Bars & Brownies Sweet

Symphony brownies

Brownies from a box - taken to the next level.

Boxed brownies are great. Slap a couple of ingredients together, throw them in the oven, and wham – the perfect midnight snack. But sometimes, adding just a couple of extra steps can take a basic recipe from pretty good to absolutely extraordinary. Enter these incredible brownies, first introduced to me by my piano teacher when I was in high school. These are my go-to recipe when I’m short on time and/or inspiration and need to make a dessert for friends.

Jump to Recipe

The key ingredient in these are Hershey’s Symphony chocolate bars with almonds and toffee. A relative once tried making these brownies with Health bars and…I don’t recommend it. If you only use toffee, the candy solidifies at the center of the brownies, resulting in a less-than-pleasant experience when you try to cut the bars (or, worse, take a bite).

Start by preheating your oven to 350 degrees F and preparing your brownie mix. Combine the bag of dry ingredients with 2 eggs, 3 tablespoons of water, and 7 tablespoons of melted butter (just shy of 1 stick).

Mix this thoroughly, until there are no lumps remaining in the batter. Pour half of your batter into a greased 9″ by 13″ pan.

Cover the brownie batter with a layer of (blue label) Symphony chocolate bars. Depending on the exact dimensions of your pan, you may need to creatively break up the bars in order to completely cover the surface of the brownies. This pan with rounded corners only comfortably fit two Symphony bars, but my traditional, square-cornered 9″ by 13″ pan normally fits closer to 3.

Once you have firmly established your layer of chocolate, cover with the remaining half of your brownie batter. I find it easiest to place the batter in large globs around the pan before spreading, in order to avoid disrupting the layer of chocolate bars.

Bake the brownies for 25-27 minutes at 350 degrees F. Unlike most brownie recipes, a knife or toothpick will not come out clean when these brownies are done, due to the layer of molten chocolate at the center. Instead, you should watch to make sure the batter at the center of the pan is about the same color as the edges.

If you want nice, beautiful brownie slices, allow to cool for 30-60 minutes before slicing and serving. Slicing earlier will result in deliciously gooey brownies (see above), but may be easier to serve using a spoon.

I hope you enjoy Symphony Brownies as much as we have!

Symphony Brownies

Course Dessert
Cuisine American

Equipment

  • 9" x 13" pan

Ingredients
  

  • 1 box brownie mix
  • 3 tablespoons water
  • 7 tablespoons butter melted
  • 2-3 Symphony chocolate bars (blue label)

Instructions
 

  • Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F.
  • Combine water, butter, and eggs in a pan and mix thoroughly. (There should be no lumps when you are done.)
  • Pour half of your batter into a greased 9" x 13" pan.
  • Cover the brownie batter with your Symphony bars, breaking up the bars as necessary to completely cover the length and width of the pan.
  • Spread remaining batter atop the Symphony bars.
  • Bake for 25-27 minutes.
  • Allow to cool for at least 30 minutes; longer if you want clean squares when slicing.
  • Slice and serve!

Notes

  • These brownies are incredible when reheated in the microwave.
  • You will get a thicker layer of brownie (and larger brownie-to-chocolate-bar ratio) if you use an 8″ by 8″ pan. If doing so, reduce your oven temperature to 325 degrees F and bake for approximately 50 minutes.
Keyword brownies, chocolate

1 comment on “Symphony brownies

  1. Pingback: Oatmeal Cake with Coconut Frosting - Whisk Averse Baking

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