Ladies and gentlemen, we have had a break-through.

The man who claims to not like fruit in his desserts, declared after his third serving of my blueberry sherbet that he ‘thinks he likes fruit desserts now.’  In full disclosure, I should tell you that Bluebell’s Southern Blackberry Cobbler ice cream may also be a part of the reason.

So, I’m performing a little experiment here in the DFT household.  I made these Mississippi mud brownies.  They are ooey-gooey and full of chocolate, walnuts and marshmallows.  Not a soul in the world would turn one down.  I’m going to feed him a brownie while carefully observing his facial expressions, counting the number of moans and calculating the finger lick-ability.  Then, I will feed him a fruit dessert and note the differences.

To help these brownies get that rich muddy color, you must use unsweetened chocolate.  Unsweetened chocolate is the most pure form of chocolate.  Its flavor cannot be matched.  I also added a splash of extra strong coffee from the bottom of my French press.  And yes, you really need 1 whole teaspoon of vanilla for two brownies.

The chocolate sauce on the top is a scaled down version of David Lebovitz’s  best chocolate sauce (minus the extra sugar).  For a portable option, skip the chocolate sauce poured on top and instead, sprinkle a handful of chocolate chips on the brownies right before adding the marshmallows and bake as usual.

 

Mississippi Mud Brownies

Mississippi Mud Brownies

makes 2 large brownies in a loaf pan

Ingredients

For the brownies:

  • oil for greasing pan
  • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 2 ounces unsweetened chocolate, chopped
  • 7 tablespoons sugar
  • 1 large egg
  • 1 teaspoon strong coffee
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 1 tablespoon milk
  • 1/4 cup flour
  • 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
  • 2 tablespoons chopped walnuts
  • pinch of salt
  • heaping 1/2 cup of marshmallows

For the chocolate sauce:

  • 1/3 cup water
  • 2 tablespoons cocoa powder
  • 2 tablespoons light corn syrup
  • 1 ounce semi-sweet chocolate

Instructions

  1. Begin by pre-heating the oven to 350 and oiling the sides of a 9" x 5" x 3" loaf pan. Trace the bottom of the pan on a piece of parchment paper, cut it out, then place it in the bottom of the pan. Oil the paper.
  2. Next, in a microwave-safe bowl, add the butter and chopped chocolate. Microwave in 20-second pulses, stirring in between with a spatula to ensure the chocolate melts evenly. Mine took 1 minute total.
  3. Next, add the sugar to the melted chocolate and stir to cool the batter. Then, add the egg, coffee, vanilla and milk and stir well. Finally, sprinkle the flour, salt and baking powder evenly over the top of the batter and fold the batter together. Add the chopped walnuts and fold again.
  4. Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 18 minutes. Add the marshmallows evenly on top, then bake for another 3-4 minutes, until the marshmallow puff up and slightly melt. Remove from the oven and let cool slightly.
  5. Meanwhile, make the chocolate sauce by combining all the ingredients in a microwave-safe bowl and whisking well. (The cocoa powder won't dissolve right away.) Heat for 30 seconds, then stir. Do this two more times.
  6. Serve the brownies warm topped with the chocolate sauce.
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