M&M Brownies

Thick, rich, fudgy M&M brownies are a favorite among adults and kids alike. This easy brownie recipe has the perfect chewiness and crinkly top. The batter is studded with chocolate chips and M&MS then the brownies are topped with a layer of colorful M&Ms. Step-by-step photos teach you how to bake this party favorite dessert recipe!

Ingredients

This brownie recipe is based on my thick, homemade brownie recipe. For this brownie recipe you will need:

• Water. Just a bit of water helps bind everything together.
• Unsalted Butter. Just a bit adds a nice base flavor. And score you can use it straight from the fridge since we are going to melt it into the sugar anyways!
• Granulated Sugar. We will cook the sugar with butter, water, and cocoa powder, liquidizing the sugar helps create that delicious crinkly brownie top we all know and love!
• Light Brown Sugar. I like to use a bit of brown sugar for an extra moist and chewy brownie!
• Dutch Process Cocoa Powder. I suggest using Dutch cocoa powder because it has had its acidity stripped for a smoother, dark, rich chocolate flavor.
• Vegetable Oil. Oil holds more moisture than butter does so using mostly oil helps give the brownies intense moisture and extra chewy texture.
• Pure Vanilla Extract. Use the real stuff, please!
• Egg Yolk and Large Egg. The extra egg yolk provides some nice richness and extra chew to the brownie. Make sure your eggs are room temperature so they more easily incorporate into the wet ingredients.
• Baking Powder. Just a bit helps give these brownies a nice lift.
• Salt. Don't skip it, salt not only balances out all the sweetness it also helps highlight the flavor profile of other ingredients.
• Cornstarch. Also known as Cornflour, this helps tenderize the batter for a softer brownie.
• All-Purpose Flour. Also known as Plain Flour, we only use a small amount of flour to help keep these brownies dense and fudgy. Make sure you don't overmix the flour in and create a tougher brownie!
• Chocolate Chips. I use whenever I have on hand so it might be chips or chocolate chunks or even take a chocolate bar and cut it up. I love to use a blend of semi-sweet chocolate and milk chocolate.
• M&Ms. The star of the show, like to take ½ a cup and fold them into the batter then take another ½ a cup to decorate on top. Next time, I am going to use peanut butter m&ms! Or Mini M&Ms would be great too!

Instructions

First things first, preheat your oven to 350F/180C and line a 9X9 or 8X8 square baking pan with foil and grease heavily. Keep in mind if you use a 9-inch pan the brownies will cook quicker and if you use an 8-inch pan the brownies might need a bit longer in the oven.

To start the recipe in a medium-large pot add the water, butter, sugar, and cocoa powder. Cook on medium heat for 2-3 minutes until it is all combined together, be careful you just want everything to melt together you don't want to keep cooking just because.

Take off heat and let cool for five minutes.

Then add the oil. Take a minute or two to mix this in but most likely there will still be some separation that is fine, when you add the eggs in that will take care of the separation.

Let sit for another couple of minutes then add the egg, egg yolk, and vanilla. Whisk to combine, make sure everything is evenly combined and there are no traces of egg left behind. 

Add the baking soda, salt, cornstarch, and mix to combine.

Gently add the flour and when almost combined add chocolate chips and M&Ms by using a spatula to fold in until just combined.

Do not over mix, this will affect the end product.

Pour the brownie batter into the prepared pan then sprinkle the remaining M&Ms on top in an even layer.

Bake for 25-35 minutes. Everyone’s oven is different, for me, the brownies always bake within 29-31 minutes, but I would start checking at 25 minutes for your oven. Don't overbake the brownies. You want a toothpick in the center to come out with moist crumbs, not completely dry. Place the pan on a wire rack to cool completely before cutting.

Store in an air-tight container on the counter for up to 4 days.

There you have it, I hope you love this m&ms brownie recipe!

How to freeze

Brownies are great for freezing. Once the brownies have completely cooled place pieces of them on a plate or sheet in a single layer not touching and place in the freezer for an hour or two to flash freeze. After the brownies are hardened/frozen transfer them to a freezer-safe container. Then when you fancy a brownie take one out at a time and let it thaw on the counter for about an hour.

Can you double

You can totally double this brownie recipe!! Just press the 2X button on the recipe card below to double the ingredient quantities. Bake in 9-inch by 13-inch pan. The bake time won't change much since they are baking in a larger pan as well.

More brownie recipes

My peanut butter brownies are a favorite for sweet and salty lovers.

The Oreo Brownie Recipe is a favorite among my nieces and nephews!

I can't wait to try this Dulce de Leche Brownie recipe!

★★★★★ Please let me know if you make this recipe by leaving a star rating and comment below!

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