Moon Pie Brownies

Every once in a blue moon(pie) I get a serious craving for brownies.  Sometimes I can satisfy it with a scoop of Ben & Jerry's Half Baked, but sometimes I have to go all out and bake a batch of homemade brownies.  This was the case the other day.

Rarely do I ever bake a plain old brownie; I usually have to add a different flavor or ingredient to make them unique.  While shopping for brownie ingredients, I noticed our Aldi in Raleigh sells mini MoonPies.  I'm not sure if all Aldis sell them, or if it's just because we're in the South.  I thought to myself, you know, I don't think I've ever eaten a MoonPie in my life, and that needs to change.  I simply cannot go another day without this Southern treat.  If only I had an RC cola to pair with it (a traditional accompaniment),

Just in case you've never had a MoonPie, let me catch you up to speed.  A MoonPie is marshmallow cream sandwiched between graham cracker flavored cake, then covered in chocolate.  Think s'mores in snack cake form.  Apparently, the MoonPie was created when a Kentucky coal miner was asked what kind of snack he would like to eat, and the miner requested something with graham cracker and marshmallow.  The miner then asked the snack be "as big as the moon", which inspired the name.

This is pretty much my go-to brownie, adapted from this Fudge Brownie recipe from King Arthur Flour.  I tweak and change the recipe every time I use it, but keep most of the ingredients and preparation the same.  It's just so good!  Better than any brownie you can buy from a bakery.

So a layer of brownie batter is placed into the baking pan, the mini moon pies are pressed in, then topped with more brownie batter, thus making a brownie-MoonPie sandwich extraordinaire.

Moon Pie Brownies

1 1/4 cups unsweetened cocoa powder (I used a combo of dark and regular)
1 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
4 large eggs
1 cup unsalted butter
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup brown sugar
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
Chocolate chips or chopped dark chocolate (optional)
12 mini MoonPies

Heat oven to 350 degrees F.  Line a 13x9-inch baking dish with foil; coat foil with cooking spray.

In a large mixing bowl, sift together cocoa powder, baking powder and salt.  Mix in eggs, using a mixer on medium speed, until well combined and frothy - about 2-3 minutes.

Melt butter in a small saucepan over medium heat; stir in sugars until well combined and dissolved.  Gradually mix butter mixture into egg mixture until well combined - about 2-3 minutes.  Sift in flour and stir until just combined.  Stir in chocolate until just combined.

Spread half of brownie batter into prepared pan.  Press MoonPies into batter.  Spread remaining brownie batter on top.  Bake 30-35 minutes or until set.  Cool on a wire rack before slicing.

Makes 12 huge brownies