Upgraded Cosmic Brownies
Cosmic Brownies were a childhood favorite of mine; I remember trying to ration them because they were so good! Nowadays, they taste WAYYYY too sweet for my palate. Ahh, the raving metabolism and energy of youth *sobs*
These homemade ones are based on Handle the Heat’s recipe; this recipe is great, as it perfectly emulates the cakey, yet fudgy texture that the OG storebought ones had!
I did, however, make a couple major adjustments to this recipe:
The white sugar was reduced from 1 cup to 2/3 cup! Sugar is such an important factor in the texture of baked goods, but I risked giving up some fudgy moisture the sugar lends, because I wanted a more dark chocolate vibe.
At the time, I didn’t make the following changes, but I adjusted the written recipe to compensate for the sugar loss; 1/2 tbsp of corn syrup was added and I reduced the bake time from 25 minutes to 22-23 minutes.
Don’t bother using the toothpick test on these because they will come out fudgy no matter what! I overbaked them justttt a tad trying to check on these that way 😬
I used semi-sweet chocolate as stated in the original recipe, but if I made these again, I would go darker and get bittersweet – something like 60% – instead. I love my dark chocolate, but if you would like to stay more true to the Cosmic brownie, just go along with the recipe below!
And of course, I decided to add a colored design to my brownies to make them more…space-like? I’m not sure if I pulled it off though – I’m not an artist after all, but I still like how they turned out.
Check out my Instagram story highlights for a video tutorial!
Upgraded Cosmic Brownies
Ingredients
For the brownies:
10 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
2/3 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder (preferably dark)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 large eggs plus 1 egg yolk
1-1/2 tablespoon corn syrup
2/3 cup all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1/4 teaspoon salt
For the ganache:
1 1/2 cups (255 grams) semisweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup heavy cream
For the colored glaze:
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1/2 tbsp to 3/4 tbsp milk
Food coloring of choice
For the topping:
Instructions
To make the brownies:
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line an 8-by-8-inch metal baking pan with parchment or foil and spray with cooking spray.
In a large bowl, whisk together the melted butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar, and cocoa powder. If it’s still hot from the butter, let cool slightly before whisking in the vanilla, eggs and egg yolk, and corn syrup until very well combined.
Add in the flour, cornstarch, and salt and stir until just combined – make sure not to overmix.
Pour into the prepared pan and bake for 22-23 minutes; the center of the brownies no longer juggles and the top is set to the touch. Don’t overbake, because the brownies will continue cooking in the hot pan; the usual toothpick test will not work here because of the brownie’s fudgy nature.
Let cool completely in the pan.
To make the colored glaze:
Add the milk into a bowl holding the powdered sugar. Whisk until a thick glaze forms; add a little bit more milk if you can’t physically whisk the mixture.
Separate the glaze into however many bowls of color you’d like. Color the glazes with your colors of choice; I did blue, purple, pink, and white.
Set aside.
To make the ganache:
Either 1) Heat the cream over the stovetop until steam rises. Pour hot cream over the chocolate in a bowl or 2) Place the cream in a small microwave-safe bowl and microwave on high for 1 minute. Add in the chocolate chips.
Let stand for 3 minutes before stirring until smooth.
To assemble:
Pour the ganache over the cooled brownies and smooth evenly.
Using spoons, drizzle the colored glazes onto the ganache in whatever pattern you’d like. Use a toothpick or other utensil to swirl the colors around.
Sprinkle with the Rainbow Crunch Chips.
Refrigerate for 2 hours, or until the frosting is set, before cutting.
Brownies can be stored in an airtight container for 3 days at room temperature and for 1 week in the fridge. Brownies are best served chilled.