Mud Brownies, Mississippi Style

I am completely smitten with these Mississippi Mud Brownies.

A fudge brownie layered with chocolate chips, melty peanut butter, marshmallow and a decadent chocolate pecan frosting.What’s not to love?

To Make These Mississippi Mud Brownies Gather:

for the brownies:

• unbleached all-purpose flour
• unsweetened cocoa powder
• salt
• unsalted butter (room temperature)
• granulated sugar
• pure vanilla extract
• eggs
• semi-sweet chocolate chips
• crunchy peanut butter
• canola oil
• mini marshmallows
• chopped toasted pecans

for the frosting:

• powdered sugar
• kosher salt
• unsalted butter
• unsweetened cocoa powder
• milk
• pure vanilla extract

These brownies require a few basic pantry ingredients, and they take less than 30 minutes to prepare! I chopped the toasted pecans ahead of time to quicken the process a bit.

Make The Brownies:

Start off by measuring 3/4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour, 2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder and 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt. Add them into a small bowl.

Stir to combine and set aside.

Cream 1 stick of butter along with 1 cup of sugar until light and fluffy.

Next add in 3/4 teaspoons vanilla extract.

Add 2 large eggs, one at a time and blend well after each addition until both are incorporated.

Next, add the dry ingredients in with the sugar/butter mixture and stir to combine.

Spread the brownie mixture into the bottom of a lined 8×8 square pan.

Sprinkle with 3/4 cups chocolate chips and pop into a 350ºF oven for about 20-22 minutes.

Once the brownies have baked, here comes the truly fun part.

Start by mixing 1 and 1/2 teaspoons flavorless oil in with 1/2 cup warmed crunchy peanut butter.

Then evenly pour the peanut butter all over the warm brownies.

Sprinkle 2 cups of marshmallows over the peanut butter. Bake in the oven for 3 minutes, only to puff up the marshmallows.

Top with 1/2 cup chopped toasted pecans and set aside and let cool. Now it’s time to make the frosting!

Prepare the Frosting:

In a small pan, melt 4 tablespoons of unsalted butter. Next add in 2 tablespoons cocoa. Stir and gradually pour in 1/4 cup milk. Heat the chocolate mixture until only about boiling, remove from the heat and add ¼ teaspoons vanilla extract. You could also add the vanilla to the frosting once it’s been mixed.

In a mixing bowl that contains 2 cups powdered sugar and 1/8 teaspoon salt, pour in the warm chocolate mixture while the mixer is on low speed.

Scraping down the sides as you go, mix until the powdered sugar is absorbed into the chocolate. If the frosting looks too thick, add 1 to 2 tablespoons of milk to thin it out.

Pour over the pecans and marshmallows.

After I poured the icing over top, I realized my frosting must have cooled down too much because the icing didn’t melt into the crevices of the pecans and marshmallow. So I simply spread the frosting out evenly. Once cooled enough, I placed the pan into the fridge for an hour or two.

It wasn’t until I removed the Mississippi Mud Brownies and pulled back the parchment paper did I realize what I was in for. These bars contain everything that A regular here in life. And it was almost too pretty to eat.

This is exactly what one needs to get over the cold weather and post holiday blues. Simply be sure to pour yourself a giant glass of milk, because these brownies are rich and will surely make you thirsty.

These Mississippi Mud Brownies were so much fun to make and surely the most decadent brownie I have ever had the pleasure to taste!

Recipe adapted from Greens and Chocolate.