snackology: Triple Fudge Cocoa Puff Brownies

College students are not known to have the best of tastes or the deepest of pockets; however, I see know shame in embracing typically "trashy" college foods and enhancing them. Be honest, you like the original ones anyways. And if you do enjoy ramen, easy-mac, and cereal at 12 pm, then you will love when these dorm room dishes are taken to the next level.

Triple Fudge Cocoa Puff Brownies are chocolate overload. Death by chocolate is an understatement. They are gooey and dense, and then the cocoa puffs add an airy and light texture, but throughout all of these textures the only flavor is chocolate.

I was inspired by two dishes:

The brownies from Baked in Brooklyn
picture from http://www.browneyedbaker.com/2010/10/08/the-baked-brownie/

Voodoo Doughnuts in Portland, Oregon
picture from http://10thirty.wordpress.com/2008/07/03/breakfast-at-voodoo-doughnut/

Triple Fudge Cocoa Puff Brownies

Yields: 2 dozen

1¼ cups flour
1 tsp salt
2 tbsp cocoa powder
11 ounces dark chocolate, coarsely chopped
1 cup unsalted butter, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 tsp instant espresso powder
1½ cups sugar
½ cup light brown sugar
5 eggs, room temp
2 teaspoons vanilla bean paste
Fudge Frosting (recipe below)
3 cups Cocoa Puff cereal

1. Preheat the oven to 350. Line brownie pan with parchment paper.

2. In a medium bowl, mix the salt, flour, and cocoa powder.

3. Melt chocolate, butter and instant espresso powder in a double broiler, stirring occasionally, until smooth. Turn off the heat and add the two sugars. Mix until uniform and let cool to room temperature.

4. Add 3 eggs to the chocolate mixture and whisk right away. Repeat with the remaining eggs. Add the vanilla and stir until just uniform.

5. Fold the flour mixture into the chocolate until just uniform.

6. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top. Bake for 25 minutes. Let cool and add Fudge Frosting and sprinkle with Cocoa Puffs!

Fudge Frosting