Cosmic Brownies
My copycat Cosmic brownies are thick, fudgy, and topped with a silky smooth chocolate ganache. This easy 30 minute recipe disappears in minutes!
Remember ripping the cellophane off cosmic brownies after school as a kid? These taste like that only better! They're made with butter, chocolate and M&Ms instead of unidentified candy bits. Love brownies? Try our praline brownies, cherry brownies, Nutella Brownies or mug brownies next. These are great for school lunch, potlucks, and picnics alike. Wash it down with a class of ice cold milk or a big scoop of vanilla bean ice cream.
Rich and indulgent just like good brownies should be!!★★★★★
Review From Julia
Why This Recipe Works: A Sprinkle of Food Science
- Blooming Cocoa: Melted butter blooms the cocoa for a deep chocolate flavor and aroma.
- Butter Not Oil: We also like butter vs. oil as it gives a fudgier melt in your mouth texture. This is because unlike oil butter is not a liquid at room temperature.
- High Cocoa Powder To Flour Ratio: This keeps our brownies fudgy not cakey.
Ingredient Notes and Shopping Tips
- Cocoa Powder: Because we're not using a leavening agent like baking soda you can use regular or Dutch process cocoa powder. I like the darker color and deeper fudgier flavor of Dutch process.
- Flour: Measure your flour by scooping it into the measuring cup, and then leveling off with a table knife. Never dip your measuring cup into the flour, as this will give you too much.
- Brown Sugar: This retains more moisture than white and helps keep our brownies soft for days. Pack it in the cup when you measure it.
- Egg: Bring to room temperature to help everything come together smoothly.
- M&MS: I'm not a big fan of the candies on top of store-bought cosmic brownies so I used rainbow M&Ms. However, if you want an authentic look, Wilton sells Rainbow Crunch Chips that look very similar.
- Chocolate Chips: Use good quality chocolate chips for a smooth melt. I like Ghirardelli.
How To Make Cosmic Brownies
- Mix Batter: Combine butter, eggs, sugars, and vanilla. Then add in cocoa powder and flour.
- Bake: Pour batter into pan and bake for 25-30 minutes.
- Ganache: Heat oven cream. Stir in chocolate chips. Pour over brownies.
Krystle's Tips: Steal My Culinary School Secrets
- Bake in a pan lined with foil or parchment paper for easy cleanup.
- Cool Butter: Cool butter slightly so you don't accidentally scramble your eggs.
- Don't overmix: Overmixing can lead to tough dense brownies. Mix until the flour is just combined and the white streaks disappear.
- Mom Hack: My Mom taught me always cut brownies with a plastic knife since they are naturally nonstick. Wipe the knife down in between cuts for best results.
- Don't Overbake: Insert a toothpick in the center. If the toothpick comes out with a few crumbs, your brownies are done. If you still see raw batter on the toothpick bake for 2-3 more minutes at a time.
More Copycat Desserts I Love
Cracker Barrel Chocolate Coca Cola Cake
Copycat Maple Butter Applebees Blondie
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📖 Recipe
Copycat Cosmic Brownies
Thick, fudgy brownies smothered in silky smooth chocolate ganache, and topped with M&M candies.
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Servings: 12 Brownies
Calories: 419kcal
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Ingredients
For the Brownies
- ¾ Cup Unsalted Butter (1 ½ Sticks) ,Melted
- 2 Eggs
- 1 Cup Granulated Sugar
- ⅔ Cup Light Brown Sugar Tightly Packed
- 2 Tablespoons Milk
- 2 Teaspoons Vanilla Extract
- ¾ cup Un-Sweetened Natural Cocoa Powder
- ¾ cup All-Purpose Flour
For the Topping
- 1 ½ Cups Semi Sweet Chocolate Chips
- ½ Cup Heavy Cream
- 1 Cup M&M Minis
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Instructions
For the Brownies
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a 9x9 inch pan with foil. Spray with non stick spray.
- In a large bowl, melt butter in the microwave for 1-2 minutes.
- Whisk in sugars, eggs, milk, and vanilla. Then whisk in cocoa powder until smooth.
- Add flour gradually, until combined.
- Spread batter in prepared pan. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool completely.
For the Ganache
- Heat heavy cream in a medium sauce pan. Add chocolate chips. Stir occasionally until smooth.
- Pour ganache over brownies. Smooth with an offset spatula.
- Sprinkle with M&Ms. Refrigerate until the ganache has set.
Notes
Ingredient Notes
- Cocoa Powder: like the darker color and deeper fudgier flavor of Dutch process cocoa powder.
- Flour: Measure your flour by scooping it into the measuring cup, and then leveling off with a table knife. Never dip your measuring cup into the flour, as this will give you too much.
- Egg: Bring to room temperature to help everything come together smoothly.
- Chocolate Chips: Use good quality chocolate chips for a smooth melt. I like Ghirardelli.
- Bake in a pan lined with foil or parchment paper for easy cleanup.
- Cool Butter: Cool butter slightly so you don't accidentally scramble your eggs.
- Don't overmix: Overmixing can lead to tough dense brownies. Mix until the flour is just combined and the white streaks disappear.
- Don't Overbake: Insert a toothpick in the center. If the toothpick comes out with a few crumbs, your brownies are done. If you still see raw batter on the toothpick bake for 2-3 more minutes at a time.
Nutrition
Calories: 419kcal | Carbohydrates: 47g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 25g | Saturated Fat: 15g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 73mg | Sodium: 23mg | Potassium: 178mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 37g | Vitamin A: 556IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 43mg | Iron: 2mg
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The brownies turned out very fudgy like the actual Cosmic Brownies but were super rich too. It was hard to eat by itself but tasted good with ice-cream.
I've actually made this recipe and doubled it and put the doubled recipe in a 13x9 and it's a very good but thick brownie.
Hi! These look delicious ????! I do remember cosmic brownies as a kid. Can’t wait to make these! Question, can I double the recipe and bake it a 9 x 13 pan and just cook it a bit longer? I too foil my pans all the time.
Makes it easier to cut your bars and it helps keeps the
pan from getting marked up from cutting. TIA!
Hi Mary,
I have not tried this, but other readers have had success with doubling and baking in a 9x13. Enjoy! 🙂
I made these for a 90s-themed party and they were a huge hit! They look so much like a cosmic brownie but taste so much better. The brownies are really dark, chocolatey, and fudgy. The ganache on top was so delicious. The only thing I changed was putting Wilton rainbow chips on top instead of mini M&Ms to make it look more authentic. I cut my brownies into rectangles and scored the ganache to replicate the look of the brownies. Thanks for sharing this delicious recipe!!
Hi Sarah,
Oh my gosh a 90s party, I feel so old. So glad you enjoyed the recipe. Great idea on subbing the rainbow chips.
Thease are to die for! I add an extra egg yolk and they come out soft and fudgy.
Mmm great tip thanks Zee!
Can this recipe be doubled for a 13x 9; baking pan? Thanks
Hi Lu!
I haven't tried this, but others readers have with success so I say go for it!
What is the purpose of the tinfoil??? Should I take it out after I bake and it cools down or leave it in there and add the fudge???
Hi Ernie,
It helps it lift out the pan easier Ernie. Feel free to leave in the pan or lift out whichever works best for you.
Do you use a glass pan? Or alluminum pan? Thanks!????
I used glass, but a disposable aluminum would be fine if you wanted to take them somewhere!
If I doubled the recipe could I bake it in a 9x13 and bake it for the same amount of time? These look so amazing!!! 🙂
I have only tried the recipe as written. If you use a 9x13 pan you'd probably need to increase baking time. Let us know how it goes! 😀
I just finished frosting these and they look so fun. I can't wait to cut into them!
Yum! How you enjoyed Erin!! 🙂
These look perfect! Thanks for linking up with What's Cookin' Wednesday!
These were sooooo rich and chocolaty. I made them last night to bring to work for my coworkers, but now I'm considering not sharing. I didn't change anything about the recipe either, and they turned out perfectly. Mine actually look exactly like your picture too - talk about easy!
Jenn,
So glad you enjoyed them, thanks for letting me know! Don't blame you for not wanting to share at all! 🙂
They look so yummy!!!! Will try it.
Is there anything to substitute for the heavy cream?
Hey Jen,
Ganache needs to be made with heavy cream no exceptions. That's what gives it it's rich flavor and texture!
Heavy Cream is pretty Simple to make. You Mix Butter with Half and Half or Milk. Pinterest has several different Recipes .
Cool kitchen hack, thanks Cindy!
Hi, I love this recipie , tried them out today and they were a hit!! All my kids loved them , will always be making them for sure!!!! Thanks
Yay so glad you and your kids liked them Ranya!
Mmmmmmmmm. Brownies!! I really love this post!
Thanks Nicole! 🙂