These Cosmic Brownies are a chocolatey and fudgy chocolate dessert topped with a chocolate buttercream and colorful cosmic sprinkles. They are a little wilder than the iconic Little Debbie Cosmic Brownies, with more sprinkles on top, but this homemade copycat version is made with all of the nostalgia and none of the preservatives for a dessert that is a hit with kids and adults alike.
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Cakey vs Chewy Brownies
These brownies are a dense and chewy, almost fudgy brownie. Using oil as our fat instead of butter and a having a higher fat to flour ratio is what makes these brownies moist and dense.
Cakey brownies have a higher flour to fat ratio and they will also use a leavening agent such as baking soda or baking powder to create a lighter, more cake like texture.
Brownie Ingredients
- Granulated sugar
- All-purpose flour
- Cocoa powder
- Chocolate chips
- Sea salt
- Eggs
- Canola oil
- Water
- Vanilla
Frosting Ingredients
- Butter
- Cocoa powder
- Powdered sugar
- Vanilla extract
- Milk
Equipment
For this recipe, you will need an 8x8 cake pan. If yours is a little bigger, no problem! Just cut 15 minutes off the baking time. Check the brownies at 25 minutes rather than 40.
Greasing the cake pan is non-negotiable, but the parchment paper is. If you have parchment paper, it is really nice to line the pan as is shown in the picture. It makes it so easy to pull the whole block of brownies out of the pan and then cut them. Then, you don't have the struggle of getting each individual brownie out of the pan.
If you don't have parchment paper, just make sure you grease the pan really well with cooking spray, or butter.
Other than that, you will just need a mixing bowl, plus a hand or stand mixer, or a whisk and muscle power!
How to make these easy homemade brownies
Start by whisking your dry ingredients (flour, sugar, salt, cocoa powder, chocolate chips) into a bowl.
In a larger bowl whisk together the eggs, oil, water and vanilla. Whisk it for about a minute until it is all well combined.
Sprinkle the dry ingredients into the bowl with the wet ingredients and use a wooden spoon or spatula to carefully mix everything together.
Mix it just until everything is mixed and there are no dry pockets, but that's all. You don't want to over mix the batter, or it will introduce air into the batter and make cakey brownies.We want dense, chewy brownies, so don't over mix. The batter will be thick! That is good!
Pour the batter into your greased and parchment paper lined baking pan. Pop it into the preheated 325ยฐF oven for 40 minutes. At 40 minutes, check it with a toothpick. Poke the center of the brownie. If it comes out clean, they are done!
You don't want to overcook these, so if they still seem a little bit undercooked, that is ok, they will finish cooking as they cool. They should feel firm, but not hard when you press on them.
How to make chocolate frosting
To make this frosting light and fluffy (to counter the dense chewiness of the brownies), use a hand mixer to beat the softened butter for about 2 minutes, until it is light and fluffy.
Add the cocoa, powdered sugar, vanilla, salt and milk and beat it for another minute until it is fluffy and well combined.
Once the brownies have cooled, slather them with this delicious homemade frosting. Top them with mini m&ms, and star sprinkles, right away so they stick to the frosting.
Enjoy!
Yes! These might even be better then second day! Decorate them in the pan and then the day you are ready to serve them, pull them out of the pan and cut them up. They will be delicious!
Yes! They freeze very nicely. Wrap them tightly in saran wrap, a snap lock container, or place them in a gallon sized freezer bag (try to get as much air out as possible, to prevent freezer burn). They will last 3-4 months in your freezer!
Yes! If you use anything larger than an 8x8 pan, the brownies will be thinner, so you will shorten the baking time. Check them at 25 minutes and then bake longer if needed, until a toothpick comes out clean!
More Sweet Treats
- Frosted Brownies with Salted Tahini Buttercream- Another easy brownie recipe but with a tahini frosting twist.
- Sugared Lemon Cookies- This lemon cookie recipe is an easy and delicious sugar cookie.
- Citrus Glazed Orange Cardamom Cake- This loaf cake is perfect for breakfast or dessert.
- Almond Paste Pinecones- These creative sweet treats are made with almond flour for an adorable gluten free snack or decoration for your dessert board.
I hope you have fun making these colorful sweet treats! I would love to hear from you in the comments below. Thank you for visiting Mollie in Montana~*! โฅ๏ธ
๐ Recipe
Cosmic Brownies
Ingredients
Brownies
- 1ยฝ cup granulated sugar
- ยพ cup all-purpose flour
- โ cup cocoa powder
- ยฝ cup chocolate chips
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- 2 large eggs
- ยฝ cup canola oil
- 2 tablespoon water
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
Frosting
- 6 tablespoon softened butter
- 6 tablespoon cocoa Powder
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ยผ cup milk
- โ teaspoon salt
- ยผ cup mini m&ms
- 1 teaspoon star sprinkles
Instructions
Brownies
- Preheat oven to 325โ
- Grease an 8x8 baking dish. If you have anything larger than this
- In a bowl, mix together the sugar, flour, cocoa powder, sea salt and chocolate chips.
- In a large bowl whisk together the eggs, oil, water and vanilla.
- Pour the dry ingredients over the wet ingredients and stir with a wooden spoon or spatula just until everything is incorporated, being careful not to overmix.
- Bake for 40 minutes and then check them. Poke them with a toothpick and if it comes out clean, they are done. It is better to undercook than overcook these brownies, so if you aren't sure if they are done, go ahead and pull them. They will continue to cook a little more while they cool.
Frosting
- Beat the butter for about 1 minute until it is light and fluffy.
- Add the milk, cocoa powder, salt and powdered sugar and continue to beat for another minute. It should be light and easily spreadable. If it is too thick, add another teaspoon of milk.
- Once the brownies have cooled, spread the frosting on them and then immediately sprinkle the m&m's and colored star sprinkles on top.
- Let them cool completely (you can pop them in the fridge for 30 minutes or so) before diving in!
- Enjoy!
Notes
Notes
- If you don't have an 8x8 cake pan, feel free to use a larger one. Just keep in mind that your brownies will be thinner, but that's ok! Adjust your baking time to 25 minutes, then check them. If a toothpick comes out clean, they are done!
- These freeze beautifully! Store them in a snap lock container, or gallon sized zip lock bag (try to get as much air out as possible), and they will last in the freezer for about 4 months.
- I didn't use the brown m&m's, but use whichever colors you like! ๐
- Enjoy!
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