Milky Way Brownies

milky way brownies

I’ve made many, many different kinds of brownies over the years.

Brownies with Nutella Frosting, Salted Caramel Brownie Bites, Decadent Dark Chocolate Flourless Brownies, Dark Chocolate Citrus Brownies with a Cream Cheese Swirl, Brownies with a Rice Crispy Layer, Olive Oil Brownies.

But this, my friends, is serious business. I may have found the best brownie base I’ve ever made.

A fudgy brownie base with a deep dark chocolate intensity, studded with chunks of dark chocolate. Of course it didn’t hurt that I also stuffed it with little squares of Milky Way bites. Milk chocolate, nougat, and caramel. And this incredible brownie base. Can’t go wrong.

dark chocolate milky way brownies

While I appreciate exquisite artisan and classic chocolates, I truly do not discriminate. I like baking with the budget-friendly Trader Joe’s Pound Plus bars  as much as I like baking with Lindt and Guittard. I buy Rolos, M&Ms, Kitkat, Cadbury Eggs. And I can’t resist little mini versions of candy bars, so I decided to just stop eating Milky Way minis by the handful and actually bake them into brownies.

I played around with the last brownie base I made – using more brown sugar, adding instant coffee powder, and adding chocolate extract. I still didn’t use any melted chocolate, just unsweetened cocoa powder and little chunks of dark chocolate. The result was the most intensely chocolatey brownie base, the best I’ve made in my opinion. As good as or even better than the brownies I buy at bakeries, I swear!

chocolate milky way brownies

The fudgy dark chocolate brownie base is the perfect canvas for the sweet Milky Way bites. I used half Milky Way bites and half Milky Way Simply Caramel bites, but if you can’t find either in your grocery or convenience stores, you can just use a couple of regular size Milky Way bars and chop it up into squares. You don’t like Milky Way? No problem, just replace it with your favorite candy bar or chocolate: Rolos, Snickers, 3 Musketeers, Reese’s Cups. Don’t like candy bars at all? Just stick to the brownie base with dark chocolate chunks (maybe add a little bit more?) Wanna make it fancy? Try sprinkling some sea salt on top.

But for me, the recipe is perfect as it is. Bites of chocolate, nougat and caramel in an intensely dark chocolate brownie base. This is now one of my very favorite brownies in the entire galaxy.

brownie with milky way bites

Yield: 16 brownies

Milky Way Brownies

Ingredients

1 1/4 sticks butter, softened
2 large eggs
3/4 cups dark brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon chocolate extract
1 teaspoon instant coffee powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup dark chocolate chunks or chips
1 individual serving of Milky Way bites (roughly 1 cup)
1 individual serving of Milky Way Simply Caramel bites (roughly 1 cup)

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 350 F.
  2. In a large mixing bowl, combine softened butter, eggs, sugars, cocoa powder, vanilla extract, chocolate extract, and coffee. Mix well, then stir in flour and salt. Whisk together until smooth.
  3. Fold in dark chocolate chunks and Milky Way bites, and mix gently until just combined.
  4. Spread brownie batter in a foil-lined buttered 8x8 pan. Bake 22-24 minutes, or until toothpick inserted in brownie comes out clean. Let cool, and cut into 16 even squares.

If you don't have chocolate extract, just substitute with more vanilla extract.

 

milky way bites brownies

Do you have a favorite baked good using a candy bar? How about your go-to brownie recipe?

   

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