A fudgy brownie, topped with a thick marshmallow layer, and a chocolate drizzle reminiscent of the chocolate lace decoration atop the famous mug of hot chocolate at The Four Season in Vail, Colorado.
Last year, my friends and I took a dreamy trip to Aspen, Colorado and we stopped at The Four Seasons hotel in Vail for their famous hot chocolate. The Remedy bar in the lobby of the hotel is a gorgeous ski-chalet with a stunning view of the snow falling on the mountain. The restaurant is the pinnacle of cozy and elegant, with a huge fireplace and deep leather chairs that you can sink into while you are served the best hot chocolate of your life tableside. The hot chocolate itself is a decadent mix of Swiss chocolate, heavy cream, crowned with a chocolate lace and a thick homemade marshmallow. The server brings out the mug and does a pour-over which melts the chocolate and marshmallow into your steaming hot chocolate. I can't think of a better way to start off a luxurious ski getaway, and highly recommend you make the stop. It is so worth it!
I wanted to recreate this indulgence somehow by incorporating it into some kind of cake or brownies this holiday season. Although there are many 'hot chocolate brownie' recipes out there, this one is truly special because it is 1. incredibly delicious, and 2. incredibly easy. We have here a fudgy brownie layer, a thick marshmallow layer, and a chocolate drizzle reminiscent of the chocolate lace that they place on top of the mug. Honestly, this is probably the shortest recipe I've written in a long time, it's that simple. No one will be able to tell the difference. They're just an indulgent mess of deep chocolate and sticky marshmallow that your friends and family will go wild for.
Although I love and often prefer a scratch brownie as much as anyone else, the Ghirardelli Brownie mix is absolutely fantastic and calls for few ingredients. That, along with a bag of marshmallows, some butter, and chocolate chips are all this death-by-chocolate brownie calls for. Including baking time and cooling time, you're done in about 1 hour. As always, share this recipe and your thoughts if you tried and enjoyed it.
Bake time: 1 hour Yield: 12 slices
Ingredients:
1 package of Ghirardelli Brownie Mix
2 packets of Ghirardelli Hot Cocoa Mix
1 egg
1/5 cup of water
1/3 cup of oil
1/3 cup of Chocolate syrup
1 10oz. bag of mini marshmallows
3 tablespoons of butter
1/2 cup of dark chocolate chips +2 more tablespoons of butter
Preheat your oven to 325 degrees and spray a 9" wide x 2" square baking dish with baking spray. Lay down parchment in your baking dish and spray that with baking spray thoroughly as well. I use a deeper square baking pan to cut thicker squares; however, you could spread this into a larger baking pan. Start by preparing your brownie mix. To account for the addition of dry hot cocoa mix, I adjusted the water up to 1/2 cup. Combine the brownie mix, hot cocoa mix, egg, water, oil, and chocolate syrup in a bowl and pour into your prepared baking pan. Bake for approximately 50-60 minutes or until the middle is just set. Once the brownie is baked, allow it to cool completely.
While the brownie is cooling, prepare the marshmallow topping. In a heavy-bottom saucepan, pour in all the marshmallows and 3 tablespoons of butter and melt it down completely, as if you were making rice crispy treats. Do your best to melt it completely smooth and without lumps.
Working quickly, pour the marshmallow cream over the cooled brownies. Do not spread with a knife, but rather shake the pan around to help it distribute in an even layer over the top. Marshmallow cream is incredibly sticky, and is impossible to smooth out with a knife, especially since it cools so fast.
While the marshmallow layer sets, melt the chocolate chips with the butter in a microwave safe bowl. Start with 30 seconds and stir it with a spatula. Return it to the microwave for 10 second intervals until the chocolate is melted through and is smooth and glossy.
Pour the melted chocolate into a piping bag and snip the smallest end of the tip (you can use a zip-loc bag and snip the corner) Pipe circles in a fast circular motion around the top to make a concentric circle design, similar to the chocolate lace decoration.
You can serve immediately for extra gooey brownies or let them chill in the refrigerator for easier slicing. I find that a knife dipped in hot water helps slice through thick marshmallow.
Enjoy!
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