-hand. Although the cake mix worked perfectly and tasted delicious, I think a brownie mix would give the bars a fudgier texture, which I prefer.)

Cookies and Cream Oreo Fudge Brownies (original recipe can be found here)

1 box brownie mix

eggs and oil as called for on the brownie box (usually 2-3 eggs and 1/3 c. oil)

1/2 c., heaping, cookies and cream ice cream (I used chocolate chip because that's what we had in the freezer)

1/4 c. hot fudge sauce, cold or room temp.

16 Oreos

1. Preheat oven to 350, and grease an 8x8 in. pan.

2. Mix brownie mix, oil, and eggs until combined (don't add the water the recipe on the box calls for). Stir in hot fudge and ice cream until combined.

3. Pour half the batter into the pan, followed by a layer of Oreos, then cover with the remaining batter.

4. Bake approximately 40 minutes, or until center is set.

5. Allow to cool, and enjoy (these were especially delicious with a scoop of ice cream on the side . . . if you're feeling indulgent)

This is how heaping my 1/2 c. of ice cream was

My helper enjoying a perk of the job

This is before I spread it out - it easily covers the cookies once you do.

I cut one right out of the middle - my favorite!

           

Asher bites right into the Oreo . . . 

Apparently, Aiden prefers to separate, then lick the cream filling before
eating the cookie part. :)

Hugs and cookies,

Amanda