Snickers Brownies with Salted Chocolate Ganache

The husband and I didn't hand out quite as much Halloween candy as we anticipated this year. Instead of eating mini Snickers for lunch everyday, I was inspired by the ROLO-ver and Die Good Brownies that Maureen made last Halloween. I would bake my Snickers into brownies! And then I would eat those brownies for lunch instead of candy bars. You see, brownies have eggs in them (protein), so they're a perfectly acceptable meal.

A few notes about this recipe:

1.) THESE BROWNIES ARE CRAZY GOOD. And ridiculously decadent. You might want to cut them into small pieces. This will make you feel less guilty when you eat two.

2.) Don't be afraid to add the salt to the ganache. When I first read the recipe, I was dubious about this particular ingredient. So I tested it out: I made the ganache without the salt, then I tasted it. It was good, but I thought it was missing a little pizzazz. Then I stirred in the salt and tried it again. My taste buds went bonkers. The salt made the chocolate taste more chocolate-y! Try it yourself if you don't believe me.

3.) To make slicing these brownies easier, run a knife under hot water and wipe it off with a towel before making each cut. The warm knife will slice through the chocolate better.

Snickers Brownies with Salted Chocolate Ganache
Adapted from The Chew

For the brownies:
8 ounces (2 sticks) butter
8 ounces semisweet chocolate
4 eggs, at room temperature
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup dark brown sugar
1 cup flour
1 teaspoon salt
8 fun-sized Snickers bars, chopped finely (This is 1 cup of chopped Snickers.)*

For the ganache:
9 ounces bittersweet chocolate
1 cup heavy cream
3/4 teaspoon salt

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 9" x 9" baking dish with cooking spray and set aside.

Melt together butter and semisweet chocolate. You can melt this together in the microwave (microwave for 30 second intervals, stirring each time, until the chocolate is melted) or over a double boiler. (I used the microwave because I'm lazy, and it was easy.) Allow the chocolate to cool slightly.

In a large bowl stir together eggs, vanilla, granulated sugar, and dark brown sugar. Very slowly stir the chocolate mixture into the egg mixture. Allow to cool to room temperature.

In another bowl, whisk together flour and salt. Stir into the cooled chocolate mixture. Pour half of the batter into the prepared baking dish. Sprinkle with chopped Snickers. Pour remaining batter on top.

Bake in the preheated oven for 20 minutes. Rotate the pan and bake for an additional 5-10 minutes, until the brownies just begin to pull away from the sides of the baking dish. Do not overbake.

Meanwhile, make the ganache. Melt the chocolate (again, you can use the microwave or a double boiler) and stir in the heavy cream. Stir in the salt.

Pour the ganache over the baked brownies. Allow to cool thoroughly before cutting.

*I'm sure this recipe would be equally delicious with your favorite candy bar. Milky Way? Heath Bar? Mmm...