Homemade Cosmic Brownies – Little Debbie copycat recipe! Fudgy brownies topped with rich chocolate ganache and sprinkles.
If you love Little Debbie copycat recipes, I have a delicious Homemade Fudge Rounds recipe and Homemade Oatmeal Cream Pies.
So we’re moving.
Did I tell you that?
Not just moving houses – moving across the country. Like, soon.
And I have this huge problem. Chocolate. I have so much stinkin’ chocolate in my cabinets right now and chocolate won’t be making the cut for what’s traveling with us.
So what’s a girl to do? Make brownies. Then eat those brownies so she has to make more. Because there’s still more chocolate that has to be used!
These brownies are supposed to be like the Little Debbie Cosmic Brownies, which, if you’ve never had them, are amazing.
They’re so much more dense than any other brownie and then they’re covered in a rich ganache before being topped with little candy pieces. This recipe is so close to the original!
But I do recommend actual candy pieces (even something like m&ms) because the sprinkles, while super cute, just didn’t give that crunch that the original has.
Ingredients
- Granulated sugar
- Brown sugar
- Butter
- Eggs
- Vanilla
- All-purpose flour
- Unsweetened cocoa
- Baking powder
- Salt
- Heavy cream – this is going to be used to make the chocolate ganache that goes on top of the brownies.
- Bittersweet chocolate – this is going in the ganache. I like to use a bittersweet chocolate because the brownies themselves are super sweet but you can use a different chocolate if you prefer.
- Colorful candies or sprinkles – I recommend these candy coated pieces that are used in the Little Debbie version.
How To Make Cosmic Brownies
- Combine wet ingredients. Beat butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar together; add eggs and vanilla
- Combine dry ingredients. Stir together flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt
- Combine wet and dry. Add flour mixture to wet mixture and stir until just combined.
- Transfer. Pour into a 9×13-inch pan
- Bake. Bake about 18 minutes
- Make ganache. Melt bittersweet chocolate with heavy cream
- Decorate. Pour the ganache over mostly cooled brownies; top with sprinkles
- Chill and serve. Chill until ganache is set; slice and serve
Typically brownies are good for up to 4 days. These Cosmic Brownies need to be stored in the refrigerator (because of the ganache) – make sure to store them in an airtight container.
You can freeze these brownies for up to 3 months. I recommend wrapping them individually in plastic wrap and then putting them in freezer ziploc bags.
When you are ready to enjoy them, let them defrost for a couple hours at room temperature.
More Brownies
- Classic Brownies
- Nutella Brownies
- Peanut Butter Pretzel Brownies
- Rocky Road Brownies
- Mississippi Mud Brownies
- Peppermint Chip Brownies
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Cosmic Brownies
Ingredients
For the brownies:
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- ⅔ cup brown sugar
- ¾ cup 1 ½ sticks butter, melted
- 2 tablespoons water
- 2 large eggs
- 2 teaspoons vanilla
- 1 ⅓ cups all-purpose flour
- ¾ cup unsweetened cocoa
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
For the ganache:
- ½ cup heavy cream
- 7 ounce bittersweet chocolate
- pinch of salt
- colorful candies or sprinkles, for decorating
Instructions
- Heat oven to 350F. Line a 13 x 9 pan with parchment paper or aluminum foil, then lightly grease. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, combine the sugars, butter and water with a whisk. Stir in the eggs and vanilla. In a medium bowl, combine the flour, cocoa, baking powder and salt. Stir the dry mix into the wet stuff and stir to combine. With a rubber spatula, spread the batter into the prepared pan. Bake for 18 minutes. Don’t over bake!
- Set aside on a rack to cool.
- While the brownies are baking, prepare the ganache: Place the chocolate in a bowl and set aside. In a small saucepan, heat the cream just to a simmer. Don’t boil it, just wait till you see little bubbles starting to form around the edges. Remove from the heat and pour over the chocolate. Sprinkle with the salt and let it all sit for a minute or so. Gently stir with a rubber spatula until all of the chocolate is melted. Whisking the heck out of it will just add air bubbles and we don’t want those. Set that aside to cool a bit.
- When the brownies are mostly cool, pour the ganache over and spread it evenly over the top. Sprinkle as many or as few of the candies/sprinkles over the top as you like. I cooled mine in the fridge until the ganache was set. When you’re ready to cut them into squares, lift them out with the foil and cut into the size or shape you like.
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Nutrition Information:
Yield: 20 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 260Total Fat: 15gSaturated Fat: 9gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 5gCholesterol: 44mgSodium: 113mgCarbohydrates: 28gFiber: 2gSugar: 17gProtein: 4g
k8 says
im actualy eating a little debbies cosmic browine right now! I will have to try this recipe in the future! I love little debbies little snacks, they are great for kids, and beautiful for a late night snack! *SMACK*
Callie Cleare says
These look amazing! I was thinking for the candy topping you could do nerds? they would have that crunch and color but idk about the taste.
natalie (the sweets life) says
do you store these in fridge? and are they good for several days? want to make this week!
amanda says
I store everything in the fridge but I’m assuming that there’s enough sugar in these to preserve them for a few days if you left them on the counter. And yes, definitely good for a few days! They stayed nice and soft for me.
Erin @ Making Memories says
I can’t wait to make these! My son LOVES Cosmic Brownies!!! Thanks so much!
Bridget says
This is the same recipe that’s on the nestle cocoa powder container! Just substituted 2/3 brown sugar instead. That is my favorite recipe. I’ll have to try your adaptation.
amanda says
Oh really? No wonder it’s so good! Thanks for reading and commenting! :)
Marcia says
The brownie part was really good, but I didn’t like the ganache. Will probably use semi-sweet chocolate instead of bitter-sweet chocolate next time. It was just too bitter for my taste. Used walnuts instead of the sprinkles.
Lane says
Oh my goodness, I just made these brownies last night, and I already had one for breakfast this morning! They are BEYOND delicious. Thank you so much for the wonderful recipe! :)
CASL says
You are my hero!!!!!!!!!!!!!….. in México is not very easy to find them!!… I want to cry!….. so excited I will buy all the ingredients and let you know how did it go!
Thank you soooooo much!!
Delishhh says
Oh those brownies look amazing! So where are you moving?
Melanie Flinn says
Great, now I want to make these. NOW.