Cadbury creme eggs may only hit the shelves at Easter, but there's no need to mourn their loss with these brownies available any time you want them :)
Ingredients
BROWNIE BASE:
1 cup all-purpose flour
3 Tbsp cocoa powder
½ tsp salt
9 oz milk chocolate, chopped (or about 1½ cups milk chocolate chips)
¾ cup butter, cubed
⅓ cup granulated sugar
¾ cup lightly packed brown sugar
3 large eggs, lightly beaten
1½ tsp vanilla extract
CREAM FILLING LAYER:
⅓ cup corn syrup
3 Tbsp butter, room temperature
1 tsp vanilla extract
⅛ tsp salt
2 cups confectioner's (icing) sugar
MILK CHOCOLATE ICING (TOP LAYER):
5 oz milk chocolate, chopped (or about ¾ cup milk chocolate chips)
3 Tbsp butter, cubed
Instructions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line the bottom and sides of an 8x11" baking pan with parchment paper, letting it overhang on two edges for easy removal of brownies. Set aside.
In a small bowl, stir together flour, cocoa, and salt. Set aside.
Melt chocolate and butter together in a double boiler or in the microwave (when using the microwave, stir frequently to prevent burning and stop before chocolate is fully melted: stir to melt it completely).
Remove chocolate from heat and whisk in sugars until mostly dissolved and mixture has cooled slightly.
Whisk in eggs and vanilla just until combined (do not overmix or the brownies will rise too high and then fall).
Add flour mixture to chocolate and fold in with a large rubber spatula until just combined. Pour batter into prepared pan, spreading evenly.
Bake for 25-30 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs. Transfer pan to a wire rack to cool.
Meanwhile, make creme filling. Beat together corn syrup, butter, vanilla, and salt on medium-high speed until smooth.
Add confectioner's sugar gradually, mixing until creamy. If desired, add a couple drops of yellow food coloring to the mixture to give it a "yolky" colour.
Dump the mixture onto the cooled brownies and spread into an even layer. Refrigerate for 1-2 hours, until fairly set, before adding the top layer.
For the milk chocolate icing, gently melt the chocolate and butter together, stirring until smooth. Pour over creme filling and carefully spread as evenly as possible.
Return brownies to refrigerator and let chill for at least 2 hours before serving, preferably overnight. (You may want to score the chocolate after 1 hour to prevent it from cracking when you cut it into bars later).
When ready to serve, remove brownies from pan using parchment paper to lift them out as one block. Cut into about 28 smallish squares.
Store leftovers in the refrigerator - these are a rare baked good in that they get better with age, and taste just as good after 5 days as they did after 1 day. They also freeze well.
Recipe by Hidden Ponies at https://hiddenponies.com/2012/04/saturday-sweets-creme-egg-brownies/