Milky Way Brownie Cups (or, the best brownies ever!)

If you love brownies, then, look no further. The brownie recipe comes from King Arthur Flour. There is no need to buy boxed mix, because these are stirred together in a matter of minutes. The center is fudgy and moist, with crispy edges (just don’t over bake them). I stepped up the brownies, by using the components in my favorite candy bar,Milky Ways,by baking them in a mini muffin pan, pressing a center and then cooling them. Then, I filled them with salted caramel and a Milk Chocolate Cream Cheese filling. Oh boy! These taste like Milky Way bars, but I will warn you– they are very rich. My friends and family are still talking about them.

I admit that I have a true weakness for caramel.  As an ice cream topping, I’ll choose caramel over chocolate. I also have a weakness for Milky Way Bars. I had an idea that I could combine my love of these two treats and make brownie bites.  My idea worked– and let me tell you– they were rich, decadent and were a hit at our Super Bowl Party!
I finally overcame my fear of making caramel, when I made Salted Butter Caramel Ice Cream, and now I made my own caramel ice cream topping.   Since then, I’ve made different variations of Caramel Flan and Panna Cotta.

Milky Way Bars are the candies that I would barter from my son, when he’d deposit his heavy bag of Halloween Goodies.  I prefer milk chocolate, over dark, and caramel and that light creamy nougat– I have loved them for as long as I can remember.   I stumbled across a photo of Milky Way Brownie Cups, and I became obsessed with wanting to make them.

I am really excited to share this recipe with you. While the concept of the recipe isn’t new (just google “Milky Way Brownie Bites), I did what the judges on American Idol often say–  “I made them my own” by making the brownies, from scratch–thanks to King Arthur Flour  If you only buy boxed brownie mix, I can promise you that you will never do that again. This recipe is truly the best I’ve ever made (and I’ve made my fair share). The brownies bake with a fudgy center, and crispy edges. In my book, that is the “Ultimate Brownie”.  Best of all, they take minutes to make because you use melted butter, eggs, sugar, unsweetened cocoa powder, baking powder a pinch of salt– and vanilla.  You don’t need a mixer, because a whisk will do the job nicely.

 These wouldn’t be Brownie Cups without a Mini Muffin Pan.  Because I’m such a kitchen gadget Queen, I have this set of scoops— and I use them all the time, because they are such a time saver and I can make all of my baked goods to be the same size.

The brownie bites baked in just under 15 minutes– until a toothpick inserted left a little bit of attached crumb. Don’t over bake them!

After waiting two minutes, I used this handy-dandy tamper, to gently press an indentation (I dampen it with water, to prevent too much sticking).  I let the brownie cups to cool completely.
NOTE: The brownies were so good, that I quickly made a second batch in a regular brownie pan. Partly, because my son loved his sample, of a broken brownie cup, that I feared he’d get into the rest. You can stop right here, if you want. Trust me, you don’t need any other recipe. 

I wanted to frost the cups, and I knew that I wanted to use milk chocolate– after all, these wouldn’t be “Milky Ways”!  On a whim, I remembered that I  purchased two flavors of Philadelphia Cream Indulgence (a fairly new product). At the time I bought them, I had no idea how I would use them. Perfect!

I took a taste, and I have to tell you– run, and buy some! So delicious! This is an 8 oz. tub. If you can’t find this, you could melt milk chocolate and blend it into cream cheese– but, this is so much easier.

I didn’t want to use actual Milky Way Bars, as many of the recipes do. In truth, I don’t keep Milky Way Bars on hand, or I’ll eat them all!  I figure I would use the components of Milky Way bars– milk chocolate and caramel.  I thought about making my own caramel sauce, until I remembered that I had (gently) tossed a jar of this Salted Caramel Sauce that I spotted at Trader Joe’s. Of course, I had to give it a taste. If you live anywhere near a Trader Joe’s, my advice is run and buy some of this!  I plan to do just that, hoping this was not just a seasoning item. It’s buttery, with notes of salt, and tastes just as good as homemade.

For the frosting, I used one stick of softened butter, one 8 oz. tub of Philadelphia Cream Cheese Milk Chocolate Indulgence, 5 cups of powdered sugar and a splash of half and half.  I wanted the consistency of the frosting to be thick enough so I could pipe the frosting.  Once again, I dipped a spoon and gave this a taste.  Perfect!  The tang of the cream cheese mutes the sugary sweetness just right.

If you think that you’re clumsy with piping bags, I can assure you that they are very easy to work with. I have re-usable piping bags, but I want to show you a very easy piping bag trick. For that I’ll need to use a clear bag. FOR THE RECORD: I’m still awkward and clumsy at using the folded parchment paper trick.  So, you need a piping bag and coupler (inexpensive tools, that I buy at a Michael’s Craft Store.  Cut the tip off so that the coupler can fit just to the edge, then place the piping tip inside the bag..  Attach the “ring” on the outside and you’re ready for frosting. The most common way to fill the piping bag is to fold it into a cuff, place it into a glass and fill it. Ah! Try this– place a cup or two of frosting onto plastic wrap.  

Grab both ends and twirl.  Now, slide one of through the cuffed piping bag, and thread it through.

Why do it this way?  When you’re finished frosting, you can slide the leftover frosting right out, and your piping bag is virtually clean!  Easy.

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Milky Way Brownie Cups (or, the best brownies ever!)

If you love brownies, then, look no further. The brownie recipe comes from King Arthur Flour. There is no need to buy boxed mix, because these are stirred together in a matter of minutes. The center is fudgy and moist, with crispy edges (just don’t over bake them). I stepped up the brownies, by using the components in my favorite candy bar,Milky Ways,by baking them in a mini muffin pan, pressing a center and then cooling them. Then, I filled them with salted caramel and a Milk Chocolate Cream Cheese filling. Oh boy! These taste like Milky Way bars, but I will warn you– they are very rich. My friends and family are still talking about them.

Prep Time15 minutes mins

Cook Time25 minutes mins

Total Time40 minutes mins

Course: Dessert

Keyword: best brownies, brownies, milky way bars

Servings: 24

Author: Debby – www.AFeastfortheEyes.net

Ingredients

For the Brownies:

• 1 cup King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
• 2 cups sugar
• 3/4 cup unsweetened baking cocoa or Dutch-process cocoa OR 1/2 cup black cocoa + 1/4 cup unsweetened baking cocoa or Dutch-process cocoa
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 3 large eggs
• 1 stick butter or margarine melted
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• For the filling:
• 1 jar 10 oz. of quality caramel sauce, of your choice (I used Trader Joe’s Fleur de Sel Caramel Sauce

For the frosting:

• 1 8 oz. tub Philadelphia Milk Chocolate Indulgence Cream Cheese
• 1 stick butter softened
• 5 cups powdered sugar
• 1 tsp. pure vanilla

Instructions

For the brownies:

• Put all of the ingredients into a large bowl in the order in which they’re written. Stir, then beat the mixture till smooth.
• To make delicious brownies:
• Spoon the batter into a lightly greased 9 x 13-inch pan. Bake the brownies in a preheated 375°F oven for 25 to 30 minutes, or until they’re just barely beginning to pull away from the sides of the pan. Let them cool completely before cutting. Yield: about 2 dozen brownies.

To make the brownie cups:

• Spray a mini muffin pan with non-stick baking spray. Spoon (I use a small scoop) the batter about 3/4 full. Bake at 350F for about 15 minutes. Test with a toothpick; you want a little bit of dough to cling to the toothpick. Don’t over bake.
• Allow the baked brownie cups to cool about 2 minutes. Using a “tamper”, gently press an indentation in each brownie cup. Allow to cool a few minutes more, then carefully remove to a wire rack. Cool Completely.

For the frosting:

• Whip the butter and Philadelphia Milk Chocolate Cream Cheese until softened. Add the powdered sugar, one cup at a time. Add the vanilla.

To assemble:

• Spoon a scant teaspoon of caramel into each brownie cup.
• Using a piping bag, fill the top of each filled brownie cup with frosting.

Notes

NOTE: If you cannot find Philadelphia Indulgence Milk Chocolate Cream cheese, you could add chocolate powder, or melted (and cooled) milk chocolate to the frosting. Use 8 oz. of plain cream cheese.

Tried this recipe?Mention @afeastfortheeyes or tag #afeastfortheeyesblog!

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