Turn regular brownies into a special treat, with this recipe for mud pie brownies with marshmallows. It’s a quick and easy way to make fudgy brownies that are topped with gooey marshmallows and a chocolate sauce. Dress-up brownies and turn them into a special treat worthy of any holiday dinner, party, or special occasion.
About Brownies with Marshmallows
I think that brownies are one of those desserts where many of us wouldn’t dream of making our own brownies from scratch. After all, the brownie mixes available at the grocery story give us fudgy brownies that we know will turn out just the way we like them. Sure, I love my brownie recipes for homemade brownies. But sometimes there’s nothing like stirring together a quick batch of brownies made with a mix.
That’s the beauty of this brownies with marshmallows recipe. It’s a way to take your favorite brownie recipe, or brownie mix, and turn it into something with extra style and flavor. And because it’s made with a larger pan, you’ll get more brownies than usual. This is perfect for when you need a quick and easy dessert for a family dinner or get together.
Tips for Making Brownies
Brownies are so easy to make because they don’t require a stand mixer, or hand mixer. Just grab a large bowl and a spoon to combine the dry ingredients from the boxed brownie mix with the wet ingredients they instruct you to use. Usually that’s an egg or two, plus vegetable oil. Mix the brownie batter just until all ingredients are combined. Do not overmix the batter.
These brownies with marshmallows include chopped pecans, but you can either omit them or substitute walnuts if you prefer. Toast the pecans in the oven for about 5-8 minutes as it’s preheating. Toasted nuts always taste better in baked goods, so don’t skip this step.
If you want a little extra chocolate flavor in the brownies, you can add chocolate chips or chocolate chunks to the batter. You can also add them to the top of the brownies along with the marshmallows, but I think the best way is to add them as mix-ins to the batter instead. This way you end-up with fudgy marshmallow brownies. If you don’t have mini marshmallows on hand, you can always use regular marshmallows cut in smaller pieces. Or, you can add spoonfuls of marshmallow fluff on top instead.
While the brownies are cooling, make the chocolate drizzle. I like to make it using a saucepan, but you can use a microwave if you prefer. Just use a medium bowl to combine the butter, milk, salt, and cocoa powder. Heat for 30 second intervals, stirring the mixture between intervals. Remove from the microwave when the butter is melted, and the mixture is smooth. Add the powdered sugar and vanilla extract and stir until there are no lumps. If the mixture is too thick, just add a little milk to thin it out.
Store the brownies in an airtight container at room temperature and the brownies will keep for a couple of days without the marshmallows getting hard or dry. But like most brownies, I think that these are best on the day you make them. Or on the next day.
Sheet Pan Brownie Mud Bars
Equipment
- 9×11 Baking Dish
- Parchment Paper
- Saucepan
Ingredients
Brownies
- Brownie mix + ingredients
- 1 cup chopped pecans toasted
- 10 ounce bag mini marshmallows
Chocolate Sauce
- ⅓ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- ¼ cup milk
- ¼ cup unsalted butter
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Prepare a baking sheet with parchment paper, or spray with non-stick spray.
- In a large bowl, make the brownie mix based on the directions on the box. Then fold in the chopped pecans.
- Bake in the oven for 15 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Because the bars are going to be thin, the bake time will be much shorter than the directions say on the box.
- Remove the brownies from the oven and coat evenly with the mini marshmallows. Place the brownies back in the oven for 3-5 minutes until the marshmallows have puffed and become soft.
- Remove from the oven and let cool.
- In a saucepan make the chocolate sauce by melting the butter, milk, salt and unsweetened cocoa powder over medium heat. Once melted, and combined with no lumps, remove from the heat.
- Add the vanilla extract and powdered sugar, whisking together until smooth and creamy. If the sauce is a bit thick for drizzling over the bars, then add a little more milk to thin it out.
- Pour the chocolate sauce diagonally over the brownie bars to make mud pie brownies.
Notes
Brownie Variations
Now that you have the basic recipe for brownies with marshmallows, here are some ideas for variations you can try next time. Add a layer of graham cracker crumbs to the bottom of the prepared pan. This way you get s’mores brownies, with the classic combination of graham crackers, chocolate and marshmallow. Or, add Oreos on top of the marshmallow layer to turn them into Oreo Brownies. Other toppings to try include pretzels, chopped nuts, dark chocolate, or a caramel drizzle.
The Frosted Rocky Road Brownies have a lot of similarities to this brownies with marshmallows recipe, but there are a couple of key differences. Theses brownies have a thin chocolate glaze, but the rocky road recipe has a chocolate frosting on top of the brownie layer. So, the homemade frosting and nuts are more of the star for the rocky road recipe, but this recipe is more about the marshmallows.
Fluffy marshmallows that are layered on top of the gooey chocolate brownies. I don’t think there’s a better way to go for turning up the flavor on your favorite box mix. It’s a super easy recipe that you can pull together in a short period.
More of my favorite childhood treats and my favorite brownie recipes to try.
Scotcheroo Rice Krispie Treats
The Original Chocolate Chip Cookies recipe
Chocolate Peanut Butter Brownies
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