Gourmet Tuxedo Brownies

GOURMET TUXEDO BROWNIES

8/1/2023

Elegant Gourmet Tuxedo Brownies will be the highlight of your next special occasion and will dazzle your guests and your taste buds! These decadent brownies feature a rich dark chocolate base, a luscious marshmallow crème filling, a velvety dark chocolate ganache glaze, and elegant sprinkles that add a touch of sophistication. Prepare to indulge in a dessert experience that is visually stunning, sinfully delicious and unapologetically decadent and indulgent!

Whether you're planning a wedding, anniversary, or other memorable event, these Gourmet Tuxedo Brownies are the ultimate dessert choice - decadent layers, exquisite flavors, and elegant presentation make them a show-stopping treat and one of my favorite things to bake! They are easily customized with festive sprinkles and truly leave a lasting impression!

Gourmet Tuxedo Brownies

WHAT MAKES GOURMET TUXEDO BROWNIES SO SPECIAL?

The foundation of these gourmet brownies is a dense and fudgy dark chocolate base, made with premium dark chocolate and unsalted butter. Each bite offers an explosion of intense chocolate flavor, perfectly balanced with a hint of bitterness. The base sets the stage for what's to come, promising a taste sensation that will leave your guests in awe.

As you sink your teeth into these exquisite brownies, you'll discover a delightful surprise hidden within. A creamy and smooth marshmallow crème filling awaits, adding a delightful contrast of textures and flavors. The pillowy softness of the marshmallow perfectly complements the richness of the dark chocolate.

To take these brownies to the next level of elegance, they are generously glazed with a glossy dark chocolate ganache. The ganache adds a luxurious sheen to the brownies, while intensifying the chocolate experience. As it cascades over the marshmallow filling, it creates a visually captivating effect that is simply irresistible.

To complete the sophisticated look, these Gourmet Tuxedo Brownies are adorned with elegant sprinkles. Delicate, shimmering pearls and edible gold dust dance upon the luscious ganache, adding a touch of glamour and elegance. These beautiful embellishments make these brownies the perfect centerpiece for a special occasion, ensuring that every bite is a celebration of flavor and style.

Gourmet Tuxedo Brownies

FOR KILLER BROWNIES, USE THE RIGHT CHOCOLATE:

For gourmet brownies, only the best ingredients will give you the texture, richness and depth of flavor we all crave. Trust me on this! For a rich and robust chocolate flavor, I recommend using only high-quality chocolate. Since there are only a few ingredients, choosing the right chocolate will give you rich flavor that really shines through!

Extra Dark & Bittersweet Chocolate: Guittard 63% Extra Dark Chocolate Baking Chips, Ghirardelli 60% Cacao Bittersweet Chocolate Chips and Callebaut 70% Dark Bittersweet chocolate Callets are my favorite.
Unsweetened Chocolate: Perfect for chopping and melting, I recommend Guittard and Ghirardelli 100% Unsweetened Chocolate Bars, or Callebaut Finest Belgian Dark Chocolate Baking Block, or in a pinch Baker’s Unsweetened Baking Bars.
Semi-Sweet Chocolate: Guittard and Ghirardelli Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips or Callebaut Belgian Semisweet Callets.
Chocolate Bars: For chocolate chunk brownies and cookies, you can substitute good quality chocolate bars (Lindt or Ghirardelli) or Callebaut chocolate blocks that are cut into small chunks or pieces.
Cocoa Powder: Always use Dutch-processed premium unsweetened cocoa for brownies! Valrhona Pure Cocoa Powder, Rodelle Gourmet Baking Cocoa, Hershey’s Special Dark Cocoa or Ghirardelli 100% unsweetened Ground Cocoa

Gourmet Tuxedo Brownies

PERFECT INGREDIENTS FOR GOURMET BROWNIES:

In addition to using premium chocolate and cocoa, only the best ingredients will give you the texture, richness and depth of flavor we all crave. Make sure to use fresh ingredients for the best gourmet brownie results! I’ve made so many cakes, cookies and brownies through the years, and these are my recommendations:

Butter: Land O Lakes Unsalted Butter. Avoid generic/bargain brands of butter, which often contain water, which will strip your brownies of a perfe`ct shiny sheen on top – and we LOVE a brownie with the perfect sheen!
Flour: King Arthur All Purpose Unbleached Flour is my favorite (it contains more gluten than other brands). Pillsbury All Purpose is my back-up, but weighs differently – make sure to adjust as necessary. (For reference, King Arthur is 120g per cup, Pillsbury is 129g per cup.)
Granulated Sugar: Domino Pure Cane Sugar
Baking Powder: Make sure that you use “aluminum-free” baking powder to avoid a tinny flavor. Rumford is one of the oldest and trusted brands.
Salt: To avoid a tinny flavor, never use iodized salt in brownies. Morten Non-Iodized Table Salt is my preferred brand for cooking and baking. For sea salt flakes, I use Maldon Sea Salt Flakes.
Vanilla: Neiman Massey and Rodelle are my preferred brands for Pure Vanilla Extract and Vanilla Bean Paste - both are made with the highest-quality Bourbon vanilla beans from Madagascar.
Espresso Powder: King Arthur Espresso Powder is my favorite! If you don’t have time to order, DeLallo brand is also good and available at most grocery stores.
Other Extracts & Flavorings: Neiman Massey (neimanmassey.com), Rodelle (rodellevanilla.com), Cooks (cooksvanilla.com) and Amoretti (amoretti.com) brands make my favorite extracts and emulsions. Keep in mind that extracts and emulsions have different strengths, so watch your measurements and use recommended amounts.
Sprinkles: While people may be familiar with one or two types of sprinkles, there's actually quite a few including jimmies, quins, nonpareils, dragées, sugar pearls, sanding sugar, and shaped sprinkles. Some are ideal for baking, others not so much. Some sprinkles are gentle to the bite while others are much harder to chew, and may resemble hard candy and feel like you're going to break a tooth when you bite them. Some are big, others are tiny; in either case, the world of sprinkles is very large. Just know that there are sprinkles for baking that are better than others, meaning there could be big implications for your overall project depending on what kind you choose. For these ultimate Gourmet Tuxedo Brownies, I like to use chocolate-based crispy pearls and sparkling celebration sprinkle mixes. My favorite sources for holiday and customized sprinkle mixes are Sweetapolita, Sprinkle Pop, and Sweets and Treats.

Gourmet Tuxedo Brownies

TIPS & TRICKS FOR THE BEST GOURMET TUXEDO BROWNIES:

If I can only share one baking secret with you, always use a DIGITAL KITCHEN SCALE. You can use measuring cups and spoons for most recipes, but using a digital scale makes for the more consistent and efficient baking. Take this from someone that bakes A LOT!
For a rich and robust chocolate flavor, I recommend using only high-quality chocolate for this recipe. Since there are only a few ingredients, each one really shines through! I prefer Ghirardelli or Lindt dark chocolate bars - each with at least 70% chocolate for the melted chocolate, and Guittard or Ghirardelli chocolate chips, or Callebaut Dark Bittersweet Chocolate Callets.
Don't overbeat your brownie batter! Mix your dry ingredients in with a spatula just until blended for a perfectly shiny, crispy, and crackly top - the way a brownie should be!
Baking brownies low and slow is the way to go! 325 degrees is usually the perfect temp for baking the best brownies.
Be sure you don’t overbake the brownies! They should not be liquidy or jiggly when you pull them out of the oven. The brownies will firm up as they cool. Over-baked brownies will be dry and won’t be chewy or fudgy.

After removing from the oven, I suggest you place brownies on a wire rack and cool completely before topping with filling or frosting. They usually come to room temperature within a few hours - and although waiting for this may be the hardest part, they are worth the wait!
Don’t use glass baking dishes for brownies or blondies – the baking times and results will vary wildly, and the heat retention of glass can lead to overbaking and dryness.

Gourmet Tuxedo Brownies

GOURMET TUXEDO BROWNIES

Gourmet Tuxedo Brownies

INGREDIENTS:
DARK CHOCOLATE BROWNIES:
4 large eggs (room temperature)
3 ounces (85g) unsweetened baking chocolate
1-1/3 cups (226g) 60% cacao bittersweet chocolate chips (Ghirardelli 60% Cacao Bittersweet Chocolate Chips or Guittard Extra Dark Chocolate Baking Chips)
1 cup (8 ounces or 2 sticks) unsalted butter
2 cups (400g) granulated sugar
1 cup (125g) King Arthur All-Purpose Flour (sifted)
¾ cup (75g) Dutch-processed unsweetened cocoa powder
½ teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
½ Tablespoon espresso powder
1 Tablespoon pure vanilla extract (or pure vanilla bean paste)

VANILLA MARSHMALLOW CRÈME FILLING:
6 Tablespoons (3.2 ounces) white all-vegetable shortening
½ cup (4 ounces or 1 stick) unsalted butter (room temperature)
1-1/2 cups (7-oz) Kraft Marshmallow Crème
2 teaspoons clear imitation vanilla extract
2 cups (240g) powdered sugar
½ teaspoon salt

DARK CHOCOLATE GLAZE:
6 Tablespoons unsalted butter
1 cup (170g) 60% bittersweet dark chocolate chips
1 Tablespoon light corn syrup

GARNISH:
¼ cup Callebaut Crispearls or Valrhona Chocolate Crispy Pearls (Chocolate & White Chocolate)
¼ cup Edible Celebration Sprinkle Mix

HOW I MAKE THESE:

Remove eggs from refrigerator and allow to come to room temperature.
Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 325 degrees F. Line a 9x13-inch baking pan with foil or parchment paper, leaving about a one-inch overhang on all sides. Lightly grease the foil in the pan, or spray with nonstick cooking spray.
PREPARE BROWNIES: In a small heavy saucepan, cut the butter into pieces and melt over low heat. While the butter is melting, chop the chocolate bar into ¼-inch pieces. Add the chopped baking chocolate, bittersweet chocolate chips and espresso powder to the melted butter, whisking together until melted and smooth. Remove pan from stove and set aside – you will use this same pan later on.
In a large mixing bowl, lightly whisk the eggs. Add the eggs, one at a time, then whisk into the eggs just until blended.
Briefly stir the melted chocolate mixture, then gradually drizzle into the egg mixture, whisking constantly just until combined.
Whisk in the vanilla extract.
In a small mixing bowl, whisk together the sifted flour, baking powder and salt. Sprinkle directly into the batter. Stir with a silicone spatula just until blended.
Pour the batter into the prepared pan and spread evenly with a small offset spatula (or for individual brownie pan, fill each parchment liner ½ full).
Bake for 24 minutes (16-18 minutes for individual brownie pan) or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
Remove from oven and cool to room temperature, then chill for 1 hour.
PREPARE VANILLA MARSHMALLOW CRÈME FILLING: In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat together the butter and shortening on medium speed until well blended and completely smooth (about 3 minutes). Add the marshmallow crème and pure vanilla extract (or vanilla bean paste) and beat on medium-low speed until well blended. Add the powdered sugar.
To prevent a powdered sugar “cloud”, start beating on low speed until the mixture is fluffy, gradually increasing to medium-high speed. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and beat again for 1 minute.
Dollop the Vanilla Marshmallow Crème Filling over the chilled brownie slab and spread evenly with a small offset spatula. (For individual brownie bites, add 1 medium cookie scoop of filling to top of each brownie, spreading the top of each evenly with a small offset spatula.) Place the brownies in the refrigerator while preparing the Dark Chocolate Glaze.
PREPARE DARK CHOCOLATE GLAZE: In reserved saucepan, melt the butter and corn syrup over low heat. When totally melted and combined, remove from heat and add the chocolate chips. Stir with a small silicone spatula until the chocolate is melted and smooth. Stir in hot water if necessary to thin it out.
GARNISH: Sprinkle top of warm Dark Chocolate Glaze with white and dark chocolate crisp pearls or sprinkles, pressing the tops gently into place. The sprinkles will adhere to the top as the Dark Chocolate Glaze sets and cools.
Refrigerate brownie slab for at least 8 hours before slicing and serving. (Refrigerate individual brownies in an airtight container until ready to serve.)
Brownies will keep in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days, in the fridge for up to 2 weeks, or in the freezer for up to 6 months.

YIELD: 24 brownies, or 12 individual brownies.

RECIPE TIPS & TRICKS FOR THE BEST GOURMET TUXEDO BROWNIES:

If I can only share one baking secret with you, always use a DIGITAL KITCHEN SCALE. You can use measuring cups and spoons for most recipes, but using a digital scale makes for the more consistent and efficient baking. Take this from someone that bakes A LOT!
For a rich and robust chocolate flavor, I recommend using only high-quality chocolate for this recipe. Since there are only a few ingredients, each one really shines through! I prefer Ghirardelli or Lindt dark chocolate bars - each with at least 70% chocolate for the melted chocolate, and Guittard or Ghirardelli chocolate chips, or Callebaut Dark Bittersweet Chocolate Callets.
Don't overbeat your brownie batter! Mix your dry ingredients in with a spatula just until blended for a perfectly shiny, crispy, and crackly top - the way a brownie should be!
Baking brownies low and slow is the way to go! 325 degrees is usually the perfect temp for baking the best brownies.
Be sure you don’t overbake the brownies! They should not be liquidy or jiggly when you pull them out of the oven. The brownies will firm up as they cool. Over-baked brownies will be dry and won’t be chewy or fudgy.

After removing from the oven, I suggest you place brownies on a wire rack and cool completely before topping with filling or frosting. They usually come to room temperature within a few hours - and although waiting for this may be the hardest part, they are worth the wait!
Don’t use glass baking dishes for brownies or blondies – the baking times and results will vary wildly, and the heat retention of glass can lead to overbaking and dryness.

WHERE TO FIND SPRINKLES FOR GOURMET TUXEDO BROWNIES:
While people may be familiar with one or two types of sprinkles, there's actually quite a few including jimmies, quins, nonpareils, dragées, sugar pearls, sanding sugar, and shaped sprinkles. Some are ideal for baking, others not so much. Some sprinkles are gentle to the bite while others are much harder to chew, and may resemble hard candy and feel like you're going to break a tooth when you bite them. Some are big, others are tiny; in either case, the world of sprinkles is very large. Just know that there are sprinkles for baking that are better than others, meaning there could be big implications for your overall project depending on what kind you choose. For these ultimate Gourmet Tuxedo Brownies, I like to use chocolate-based crispy pearls and sparkling celebration sprinkle mixes. My favorite sources for holiday and customized sprinkle mixes are Sweetapolita, Sprinkle Pop, and Sweets and Treats.

Original recipe created August 2022; revised and reposted August 2023.

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