Cosmic Brownies

My ability to write is still meandering around somewhere in an empty, massive void. (When it returns, it had better bring back socks, lots of socks.)

My writing has always had the attention span of a gold fish, and the twitchiness of a cat with scotch tape stuck to it's paws.

Hopefully it'll hop it's way back to me, soon. Until it does, please bear with me, and try not to mind the extra seasoning of chaotic randomness.

Brownies, anyone?


Hi.

When I first came across this recipe, I thought the title was a testimonial to the greatness of the brownie itself. Because if I ever found myself lost in space, in some other galaxy, I would certainly have a framed photo of these brownies on my nightstand, or glued to the visor of whatever it was that I was flying in (hopefully something sleek and cool).

I'd fly across the stars for a few cosmic brownies.

Apparently this recipe is taken from Little Debbie. And Little Debbie and I, as some of you may already know, were not allowed to hang out together. My lunch box friends included carrots, apples, and yoghurt.

Thankfully, we have made up for lost time. :-)


Since I've never had an actual Little Debbie Cosmic Brownie, I can't say if this recipe is an exact duplicate. What I can tell you is that this may be my one of my favourite brownies recipes, ever.

All brownies should strive for this level of greatness. Soft, fudgy, rich, and smeared with dark chocolate nirvana (aka, ganache). The only downfall, if it can even be considered a downfall, is that they are almost too rich. You really need only one small slice to feel euphoric and satisfied...as well as a tall glass of cold milk.

Little Debbie or not, these truly are cosmic brownies. Perhaps my writing mojo is floating around out there too?


Cosmic Brownies (recipe adapted from Elle's New England Kitchen)

brownies
1 cup granulated sugar
2/3 cup brown sugar
3/4 cup (that's 1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled
2 tablespoons milk (or cream)
2 large room temperature eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 1/2 tsp espresso powder
1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa
1/2 teaspoon baking Powder
1/4 teaspoon salt

ganache
1/2 cup heavy cream
7 oz bittersweet chocolate, chopped
pinch of salt

topping
mini stars (or anything tiny and edible that you have on hand)

method
Preheat the oven to 350 F. Lightly spray or grease a foil-lined 9x13-inch baking pan; Set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the sugars, melted butter, cream, eggs, vanilla, and espresso powder; Set aside.
In a separate bowl, combine the flour, cocoa, baking powder, and salt.
Using a large rubber spatula, or a wooden spoon, fold the dry ingredients into the wet until just combined.
Spread the batter into prepared pan.
Bake for 18-20 minutes, or until a thin knife inserted into the center comes out with only a few moist crumbs. (Try not to over-bake.)
Remove the brownies from the oven place the pan onto a cooling rack.

While the brownies are cooling, prepare the ganache.

For the ganache: Place the chopped chocolate into a large, heatproof bowl.
In a small saucepan, bring the cream to just a simmer. Pour the hot cream over the chocolate and sprinkle with salt. Allow the chocolate to sit in the hot cream for about 3-5 minutes. Use a small whisk or spatula to stir the chocolate into the cream until the mixture is smooth and the chocolate has melted.

Pour the ganache over the semi-cool brownies. Use a small knife or an off-set spatula to spread the ganache over the entire pan of brownies.
Immediately sprinkle the ganache with your decoration of choice.
Refrigerate the brownies until they are completely cool, and the ganache has set.

Use a hot knife to slice the brownies into squares.