Marshmallow Brownies
Today is B’s last day before going back to work full time, and he’s not exactly thrilled about it. He’s still suffering from jet lag, as am I, but the effects are different for each of us. Mine has me up at 6am, whether I want to be or not, and still wide awake come the hours just past midnight. His has him dragging through the afternoon, all the way into the evening. Given the extra time I have on my hands, I decided to bake him some 힘내 brownies.
Marshmallows are a funny thing. In their raw form, is there anything less appealing? But they’re filled with memories for most of people, I think, and definitely for me. Specifically, the bonfires we used to have on my grandparents’ farm at Thanksgiving. Even more specifically, the time my little brother caught one of his on fire while roasting it and, in an effort to extinguish it quickly, flung it about wildly until he managed to set his eyebrow on fire.
I always buy marshmallows when I come across them, thinking they’ll be useful to have on hand. They usually sit in my cabinet for about a year until I throw them out. In an effort to make good on that initial instinct, I decided to top today’s brownies with a few.
I don’t tend to like very sweet things, which is part of my aversion to the general idea of marshmallows, so to accommodate for the added sweetness, I revved up the salty/bitter factor in my usual recipe, adding more butter, more salt and more chocolate. I also added a little coffee extract for balance. I didn’t realize it until I was writing the recipe out, but the adjustments in the amount of butter and chocolate resulted in what you might call a half-cup brownie recipe. You’ll see why below. But, allegedly, that’s how pound cake got its name — you just threw in a pound of everything.
The marshmallows got a bit more toasty than I was aiming for, which is possibly just one of the pitfalls of having a tiny oven — everything cooks a little unevenly. Next time, I’ll try sticking them on just before the brownies begin to set and see how that goes.
They were still lovely and crisp on top and chewy underneath — I just wish they were a bit more melted (while my brother would panic when his marshmallows caught fire, I’d light them up intentionally).
It’s a simple recipe — not many bells or whistles, but they are nice. Maybe you’ve also got some marshmallows hiding away in a cupboard somewhere getting stale. If so, give these a shot.
Marshmallow Brownies
Ingredients
- 2 eggs
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 1/2 cup white sugar
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon coffee extract (optional)
- 1/2 cup butter
- 1/2 cup chocolate chips
- 1/2 cup cocoa powder
- 1/2 cup flour
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
For Topping
- 15 big marshmallows
- 1/3 cup chocolate chips
- 2 tablespoons milk
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 C).
- Beat the eggs in a large bowl, add the brown and white sugar and mix well.
- Put the butter and chocolate chips in a medium-sized, microwave-safe bowl and heat them until melted and combined. Be sure to stop the microwave and give them a good stir every 30 seconds or so to avoid burning the chocolate or having the mixture bubble up and explode.
- Add the cocoa powder to the melted chocolate and butter mixture and stir thoroughly until the mixture is smooth.
- When the chocolate and butter mixture has cooled, slowly add it to the egg and sugar mixture while stirring. Mix until just combined. Add the vanilla and coffee extract to the bowl and mix well.
- In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder and salt. Add the flour mixture to the large bowl slowly while stirring. Mix until just combined.
- Grease a 9"x6" baking pan. Spoon the batter into the pan and spread until even. Top with marshmallows, making sure they are about one fourth of the way submerged in the batter.
- Bake for 30-40 minutes (I found the marshmallows extended the normal baking time -- be sure to check the center with a toothpick before removing from the oven).
- Melt the chocolate chips for topping in a small bowl in the microwave. Remove the bowl and stir every 30 seconds. When the chocolate is melted, add the milk and stir until combined.
- Remove the brownies from the oven and top with melted chocolate. Allow to cool completely before serving.
