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Fake Ginger

May 25, 2011

Cosmic Brownies

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Homemade Cosmic Brownies – Little Debbie copycat recipe! Fudgy brownies topped with rich chocolate ganache and sprinkles. 

Homemade Cosmic Brownies - Little Debbie copycat recipe! Fudgy brownies topped with rich chocolate ganache and sprinkles.

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!

If you love Little Debbie copycat recipes, I have a delicious Homemade Fudge Rounds recipe and Homemade Oatmeal Cream Pies.

Homemade Cosmic Brownies - Little Debbie copycat recipe! Fudgy brownies topped with rich chocolate ganache and sprinkles.

Copycat Little Debbie Cosmic Brownies

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.

How To Make Cosmic Brownies

  • Beat butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar together; add eggs and vanilla
  • In a separate bowl, combine dry ingredients (flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt)
  • Combine wet ingredients and dry ingredients
  • Pour into a 9×13-inch pan
  • Bake about 18 minutes
  • Make the ganache by melting bittersweet chocolate with heavy cream 
  • Pour the ganache over mostly cooled brownies; top with sprinkles
  • Chill until ganache is set; slice and serve

How Long Are Cosmic Brownies Good For?

Typically brownies are good for up to 4 days. These Cosmic Brownies need to be stored in the refrigerator (because of the ganache) – put them in an airtight container. They can also be frozen for up to 3 months. 

More Brownies

  • Classic Brownies
  • Nutella Brownies
  • Peanut Butter Pretzel Brownies
  • Cadbury Mini Egg Brownies
  • Rocky Road Brownies
  • Mississippi Mud Brownies

Homemade Cosmic Brownies - Little Debbie copycat recipe! Fudgy brownies topped with rich chocolate ganache and sprinkles. 

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Cosmic Brownies

Cosmic Brownies

Yield: 20 servings
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 35 minutes

Ingredients

For the brownies:

  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • 2/3 cup brown sugar
  • 3/4 cup 1 1/2 sticks butter, melted
  • 2 tablespoons water
  • 2 large eggs
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla
  • 1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
  • 3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt

For the ganache:

  • 1/2 cup heavy cream
  • 7 ounce bittersweet chocolate
  • pinch of salt
  • colorful candies or sprinkles, for decorating

Instructions

  1. Heat oven to 350F. Line a 13 x 9 pan with parchment paper or aluminum foil, then lightly grease. Set aside.
  2. 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!
  3. Set aside on a rack to cool.
  4. 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.
  5. 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.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 20 Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 260Total Fat: 15gSaturated Fat: 9gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 5gCholesterol: 44mgSodium: 113mgCarbohydrates: 28gFiber: 2gSugar: 17gProtein: 4g

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© Amanda Livesay

 

Filed Under: bars Tagged With: bars, brownies, chocolate

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Katrina @ In Katrina's Kitchen says

    May 25, 2011 at 7:53 am

    If you didn’t already know that I heart you then please know it now!! Ohmygoodness! I can’t help but go crazy over these bronies – I’ve had a love affair with them since childhood. I pinned it, stumbled it, and posted it everwhere I can think of. OMG Thank you!! lol ♥-K

    Reply
  2. Lauren at Keep It Sweet says

    May 25, 2011 at 8:23 am

    Oh wow, so exciting! What a great use of your chocolate:-) I have about 10 pounds of hershey kisses to use up so if you have any ideas for those, let me know!

    Reply
  3. Lamb says

    May 25, 2011 at 8:40 am

    Too much chocolate? Oh, how I’d love to have that problem!

    Good luck with your move :)

    Reply
  4. Andrea @ From the Bookshelf says

    May 25, 2011 at 9:21 am

    When I opened the email I instantly was brought back to a Little Debbie memory. They’re great! TOO.MUCH. CHOCOLATE? ImPOSSible!

    Reply
  5. Yuri says

    May 25, 2011 at 9:28 am

    Good luck, Amanda! you can always mail me some of that chocolate. Sharing is caring ;)

    Reply
  6. Erin says

    May 25, 2011 at 9:42 am

    I love the Little Debbie version of these brownies, just because they are so dense! I must make them at home now. Here are few recipes that came time mind when thinking about ways to use up chocolate:
    http://www.thespiffycookie.com/2010/12/10/blueberry-almond-turtles/
    http://www.thespiffycookie.com/2011/04/05/chocolate-cookies-n-creme-cookies/
    http://www.thespiffycookie.com/2010/12/08/brownie-peanut-butter-cups/
    http://www.thespiffycookie.com/2010/11/15/big-fat-chewy-multichip-cookies/

    Good luck cleaning out the chocolate!

    Reply
  7. Rachel @ Baked by Rachel says

    May 25, 2011 at 9:45 am

    Mmmm please send me one :) I’d be happy to accept any leftover chocolate you have lol

    Reply
  8. Ginny says

    May 25, 2011 at 11:45 am

    I’m trying to diet… this doesn’t help… hehe! :)

    Reply
  9. Averie (LoveVeggiesandYoga) says

    May 25, 2011 at 12:03 pm

    Ok if these really are like cosmic brownies, I need to make them! I love a really good dense, rich, fudgy, brownie. Nothing is too rich for me!!

    The latest really dense brownie that will make you ooh and ahh, well it did me, is my Nutella Brownies w/ cream cheese frosting. Super rich and decadent. Best brownies I’ve ever made actually I’d say.
    http://www.loveveggiesandyoga.com/2011/05/fudgy-nutella-brownies-with-cream-cheese-frosting.html

    And I plan to link back to these brownies of yours in a future dessert post Im doing :)

    Reply
  10. Alicia @ AliGirl Cook says

    May 25, 2011 at 2:09 pm

    I loved these brownies as a child! Homemade cosmic brownies are much better than plastic wrapped ones!

    Reply
  11. yummychunklet says

    May 25, 2011 at 4:07 pm

    These look so fun! The sprinkles look amazing against the brownie canvas.

    Reply
  12. Kita says

    May 25, 2011 at 4:13 pm

    These were a great lunch box find – but they always seemed to vanish too quickly! This may get bumped to the top of the must try list.

    Reply
  13. heidi says

    May 25, 2011 at 4:50 pm

    these look delish! I bet they taste a lot better than little debbie too. I can’t wait to try these. I grew up on cosmic brownies.

    Reply
  14. Alli says

    May 25, 2011 at 5:30 pm

    What a great use of chocolate. Those look delightful. Little Debbie has nothing on these.

    Reply
  15. megan @ whatmegansmaking says

    May 26, 2011 at 9:33 am

    I can’t wait to make these. They’ve been on the list since Elle posted them :) they look great!

    Reply
  16. Elle says

    May 26, 2011 at 9:47 am

    So happy that you like my Cosmic Brownies! Yours look great!

    Reply
  17. natalie (the sweets life) says

    May 26, 2011 at 4:01 pm

    brownies are good fuel for packing! these look SO SO good, I’m so impressed!

    Reply
  18. Deb says

    May 28, 2011 at 11:48 pm

    Ooo, I totally remember the Little Debbie brownies with the candy pieces!! My Little Debbie weakness was always the oatmeal cookie and cream sandwiches :D Yours look awesome and yes, dense fudgy chocolate is so amazing. I just had a vegan chocolate cupcake the other day and it was by far the fudgiest cupcake I’ve ever had in terms of the actual cake. I hate when chocolate baked goods are dry!

    Reply
  19. Tracy says

    May 29, 2011 at 1:09 pm

    These sound so amazingly good, and they look just like the Little Debbie version! I’ve bookmarked them to try asap. :-) Here a couple of my favorite chocolate recipes:

    http://sugarcrafter.net/2010/03/11/chocolate-chip-jam-bars/
    http://sugarcrafter.net/2011/01/28/chocolate-kahlua-pie/

    And, if you can’t use up all your chocolate in time, feel free to send it over to me and I’ll take care of it for ya. ;-)

    Reply
  20. J3nn (Jenn's Menu and Lifestyle Blog) says

    May 29, 2011 at 9:14 pm

    Yum! I love how fudge-y Little Devils are. But I like your ingredients list MUCH better! I have to try these. And then try not to eat the whole batch. *drools*

    Reply
  21. Melanie Flinn says

    Jun 01, 2011 at 1:21 pm

    Great, now I want to make these. NOW.

    Reply
  22. Delishhh says

    Jun 04, 2011 at 12:21 am

    Oh those brownies look amazing! So where are you moving?

    Reply
  23. CASL says

    Oct 08, 2011 at 1:22 pm

    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!!

    Reply
  24. Lane says

    Feb 03, 2012 at 9:45 am

    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! :)

    Reply
  25. Marcia says

    Apr 29, 2012 at 9:06 pm

    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.

    Reply
  26. Bridget says

    May 09, 2012 at 1:09 pm

    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.

    Reply
    • amanda says

      May 09, 2012 at 1:11 pm

      Oh really? No wonder it’s so good! Thanks for reading and commenting! :)

      Reply
  27. Erin @ Making Memories says

    Jun 30, 2012 at 8:54 am

    I can’t wait to make these! My son LOVES Cosmic Brownies!!! Thanks so much!

    Reply
  28. natalie (the sweets life) says

    Jul 15, 2012 at 9:19 am

    do you store these in fridge? and are they good for several days? want to make this week!

    Reply
    • amanda says

      Jul 15, 2012 at 9:33 am

      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.

      Reply
  29. Callie Cleare says

    Apr 24, 2013 at 11:14 pm

    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.

    Reply
  30. k8 says

    May 07, 2014 at 6:14 pm

    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*

    Reply

Trackbacks

  1. Cosmic Brownies | The Spiffy Cookie says:
    Jul 22, 2011 at 11:21 am

    […] Fake Ginger, originally adapted from Elle’s New England […]

    Reply
  2. Cosmic Brownies » With Sprinkles on Top says:
    Apr 16, 2012 at 3:52 am

    […] Brownies Recipe source: fakeginger.com Print […]

    Reply

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Amanda Livesay
Hi, I'm Amanda! DFW food blogger, mom of boys, and crazy dog lady.
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