Cosmic Brownies

When I was in elementary school, one of my favorite things to eat was Zebra Cakes. They're one of life's greatest pleasures, provided for us by Little Debbie. I remember I ate them like most people eat Oreos-- I'd split them in half horizontally and lick the filling out. Yum!

My husband's favorite Little Debbie snack has always been Cosmic Brownies.

When I was trying to decide what to bake a few weeks ago, my husband saw the recipes I was looking at and insisted that I make the cosmic brownies. I didn't have the delicious "chocolate chip candy" (chocolate chips dipped in like an M&M coating), so naturally I had to make an order at Amazon. (Wilton Rainbow Chip Crunch 5.25 oz.)

The best part about these is that they taste unbelievably fresh (as opposed to Little Debbie snacks which have been sitting on a shelf for who-knows-how-long)! No preservatives means they don't have the unmistakable chemicaly flavor. Recipe adapted from Life Made Simple Bakes. 

Cosmic Brownies

Yields: 16 brownies 

Brownies

1 cup sugar

2/3 cup brown sugar

3/4 cup butter, melted (1 1/2 sticks)

2 tsp vanilla

2 eggs

3 tbsp milk (I used whole milk)

1 1/4 cups flour

3/4 cup cocoa powder, unsweetened

1/2 tsp baking powder

1 tbsp cornstarch

1/4 tsp salt

Ganache Topping

1 1/2 cups chocolate chips (I used semi-sweet, but you can use milk chocolate, dark chocolate, or whatever kind you like best)

1/2 cup heavy cream

Candy-coated chocolate chips-- Wilton Rainbow Chip Crunch 5.25 oz.

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees fahrenheit. Line a 9x13" pan with a piece of parchment paper and lightly grease. 

2. In a stand mixer, combine melted butter, sugars, and vanilla. Beat on high for 4 minutes. Add eggs and beat again. 

3. Combine dry ingredients (flour, cocoa, baking powder, cornstarch, and salt). Alternating with the milk, add dry ingredients to the butter/sugar mixture. Beat until just combined. 

4. Spread evenly in the pan and bake for 18-24 minutes. Let brownies cool in the pan. 

5. In a microwave-safe bowl, combine chocolate and cream. Microwave for 1 minute, then stir. Continue in 30 second increments until completely smooth. Spread evenly on cooled brownies and top with sprinkles (Wilton Rainbow Chip Crunch 5.25 oz.)

Boston Cream Pie Donuts

I have a confession to make: I've never actually had Boston Cream Pie. Am I the only one? Where could one even get a Boston Cream Pie? Maybe it's a Northerner thing. Being from Texas, I'm more used to seeing Bluebell and peach cobbler at restaurants.

Does anyone remember the show Arthur? The animated one with the aardvark (A-A-R-D-V-A-R-K)? I remember there was one episode where there was this delicious looking Boston Cream Pie, and ever since then, I've wanted to try it.

Last year, I made Boston Cream Pie Cupcakes. This morning, I decided I wanted Boston Cream Pie, but in donut form.

These are no ordinary donuts. These will leave you wanting another... and another... until you've eaten the whole batch. Don't say I didn't warn you.

Boston Cream Pie Donuts

Yields: 12 donuts (I made 10 + about 12 donut holes)

For the Pastry Cream
1 cup half & half
3 egg yolks
1/3 cup sugar
1/4 tsp salt
2 tbsp flour
2 tbsp butter, softened
1 tsp vanilla

For the Donuts 
2 tbsp warm water
1 tbsp yeast
3/4 cup warm whole milk
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1 egg
3 tbsp butter, softened
2 1/2 to 3 cups flour
Vegetable oil (for frying)

For the Glaze
3 oz semi-sweet chocolate chips
1/4 cup heavy whipping cream
1/4 cup sugar
1 tbsp butter

Pastry Cream
1. In a small saucepan over medium heat, heat the half & half until simmering. In a small bowl, whisk together the egg yolks, sugar, salt, and flour.

2. Add about 1/4 cup of the simmering milk to the egg yolk mixture and whisk until it's smooth. Then, while stirring constantly, add the egg mixture to the milk on the stove. Cook until it begins to thicken, then turn heat down to low for about 1 minute. Cook until desired consistency is reached (I wanted mine to me about like yogurt).

3. Pour pastry cream into a bowl and cover with plastic wrap (actually touch the plastic wrap to the top of the pastry cream to prevent it from drying out).

Donuts
4. Mix together the warm water and yeast. Let sit for about 5 minutes, or until activated.

5. Pour yeast mixture in the bottom of a stand mixer. Add milk, sugar, salt, egg, butter, and 1 cup of the flour. Mix with a regular paddle attachment for about 2 minutes.

6. Switch to the dough hook and add the remainder of the flour. It should come clean off the sides of the bowl when you've added enough flour.

7. Grease a bowl and put the dough in. Cover with a damp towel. Let it rise until doubled, about 1 hour. (I let mine rise in my oven after turning it on for 3 minutes to warm it up a bit).

8. Roll out the dough onto a lightly floured surface, until it's about 3/4 of an inch thick. Cut into 3" circles. Put on a floured cookie sheet, cover with a damp towel again, and let rise until doubled (about 30 minutes).

9. Heat up your oil until it's 350 degrees fahrenheit. Use a spatula to put 2 donuts at a time in the oil. They take about 45 secs-1 minute on each side. Put on a plate covered with paper towels.

Glaze
10. Combine cream, sugar, and butter and microwave for about 30 seconds. Pour over chocolate chips and stir until smooth. Add more chocolate, sugar, or cream to your taste or desired consistency.

Assembly
Use a chopstick to poke a hole in the side of the donut. Pipe the pastry cream using a piping bag and an open circle tip. Dip the tops in the ganache glaze.