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Surprise Brownies

So. I’m headed to a potluck, and I need to bring a side and a dessert. That’s easy, right? Fortunately, I can once again cook inside because it’s only 50 degrees outside in the middle of June, thank you very much Chicago. Inspiration, however, is not striking. I can’t decide what I want to make.

I don’t feel like doing truffles again – since I made four batches to get through all my needed teacher gifts this week already. I’m not up for batches of cookies. I want to do something new, but because it’s going to a potluck, it can’t be something that is delicate or has to be reheated, and preferably it should be finger food. Oh, and use eggs since I have a lot of eggs in the house.

Hmmm….

A ha! Brownies. But not just any brownies. I made brownies with a surprise inside, and oh were they good. I’m now sharing the recipe not just with my two friends who were at the potluck (and requested the recipe) but with all of you. Sadly, they’re gone on my end.

Image shows surprise brownies.

How to Make Surprise Brownies

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Melt together over low heat in a heavy saucepan, or in a double boiler, the chocolate and butter. You want it to look like this:

Image shows butter and chocolate mixed together.

Remove the chocolate from the heat, and stir in the sugar. I use a whisk for this and most of the rest of the steps to ensure I’m getting lots of air incorporated into the batter so that they are light and fluffy and rises well, as there is no leavening agent in here.

Add the eggs one at a time, and whisk well to incorporate. If you’ve removed the chocolate from the heat and added the sugar, this should have lowered the temperature of the mixture enough that you won’t have scrambled eggs now. The eggs are going to provide lots of your lift, so whisk well.

Image shows eggs added to the chocolate and butter mixture.

Add the vanilla and coffee/coffee extract, and mix until fully combined.

Image shows vanilla and coffee added to the mixture.

Add the salt and mix to stir. Then add the flour. Now when you put away the whisk, gently fold the flour in with your spatula. (Video showing the art of folding on this post for cheese souffle.) You want to fold it until the flour is just combined so that as little gluten as possible forms and your brownies don’t get tough or filled with little air bubbles. Trust me.

;Image shows flour added to the mixture.

 

Image shows surprise brownies batter.

Fill muffin cups with batter about two-thirds of the way full. I use my mid-size cookie scoop for this one, and it’s perfect – plus it makes them the same size so they bake evenly. I love my kitchen gadgets!

Image shows batter put into the muffin cups.

Add your candies to the center of each brownie. I don’t have to tell you to unwrap them first, do I? Nah, I’ve got faith in you! I placed mine upside down, and that worked perfectly.

Image shows candies added into the batter.

Bake at 350 degrees for approximately 20 minutes, until your cake tester comes out clean. Every oven is different, and mine tends to take longer to bake – for me, it was closer to 24 minutes, but I have to bake longer for every recipe. Just keep an eye on them, as you don’t want them to overbake and get dry.

Image shows baked surprise brownies.

I simply sprinkled a little powdered sugar on them after letting them cool fully on a cookie rack, and they were good to go. And go they did! Yum.

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Image shows surprise brownies.

Surprise Brownies

Surprise Brownies are a delightful treat with a hidden twist. Each bite reveals a surprise center filled with a mix of different chocolate candies. These brownies offer a rich, fudgy base with unexpected bursts of chocolate, making them a fun and indulgent dessert.
5 from 1 vote
Print Pin Rate
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Diet: Vegetarian
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 40 minutes
Servings: 20 brownies
Calories: 234kcal
Author: Michelle

Ingredients

  • 1 cup unsalted butter
  • 4 ounces good quality chocolate chopped
  • 2 cups sugar
  • 4 eggs
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
  • 1 teaspoon strong coffee or coffee extract
  • 1 1/2 cups flour
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 20 chocolate candies

Instructions

  • Melt together over low heat in a heavy saucepan, or in a double boiler, the chocolate and butter. Remove the chocolate from the heat, and stir in the sugar. Use a whisk for this and most of the rest of the steps to ensure getting lots of air incorporated into the batter so that they are light and fluffy and rise well.
    1 cup unsalted butter, 4 ounces good quality chocolate, 2 cups sugar
  • Add the eggs one at a time, and whisk well to incorporate. If you’ve removed the chocolate from the heat and added the sugar, this should have lowered the temperature of the mixture enough that you won’t have scrambled eggs now. The eggs are going to provide lots of your lift, so whisk well.
    4 eggs
  • Add the vanilla and coffee/coffee extract, and mix until fully combined. Add the salt and mix to stir. Then add the flour.
    1/2 teaspoon vanilla, 1 teaspoon strong coffee or coffee extract, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1 1/2 cups flour
  • Put away the whisk and gently fold the flour in with your spatula. Fold it until the flour is just combined so that as little gluten as possible forms and your brownies don’t get tough or filled with little air bubbles.
  • Fill muffin cups with batter about two-thirds of the way full. I used my mid-size cookie scoop for this one. It makes them the same size so they bake evenly.
  • Add your candies to the center of each brownie. Bake at 350 degrees for approximately 20 minutes, until your cake tester comes out clean. Every oven is different, and mine tends to take longer to bake – for me it was closer to 24 minutes. Keep an eye on them, as you don’t want them to overbake and get dry.
    20 chocolate candies
  • Simply sprinkle a little powdered sugar on them after letting them cool fully on a cookie rack, and they are good to go.

Notes

  • The candies can be Rollos or filled Hershey’s Kisses and others. OR make a ganache like from last week’s truffle and use little balls of those.
  • For more tips and tricks, be sure to read the full article above.

Nutrition

Serving: 1brownie | Calories: 234kcal | Carbohydrates: 31g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 11g | Saturated Fat: 7g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Trans Fat: 0.4g | Cholesterol: 58mg | Sodium: 84mg | Potassium: 37mg | Fiber: 0.3g | Sugar: 24g | Vitamin A: 338IU | Vitamin C: 0.1mg | Calcium: 18mg | Iron: 1mg

This site uses an online source to provide nutrition estimates as a courtesy. If you need exact values, please calculate yourself.

Image shows close-up picture of surprise brownies.

I am a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.

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  1. Michelle says:

    Patty – Did I mention that all 20 of them were gone the next day? *sigh* I definitely need to make them again. Soon.

    Liz – Oh how fun. If it's still open, I'm linking. Thanks for sharing!

    Tara – Oops, sorry. At least the 5 pounds I gained came from enjoying them.

    Pat – I love that idea. I want to know how the jalapeno works in them. I've done cinnamon in chocolate/brownies before but never jalapenos.

    Roxi – Thanks. They'd be perfect for picnics, portable and relatively not messy.

    Laura – I don't blame you. So fun, and everyone loved them (if I do say so myself).

    Anon – Oops. I left that out. 4 eggs, which is now added to the recipe. Sorry!

    Jen – Glad you liked them. So nice of you to share; you know you could have eaten them both yourself, right? 🙂

  2. Jen says:

    I meant to thank you for the two that you left for me in your garage! They were delicious! I shared one with Mr M, and he wanted to know, “so where did she buy these?” and his eyes totally bugged out when I corrected him, “No, she MADE them!” (And then pointed out that if he ever LISTENED to his wife, he would already know that you made them, as in the statement, “Here have one of these that Michelle made.” Sigh.) He kept repeating then, “She's really a good cook! She's like a gourmet cook!” (To which I responded, “what part of the title 'semi-professional food blogger' has been confusing to you???” Sigh.) LOL. Thanks again!

  3. Anonymous says:

    How many eggs?

  4. Laura says:

    YUM!! I love this idea 🙂

  5. Roxi Beck says:

    These look TO DIE FOR. I'm adding them to my ever growing list of yummies for upcoming summer picnics – can't wait!

  6. Pat says:

    Oh, and the hot pepper will be de-seeded, too, of course.

  7. Pat says:

    Oh, if I ever made these, it would have to be for a potluck or I'd eat almost all of them. Made my mouth water just reading about them! I CANNOT resist chocolate.

    I'm going to make brownies with a finely diced jalapeno pepper in it for a Mexican-themed potluck I'm going to tomorrow. I'll warn everyone ahead of time. Something about chocolate and hot peppers appeals to me.

  8. Tara R. says:

    Just gained five pounds reading this recipe. Sounds delicious!

  9. Liz @ Two Maids a Milking says:

    Yummy!! These look great! I am having a baking linky party on my blog today! Would love for you to come and link up!!

    Happy Tuesday!
    http://twomaidsamilking.blogspot.com

  10. Patty @ A Day in My NYC says:

    OMG! Those look delicious! hmm Chocolate Heaven 🙂

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