Brownie-mallows: The perfect Holiday Treat

Uh, yum.

I spent a good part of the day baking holiday treats that I plan to give as gifts. They turned out great, and are so fun and cute. They are a frankenstein of 2 recipes and my own ideas. I call them brownie-mallows. Basically they are a form of a mini-cupcake with a brownie bottom and are topped with a cinnamon marshmallow fluff, then finished off with a sprinkle of homegrown lavender. It's a two-bite indulgence. The recipe is below.

Classic Chocolate Brownies:

(adapted from Ghiradelli)

• 1/2 cup(s) Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips
• 4 ounce(s) Semi-Sweet Chocolate Baking Bar
• 1/2 cup(s) (1 stick) unsalted butter, cut into pieces
• 1 cup(s) firmly packed light or dark brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon(s) pure vanilla extract
• 2 large eggs
• 3/4 cup(s) plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1/4 teaspoon(s) baking powder
• 3/8 teaspoon(s) salt

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Prep a mini muffin tin with mini muffin baking cup papers. Chop the 4 ounces of semi sweet chocolate bars into 1-inch pieces. In the top of a double boiler or in a heatproof bowl over barely simmering water, melt the 4 chopped chocolate and butter, stirring occasionally until smooth. Remove the pan from the heat and let cool to room temperature. Stir the brown sugar and vanilla into the chocolate mixture. Add the eggs and mix well. In a bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, and salt. Slowly fold the flour mixture into the chocolate mixture, mixing well until blended. Stir in the chocolate chips and pour the batter into the prepared pan.
Bake for 12-20 minutes, until a tester comes out clean. 

Marshmallows:
(adapted from Food Network)

Ingredients

• 3 packages unflavored gelatin
• 1 cup ice cold water, divided
• 12 ounces granulated sugar, approximately 1 1/2 cups
• 1 cup light corn syrup
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon of ground cinnamon
• 1/4 cup confectioners' sugar
• 1/4 cup cornstarch
• Nonstick spray

Directions

Place the gelatin into the bowl of a stand mixer along with 1/2 cup of the water. Have the whisk attachment standing by.

In a small saucepan combine the remaining 1/2 cup water, granulated sugar, corn syrup and salt. Place over medium high heat, cover and allow to cook for 3 to 4 minutes. Uncover, clip a candy thermometer onto the side of the pan and continue to cook until the mixture reaches 240 degrees F, approximately 7 to 8 minutes. Once the mixture reaches this temperature, immediately remove from the heat.

Turn the mixer on low speed and, while running, slowly pour the sugar syrup down the side of the bowl into the gelatin mixture. Once you have added all of the syrup, increase the speed to high. Continue to whip until the mixture becomes very thick and is lukewarm, approximately 12 to 15 minutes. Add the vanilla and cinnamon during the last minute of whipping. 

I did have to take a frisbee break in the middle of the baking marathon. 

Brownie-mallows:

1 tablespoon finely chopped lavender

Once the brownies are cooled, top them with the marshmallow fluff. (note: this recipe is all about timing. you don't have much time to work with the mallows once they are whipped, so be sure to have the brownies ready to go before you start the mallows.) Finally, sprinkle with the lavender. Let the little babies sit for at least 4 hours so that the mallow mixture can set up. 

Enjoy!