My cousin, Adrienne, is back in the kitchen making her holiday goodie boxes and has generously shared another one of her great recipes! In case you missed them, check out her chai cookies, poinsettia cookies, and I <3 NY brownies from past years!
When I was growing up, my mother didn’t keep a lot of sweets in the house. If we wanted something, we had to make it. Hence, I learned to bake before I learned to cook. And we didn’t really care too much about appearance, so I really gravitate towards baked goods that don’t require a lot of decoration. We also used to bake goodies for friends and family for the holidays, and I thought it was the best thing in the world to do. I loved seeing the end result: an assortment of homemade goodies, nestled in colorful tins and boxes. It has now become my own tradition, whether my family likes it or not!
It’s that time of year again when I make my family Christmas goodie boxes, and the only time that I really bake a lot. I generally do not make too many chocolate treats in fear of ‘meltage’ during shipping, but my friends LOVE this recipe and I thought that I would risk it this year. The brownies are delicious by themselves but my husband, Caitlin’s cousin, prefers the basic recipe. Me, I like them jazzed up!
I’ve made this topping for my classic brownies for years now, and if you are looking for an easy, decadent, fancy brownie, look no further.
Crispy Chocolate Peanut Butter Marshmallow Brownies
Start by making the simple and delicious Joy of Cooking brownie recipe.
For the topping, use this recipe. The recipe calls for a boxed mix for the brownies. HA! I never use box brownies when I can do the super easy and delicious Joy of Cooking recipe. But if you are super short on time, feel free to use boxed brownies according to directions.
Tweeks:
I melted the chocolate and peanut butter on the stovetop instead of the microwave as called for in the recipe.
I like more crunch, so I add 2 cups of crispy rice cereal instead of 1 and 1/2 cups.
I also use chunky peanut butter instead of creamy because that is the way I roll. You’ll want to use a name brand peanut butter regardless of your preference.
Tips:
When I bake these brownies, I like to spread the work out over a few days, that way I’m only in the kitchen for an a hour at most.
I make the brownies with the marshmallows the day before I add the chocolate topping. The marshmallows need to cool completely or the chocolate topping will melt the marshmallow and you won’t get that nice layer look. Believe me, I’ve done it where I didn’t let it cool enough, and it looked a mess when I went to cut them.
You must cool the chocolate topping completely before cutting into squares or it will be a disaster! I tend to put them back in the fridge for another day to cool off. Also, I use disposable gloves when cutting, the heat from your hands will melt the chocolate topping, even after cooling overnight.
Because the brownies are so rich, I cut these up fairly small. I also cut the edges off to get a nice, clean edge. Store in the fridge or a cool place.
I really hope these make it on our family Christmas vacation next week so I can try one! Thanks Adrienne!
6 Responses
This sounds wonderful! Love chocolate-marshmallow-y treats and this looks so decadent and delicious. Thanks for sharing Caitlin:)
Thanks Kelly!
Yes to all the layers of this brownie! Looks delicious : )
I know right? I really want to try one!
Don’t fret Caitlin, you’ll be able to try one whilst on vacation! One will be saved especially for you! See you next week!
phew!