Bravely Baking: Cosmic Brownies

I have been on an old-school snacks kick for a while now, and these are the ultimate in throw back nostalgia. These couldn't be easier, but finding those damn rainbow candy coated chips is a bit of a bitch. I found them on Amazon. The sticker shock is real, but keep in mind that this bag will last you a long time, so if you feel like splurging, follow me down the rabbit hole.

This is my regular brownie batter, but made into a 13x9 pan, covered in chocolate ganache, and sprinkled with rainbow bliss.

For the Brownies:

1 stick unsalted butter

8 oz chocolate chips (you're really going to use the whole 12 oz bag, but 2/3 of it for now)

1/2 c brown sugar

1/2 c granulated sugar

3 eggs

1/2 c flour

1/4 c cocoa powder

1/4 tsp salt

1 tsp vanilla extract

4 oz chocolate chips for mixins (see, I told you)

1. Preheat oven to 375F. Prepare pan with some non-stick spray and parchment paper.

2. Put 8 oz chocolate chips and butter in a heat-safe bowl and microwave in 30 second intervals until chocolate and butter are just melted. Don't over-heat. If there's still a few lumps, just stir, and the residual heat will melt everything.

3. Add sugars to the melted chocolate mixture and combine. This will help cool the chocolate off a little before you add the eggs.

4. Add eggs one at a time and mix well before adding the next. Add vanilla.

5. Add flour, cocoa powder, and salt to the bowl and mix well to combine. Don't worry about over-mixing here.

6. Add in the remaining chocolate chips.

7. Bake for 25- 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out kind of clean. Allow to cool at least partially before moving to the ganache.

For the Ganache:

1/2 c heavy cream

6 oz semi-sweet chocolate chips

2 tbsp unsalted butter, room temp - I almost ALWAYS don't do room temp because I forget to pull the butter out for this; it's fine; just takes a few more mins to melt

Pinch of salt- this is soooooo necessary, so please make sure that you have enough

1 tsp vanilla extract

1. Place the heavy cream in a small pan on the stove and heat until just at a simmer. You don't want this to boil.

2. While the cream is heating, put your chocolate and butter chopped into small cubes into a heat safe bowl.

3. Once the cream has heated, pour over the chocolate and butter and cover bowl with plastic wrap for about 5 minutes. *This just ensures that your chocolate will melt and be easier to incorporate.

4. Stir the ingredients together. At first it will look like they aren't coming together. They will. Once it's smooth, I add some salt and vanilla to taste, and make sure to fully incorporate it.