Halloween is just around the corner in only 6 weeks. Where did 2013 go?
I made these brownies to clear out candy odds-and-ends. Because October tis-the-season to accumulate more.
The brownies have more variety of miniature and fun-size candy bars baked in than most gas stations sell.
Butterfinger, 3 Musketeers, Milky Way, Snickers, Mini Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups, Nestle Crunch, Twix, and M&Ms.
I adapted one of my favorite brownie bases because it makes an 8×8 pan and with brownies this decadent, a bigger pan enters into dangerous territory.
There’s no melted chocolate in them, and they’re made simply with cocoa powder. I used to think cocoa powder brownies couldn’t possibly hold a candle to melted chocolate brownies or be as fudgy, but this base proves me wrong. I’ve used it previously here, here, and here.
They’re as easy as a boxed mix and ready in a half hour. Melt butter in the micro, stir in the sugars, eggs, coffee, and vanilla, before whisking in the espresso granules, cocoa powder and flour.
The splash of coffee and pinch of instant espresso granules doesn’t make the brownies taste like coffee and instead enhances and brings out the chocolate flavor, but they’re optional.
Pour about two-thirds of the batter into the pan, and top with candy bars of your choice.
I encourage you not to buy any new candy for these. Shop in your own pantry. Try chocolate-covered pretzels or nuts, two-day old chopped up cookies, leftover caramel corn, diced Nilla wafers or graham crackers, whatever you have that’s snacky and munchy, toss it in.
Top with the remaining batter.
And if you’re so inclined, sprinkle on a little more candy and some chocolate chips.
The brownies remind me of many previous recipes, but I had never done loaded brownies.
I’ve made Peanut Butter Cup Cookie Dough Crumble Bars (cookie dough base), Milky Way Chocolate Cookie Crumble Bars (chocolate cookie dough base), Triple Peanut Butter Monster Cookie Bars (blondie base with PB three ways), and Loaded M&M Oreo Cookie Bars (blondie base loaded up).
And now I have a trashed up brownie, full of random candy.
If you don’t bake and write cookbooks for a living and don’t have a pantry that overflows with sugar quite as badly as mine does, just wait a month.
Halloween is coming up, then there’s Christmas candy and holiday baking season (chop up some of Grandma’s creme de menthe fudge or your mom’s sugar cookies and bake them in), Valentine’s Day candy, and Easter candy.
So many candy collecting opportunities.
You could, of course, just eat your fun-size candy bars, but it’s so much more fun baking them into fudgy, soft, dense, brownies.
Rich, decadent, and just want the pantry cleanout doctor ordered.
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Loaded Fudgy Candy Bar Brownies
Ingredients
- 10 tablespoons unsalted butter, 1 1/4 sticks, melted
- 2 large eggs
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- ¼ cup light brown sugar, packed
- 2 tablespoons brewed coffee, leftover from the morning brew is fine, optional but recommend to enhance chocolate flavor and does not make brownies taste like coffee
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- ¾ cups plus 2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder (natural or Dutch-process, I used Hershey’s natural
- 1 teaspoon instant espresso coffee granules, optional but recommend to enhance chocolate flavor and does not make brownies taste like coffee
- ¼ teaspoon salt, optional and to taste
- ½ cup all-purpose flour
- about 12 to 15 fun-size candy bars, diced in half if it’s larger like a Twix (I used Butterfinger, 3 Musketeers, Milky Way, Snickers, Mini Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups, Nestle Crunch, Twix)
- ½ cup semi-sweet chocolate chips, for topping
- ⅓ cup M&M’s for topping, optional
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F. Line an 8-by-8-inch baking pan with aluminum foil leaving overhang on the sides, spray with cooking spray; set aside.
- In a large, microwave-safe bowl, add the butter and heat on high power to melt, about 1 minute. Allow butter to cool momentarily so you don’t scramble the eggs.
- Add the eggs, sugars, optional coffee, vanilla, and whisk to combine.
- Add the cocoa powder, optional espresso granules, optional salt, and whisk to combine. If your cocoa powder is lumpy, it could take a couple minutes of vigorous whisking.
- Add the flour and stir until just combined, don’t overmix.
- Turn two-thirds of the batter out into prepared pan, reserving the remaining one-third; just eyeball it. The reserved amount should be about 1 1/2 cups; set reserved portion aside.
- Place candy bar pieces onto batter, distributed evenly, in an even, flat layer. I made 5 rows with about 5 pieces candy per row.
- Top with reserved batter to cover candy. Gently smooth and distribute batter with a spatula or knife
- Evenly sprinkle chocolate chips over the top.
- Evenly sprinkle the optional M&M’s over the top.
- Bake for about 30 minutes, or until done; don’t overbake. A toothpick inserted in the center should come out mostly clean, but will likely have a few moist crumbs, but no batter. Allow brownies to cool in pan for about 1 hour before lifting out with foil overhang and slicing.
- Brownies will keep airtight at room temperature or refrigerator for up to 1 week, or in the freezer for up to 6 months. I prefer to store them in the fridge and serve them slightly chilled.
- Adapted from The Ultimate Fudgy Caramel Brownies
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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In my cookbook, Peanut Butter Comfort I share 4 more of favorite brownie recipes, all involving peanut butter
Thanks for the entries in the 7″ Kindle Fire HD (16GB) and $20 Amazon Gift Card Giveaway!
And in the Mr. Coffee® Café Latte Machine Giveaway ($100 Value)
What’s your favorite brownie recipe? Favorite way to use random candy (other than just eating it)?
This really is the perfect way to clean out my pantry! And the perfect midnight snack when I’m blogging away :)
I need one now with my latte!!
Averie! I can’t wait to show my boys these! Super cute! And ohhhhh so yummy!
Wow. These are so intense! I’d love to get some of them into the oven ASAP! Looks like an awesome recipe to bring along to a club meeting :).
Oh my goodness, Averie, these look awesome! I have a feeling these would be awesome a couple weeks after Halloween! Granted, I have no kids whose candy I can sneak away but those day after Halloween candy sales are my favorite! :) Storing this recipe away for then!
file it away for a rainy day!
OH gosh your killing me with these Averie! Oh and they have espresso, I know these will be perfect for after Halloween. I can just taste them they look so good!!!
That brownie is calling my name! LOVE.
How awesome are these? It’s like a surprise in every bite – what kind of candy bar will I bite into this time….FUN!
Yum, these bars look delicious, I made your apple and cinnamon muffins last week and loved them!
Thanks for telling me you made those muffins and love them! YAY! :)
I’ve seen your comments on Oh She Glows so had to come see what you do! :) First, let me say I LOVE food/cookie/bars/dessert stacks! Your photos rock! Your desserts make me wish I wasn’t vegan. lol I’ll have to see if I can make any vegan-friendly versions because they all look like blissful bites of yum stacked on top of tasty treats I want to eat. :)
I used to be vegan and am vegetarian now. Been one or the other my whole life.
Many of my recipes ARE vegan or you can easily adapt out the butter and use a flax egg for a real egg. I don’t call for any specialty or hard to find ingredients in any of my recipes so hopefully you can indulge in some things! For instance just last week I made 3 vegan recipes – https://www.averiecooks.com/2013/09/chocolate-peanut-butter-mocha-powerballs.html
https://www.averiecooks.com/2013/09/vegan-chunky-apple-cinnamon-muffins.html
https://www.averiecooks.com/2013/09/vegan-chocolate-chip-pumpkin-muffins.html
And then within each of those recipes, there are at least 10 links each to related recipes, many of which will be vegan. So you’re not out of luck, at all!
Thanks for stopping by and the nice compliments!
I’m exploring your blog better now and yes, see vegan options! Woot! I just started with this post and went from there. Thanks for the comment back, btw. I’d have a hard time swapping out that candy in the brownies, I think. I haven’t really discovered great vegan m&m’s etc. Unless I”m missing something? (Please tell me I’m missing something. lol.) I’ve only been vegan for a little over one year so am still learning the ropes!
Well you may not be able to get M&Ms but you may be able to get other things; you have to think creatively. Like oh I can’t get vegan this or that, but I can always use homemade chopped vegan peanut butter cups. The add-ins are secondary; it’s can I adapt this dough base, muffin base, brownie base to work for my needs. Then what you sprinkle on or into it become secondary. And yes, I do think all of these candies exist in vegan forms online from specialty shops – pricey and I dont know if it’s worth it, but if you just have to have a vegan snickers, you can probably buy one, somewhere.
Candy collecting is right. I’m trying REALLY hard not to buy up a ton of candy this year because we’re currently in an apartment where I know we won’t get any trick-or-treaters :( when previously I’ve always lived in a house that I know kids would be flocking to. But…you never know when those “fun” sized bags will jump into the cart!
those “fun” sized bags jump into my cart all the time too! Those seasonal flavors, or seeing something I havent had in years, it’s impulse buy city for me around Halloween so I really just have to try to not go to Target – that’s the worst for me! We also get like ZERO trick or treaters in my urban ‘hood.
Lady you have the monopoly on yummy desserts… go to site for me when I need something sweet.:)
You’re so sweet, thanks for that, Tracy!
A great way to use up tons of candy! I just want to eat one of these! Man they look good!
Oh wow — you weren’t kidding when you said these were “loaded”! Look at all that candy. I’ll just have to hoard all the Halloween candy for myself so I can make a few batches of these. Candy isn’t good for little kids anyway, right? In fact, I’m doing a FAVOR by saving all the candy for myself!
Thanks for sharing such a decadent-looking recipe!
Exactly to this :Candy isn’t good for little kids anyway, right? In fact, I’m doing a FAVOR by saving all the candy for myself!” — FOR SURE! :)
Now I’m officially craving brownies!
I have to admit Averie, I am kind of glad that I don’t live in your house. You are always making such delicious treats! They look fantastic :)
I have happy friends and neighbors. I have to donate things! :)