Recipe courtesy of Danielle Sepsy
Recipe courtesy of Danielle Sepsy
Watch how to make this recipe.
Unboxed Brownies
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- Level: Easy
- Total: 1 hr (includes cooling time)
- Active: 20 min
- Yield: 9 to 12 brownies
-
- Nutritional Analysis
- Per Serving
- Serving Size
- 1 of 10.5 servings
- Calories
- 608
- Total Fat
- 37 g
- Saturated Fat
- 21 g
- Carbohydrates
- 70 g
- Dietary Fiber
- 5 g
- Sugar
- 51 g
- Protein
- 6 g
- Cholesterol
- 103 mg
- Sodium
- 321 mg
Growing up I hosted a lot of sleepover parties with friends, and no sleepover at the Marullo household was ever complete without some chewy, decadent boxed brownies and some cold rigatoni alla vodka out of the fridge at 2 a.m. (but that’s another story). When testing brownie recipes for my cookbook The Scone Queen Bakes, I just kept saying, “I’d still rather have the boxed brownies” — until these. I wanted these classic brownies to have shiny tops, fudgy centers, super-chewy edges, and an uber-rich chocolatey flavor. The blend of melted chocolate and dark cocoa powder gives them the right amount of chocolate flavor without resulting in a cakey texture, which sometimes a batter made with all cocoa powder can have. The molasses in the dark brown sugar and the cornstarch also play a crucial role here, as they help us achieve the chewy edge rather than a brittle, dry edge. The process of microwaving the ingredients and whisking until you get a glossy, sticky sugar-and-butter mixture is what gives these the shiny tops, so be sure to follow the instructions closely.
- Level: Easy
- Total: 1 hr (includes cooling time)
- Active: 20 min
- Yield: 9 to 12 brownies
-
- Nutritional Analysis
- Per Serving
- Serving Size
- 1 of 10.5 servings
- Calories
- 608
- Total Fat
- 37 g
- Saturated Fat
- 21 g
- Carbohydrates
- 70 g
- Dietary Fiber
- 5 g
- Sugar
- 51 g
- Protein
- 6 g
- Cholesterol
- 103 mg
- Sodium
- 321 mg
Ingredients
Peanut Butter Ganache:
Toppings:
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Directions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (or 325 degrees F on the convection setting).
- Grease an 8-by-8-inch metal pan with butter and line it with a rectangle of parchment paper allowing an inch or two of the paper to hang over the edges so it's easy to release the brownies after baking. Butter the top of the paper lightly.
- In a microwave-safe bowl, combine the 10 tablespoons butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar and microwave in 30-second increments, whisking after each until the mixture is melted and slightly glossy and grainy, about 1 minute total. Add the bittersweet chocolate chips and microwave again for 30 seconds. Whisk again to see if the chocolate is melted. If it isn’t, microwave in 10-second increments until it is.
- Whisk in the vanilla and eggs, making sure you are quick so the eggs do not scramble.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, cornstarch, and salt until blended. Pour the flour mixture into the butter/chocolate mixture and whisk just until combined. Fold in the semisweet chips and then spread the batter into the prepared pan. Be sure to spread it out evenly — the batter is very thick and will need your assistance to form an even layer.
- Bake for 22 to 25 minutes, until the edges are set and when you stick a table knife in the center of the brownies a bit of batter still sticks to the knife. You don’t want to overbake brownies in order to get that fudgy chew we all look for. Allow the brownies to cool slightly in the pan before cutting (if you can wait that long), or make Sleepover Brownies by slathering the brownies with peanut butter ganache and sprinkling with toppings before you cut them.
Sleepover Brownies Ganache and Toppings
- For the peanut butter ganache: In a small saucepan, combine the butter, milk, and peanut butter chips and cook over low heat, stirring gently yet constantly, until melted and smooth. Remove from the heat and stir in the vanilla and salt. In a stand mixer fitted with the whisk (or in a bowl using a hand mixer), on low speed, beat together the powdered sugar and peanut butter mixture until blended and smooth. Pour the ganache evenly over cooled brownies and smooth with an offset spatula.
- For the toppings: Sprinkle the potato chips, pretzels, mini M&M’s, and peanuts over the ganache. Drizzle with the melted chocolate chips. Chill in the refrigerator for 30 to 45 minutes or until the ganache is set, then cut into squares.
