Homemade Cosmic Brownies Recipe

Enjoy this mouth-watering, homemade cosmic brownies recipe, topped with a creamy ultra-rich chocolate ganache and crunchy rainbow chip sprinkles for a surprise crunch.

These chewy brownies bring back all of my favorite childhood memories (so nostalgic) and are always a huge hit with my family! Skip heading to the grocery store and make these copycat cosmic brownies at home!

For more brownie recipes, try my Cookie Dough Brownies and Oreo Brownies!

Ok, remember those cosmic brownies from Little Debbie's?! I used to eat them all of the time as a kid! My mom would pack them in my lunch box as a special treat. I always remember being so excited when I saw them in my lunchbox.

Well, fast forward some 20 years later and I have a food blog. I made these brownies, from scratch, in my own kitchen and they are the REAL DEAL. My cosmic brownies recipe yields a dense and chewy brownie that's VERY fudgy and perfectly chocolatey. Then you add that chocolate icing on top, it's pure joy.

They taste just like the chewy little debbie cosmic brownies. Who doesn't love a good copycat recipe?

What are cosmic brownies?

They're the brownies that are reminiscent of my childhood. lol Cosmic brownies are super fudgy brownies with a chocolatey icing with crunchy rainbow sprinkles. They're named after the cosmic bowling trend, it's a style of bowling where basically you're bowling in a disco.

I've never been to cosmic bowling but it sounds awesome. The overhead lights are off and there are spotlights and neon lights etc. Sounds groovy. Anywho, the brownies are named after this style of bowling! Pretty cool right?

Cosmic Brownies Ingredients

For the dense brownie base, you'll need:

• Eggs and Egg Yolk - the whole eggs are so that extra egg yolk is what helps give these brownies their chewy texture.
• White Sugar and Brown Sugar - granulated sugar for sweetness and brown sugar for moisture and most importantly - flavor!
• Vegetable Oil - oil helps make these give these fudgy treats their fudgy texture and keep them gooey and moist!
• Salted butter - I prefer salted butter because it has a bit more flavor and the salt is great with the chocolate - but if you'd like to use unsalted butter you absolutely can!
• Vanilla Extract - because vanilla balances out the strong chocolate flavor with a smooth richness.
• Sour Cream - my secret ingredient in brownies is sour cream (don't tell anyone). If you want dense brownies, you need fats and sour cream bring it! Thank me later!
• Dry ingredients - all purpose flour, cocoa powder, and kosher salt - these ingredients are the what give the brownie structure and chocolatey flavor!

For the delicious fudge icing, you'll need only three ingredients! Dark Chocolate chips, Semi-Sweet chocolate chips, and heavy cream. I like to add a mix of semi-sweet and dark chocolate to balance out the sweetness and give the thick chocolate frosting that rich chocolate taste.

Dont forget the sprinkles! I used these rainbow crunch sprinkles! They're essentially candy coated chocolate chips - need I say more?!

Tips

• You must use parchment paper for this recipe when prepping the baking pan!! After baking and allowing the brownies to cool, you have to add the chocolate ganache on top and then cool in the refrigerator for 1-2 hours. If you don't have parchment paper, the brownies will stick to the baking pan. Trust me, I found this out the hard way.
• If you don't have the rainbow chocolate chips sprinkles, You can substitute in crushed m&ms or use mini m&ms, although bright colors look the best!

• If you don't have toothpick to check if the brownies are done, jiggle the pan a little bit after the recommended baking time. If it jiggles, bake for another 2-3 minutes. Remember be careful to not overbake the brownies - It is better to underbake then to overbake! Overbaked brownies will not be fudgy.
• If you want to add mix-ins to the brownies, I recommend adding nuts, chocolate chips, or even M&Ms. You'll only need about 1 cup.

Substitutions

• Gluten Free Option: I recommend using 1-to-1 gluten free baking flour in the exact ratios provided in the recipe card.
• Vegan/Dairy Free/Eggless Option: sub out eggs for applesauce (or your favorite egg substitute). Add ¾ cup of applesauce as opposed to 2 eggs and 1 egg yolk. Also, sub out butter and sour cream for vegan butter and sour cream for the brownies. For the ganache, you can use coconut cream as opposed to heavy cream in the same amounts. Note: results will not be exactly the same but they will still taste stellar.

How to make Homemade Cosmic Brownies

Are you ready to make the most amazing brownies? These simple recipe instructions are no fuss and make the best homemade cosmic brownies you'll ever have. Let's do it!

• In a large bowl, whisk together eggs and egg yolk, sugar, brown sugar, oil, and melted butter for 2-3 minutes, until lighter in a color/pale yellow. Then add vanilla extract and sour cream and continue to whisk until combined and smooth.

• Add kosher salt, cocoa powder, and flour and fold together until a thick batter forms and all flour is incorporated. 

• Line an 8x8 baking pan with parchment paper, then pour the brownie batter to the prepared pan. Smooth batter to create an even layer and bake for 25-30 minutes, until the edges are crisp and the center is slightly jiggly. (NOTE - it critical to use parchment paper so that you can lift the brownies out of the pan once they are finished cooking. DO NOT SKIP THIS STEP!)

• Cool in the baking pan for 10 minutes and then add to a cooling rack or baking sheet to cool completely.
• Make the chocolate ganache by heating heavy cream and chocolate chips in a small saucepan and whisking until a silky smooth liquid forms!

• Add the chocolate ganache on top of the cooled brownies and add the rainbow chips on top (as many as you would like!). Refrigerate the pan of brownies for 1-2 hours.

How to cut Cosmic Brownies

To get the perfect brownie cut, you'll want to follow these tips:

• Use a sharp knife! A dull knife won't give you a nice clean cut.
• Spray your knife with cooking spray! Spray the knife with cooking spray on both sides of the blade so that the blade glides straight through the brownie.
• Cut them cold! It is best to cut the brownies when they're chilled. This prevents the blade from sinking into the brownies as opposed to cutting them.
• Cut in one motion! Press the knife into the brownies and pull the knife out. Do not saw the brownies or they'll fall apart.

Storing Chocolate Brownies

These brownies are best stored in an airtight container for three days at room temperature. To keep the brownies for longer, put them in the refrigerator for a week.

... but because they are one of our favorite desserts - they’ve never lasted longer than a day or two at my house! I recommend keeping them in the fridge as the ganache will soften at room temperature. 

FAQs

More Brownies Recipes!

• Red Velvet Brownies
• Fudgy Cadbury Egg Brownies
• S'mores Brownies
• Espresso Brownies
• Olive Oil and Seat Salt Truffle Brownies
• Fudgy Homemade Brownies
• Peppermint Bark Brownies