Final Exam Brownies

These are the brownies college students bake when they need a serious sugar rush, every kid-friendly mix-in piled into a single pan of fudgy chocolate brownie batter. Marshmallows, chocolate chips, chopped nuts, and a confetti scatter of M&M’s bake into one chaotic, gloriously messy slab.

The batter is built on the classic foundation of melted unsweetened chocolate and butter (a half pound of each, no apologies), beaten with eggs and sugar until glossy. The mini marshmallows are the wild card. They half-melt into pockets of gooey sweetness throughout the brownie.

The M&M’s go on top last, sprinkled before baking so the candy shells stay intact and crackly while the chocolate centers soften into the surface. The visual chaos is half the appeal, every bite has something different in it.

Pro Tips

• Don’t overbake. These should look slightly underdone in the center when you pull them, the residual heat finishes the cooking
• Cool completely before slicing, warm brownies fall apart and the marshmallows are molten lava
• Use a plastic knife dipped in hot water for the cleanest cuts through all those mix-ins
• Store with parchment between layers, the M&M’s bleed color if they touch each other in storage

Variations

• Swap M&M’s for crushed peanut butter cups, chopped Snickers, or Reese’s pieces
• Add a teaspoon of espresso powder to the batter to deepen the chocolate flavor
• Drizzle cooled brownies with melted white chocolate for a contrasting finish