Sticky, Chewy, Messy, Gooey

I recently got Jill O'Connor's book Sticky, Chewy, Messy, Gooey and I was in the mood to make one of the recipes to see if the title of the book actually reflected the recipes inside. The Daring Bakers made her cheesecake pops a few months back and, while these were great, they didn't exactly meet all the descriptors in the title. I chose a recipe that I figured and hoped would fit the bill. They were the Heart of Darkness Brownies and these brownies are definitely an indulgence and definitely made for a person who has a serious craving for something sweet. The caramel topping made them sticky, the marshmallows made them chewy, the batter was just plain messy (somehow I got batter on the back of my shirt), and the snickers and chocolate chips made them gooey. These cupcakes look great and they will undoubtably impress the dessert lover.

Heart of Darkness Brownies
Source: Jill O'Connor Sticky, Chewy, Messy, Gooey
Makes 24 brownie cups

Brownies
1 1/2 cups (3 sticks) unsalted butter
6 oz unsweetened chocolate
2 1/4 cups granulated sugar
1 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
6 large eggs, lightly beaten
1 Tbsp vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup coarsely chopped almonds or pecans, toasted (I omitted)
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
5 full-size (2.07 oz) Snickers bar, cut into small chunks
3 cups mini marshmallows

Caramel Drizzle
6 oz (about 25) unwrapped caramel candies
2 Tbsp heavy cream
1 tsp vanilla extract
Pinch of salt

Position a rack to the middle of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees. Spray two muffin tins with nonstick cooking spray.

Melt the butter and the unsweetened chocolate together in a saucepan over medium-low heat and stir until smooth. Pour the chocolate mixture into a large bowl and stir in sugars, egg, and vanilla. Sift the flour and the salt into the chocolate mixture and stir until just combined. Stir in the chopped nuts, chocolate chips, and Snickers.

Fill each cupcake cup halfway with batter. Bake until the surface of the brownies has a glossy, cracked surface, about 20 minutes. Remove the brownies from the oven and top each one with marshmallows. Return the brownies to the oven and bake until the marshmallows start to melt and puff up, about 2 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool just enough to handle, then remove from the cupcake cups, running a knife around the edge of each brownie to loosen it from the cup. Let cool completely on wire rack.

While the brownies are cooling, make the caramel drizzle. Combine the caramels, cream, vanilla, and salt in a microwave-safe bowl. Microwave, uncovered, on high for 1 minute. Remove from microwave and stir until smooth. If the caramels are not completely melted, continue heating in 30-second increments, stirring until smooth.

Drizzle the brownies with melted caramel and let cool completely for the caramel to harden. Do not chill. Serve immediately or store for up to 3 days in a covered container.

Enjoy!

Delicious!

It is so pretty.


Unfortunately, it didn't want to separate so I could eat it.


Pure indulgence!