master-cooks | Fudgy Brownie Cake Pop Recipe

This Fudgy Brownie Cake Pop recipe offers a delightful twist on the classic cake pop, combining rich, chocolaty flavors with a fun, bite-sized presentation. Start by preparing a batch of your favorite fudgy brownies, ensuring they are dense and moist. Once the brownies have cooled, crumble them into fine pieces in a large mixing bowl. Gradually add a small amount of frosting, such as chocolate or vanilla, mixing until the crumbled brownies reach a dough-like consistency that holds together when shaped. Roll the mixture into small, even balls and place them on a lined baking sheet. Insert a lollipop stick into each ball, ensuring the stick is secured in the center. Chill the brownie pops in the refrigerator until firm. While they chill, melt your choice of chocolate coating—dark, milk, or white chocolate—in a microwave or double boiler. Dip each brownie pop into the melted chocolate, allowing any excess to drip off. For added flair, sprinkle decorations such as crushed nuts, sprinkles, or drizzles of contrasting chocolate over the pops. Allow them to set at room temperature or in the refrigerator. These brownie cake pops are perfect for parties or as a sweet treat for any chocolate lover.

Gather the ingredients for the fudgy brownie cake pops

The brownie mixture consists of cocoa powder (Manolova favors the Dutch-processed variety), flour, salt, granulated sugar, brown sugar, butter, eggs, vanilla extract, and mini chocolate chips. For coating the cake pops, you'll need dark chocolate, white chocolate, sprinkles, and nuts.

Step 1: Turn on the oven

Set the oven temperature to 350°F.

Step 2: Combine the dry ingredients

Sift together the cacao powder, flour, and salt.

Step 3: Mix the two types of sugar

In a mixing bowl, combine the granulated sugar and brown sugar by whisking them together.

Step 4: Stir the butter into the sugar

Incorporate the melted butter into the sugar mixture and whisk until it resembles damp sand.

Step 5: Add the eggs and vanilla

Beat the eggs and vanilla together until well combined and smooth, approximately 30-40 seconds.

Step 6: Add the dry ingredients

Gently incorporate the sifted cocoa and flour blend, mixing until there are no dry spots left. The result should be a smooth, glossy batter.

Step 7: Fold in the chips

Incorporate the mini chocolate chips.

Step 8: Prepare a pan

Prepare an 8x8-inch baking dish by lining it with parchment paper.

Step 9: Bake the brownies

Pour the batter into the baking dish and place it on the middle rack. Bake for 22 to 25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted comes out with a few crumbs but is not wet.

Step 10: Cool the brownies

Once they're done, take the brownies out of the oven and allow them to cool for a bit.

Step 11: Crumble the brownies

After allowing them to cool sufficiently, use your hands to crumble the brownies into small pieces.

Step 12: Shape the brownie balls

Use a tablespoon-sized scooper or a regular spoon to gather some brownie crumbs and form them into balls, approximately 1 ½ inches in diameter.

Step 13: Chill the brownie balls

Refrigerate the brownie balls for 1 hour to allow them to set.

Step 14: Melt the coating chocolate

Heat the white and dark chocolate separately using a double boiler.

Step 15: Pour the melted chocolate into bowls

Pour the melted chocolate into bowls that are deep enough for the brownie balls to be fully immersed.

Step 16: Put sticks in the brownie balls

Grab a lollipop stick and immerse the end (approximately ½ inch) in one of the melted chocolates, then push it into a brownie ball. Continue this process with the remaining brownie balls.

Step 17: Refrigerate the cake pops

Put all the cake pops in the refrigerator for 5 to 10 minutes until the chocolate hardens. This will help keep the brownie balls from slipping off the stick.

Step 18: Coat the cake pops

Remove the cake pops from the refrigerator and immerse them in the melted chocolate to fully cover each ball. Then, sprinkle with your preferred toppings, such as sprinkles or chopped nuts.

Step 19: Re-refrigerate the cake pops

Return the cake pops to the fridge to chill for approximately 10 minutes before serving and savoring.

What other flavors can I incorporate into these cake pops?

Altering the flavor of these brownie cake pops begins with the brownie batter itself. You can incorporate a variety of ingredients into your brownies, such as cayenne powder, ginger, instant coffee, nut butter, or Nutella (or a similar chocolate-hazelnut spread). Additionally, you might consider replacing vanilla extract with almond or mint extract, or even adding a splash of bourbon to enhance the brownies' flavor. For a sweeter batter, liqueurs like Irish cream or amaretto can also be included. Instead of semi-sweet chocolate chips, you can opt for white or milk chocolate chips, and chopped nuts or dried cherries would make excellent mix-ins.

The coating can also be customized to match your taste. You can choose from dark, white, or milk chocolate for the coating, or even a combination of these, and flavored chocolate bars can be used as long as they are solid. (Keep in mind that bars with creamy fillings won't be solid enough for coating.) For the final dip, consider using shredded coconut, crushed cookie crumbs, smashed pretzels, or potato chips instead of nuts and sprinkles.

What are some tips and tricks for making successful brownie cake pops?

One issue you might encounter when adjusting the dough is that add-ins like nuts can make the brownies a bit drier than those in this recipe. In such cases, you'll need to incorporate a bit of moisture to help them hold together without crumbling. A tiny splash of milk can solve this, but you can also take this chance to boost the brownies' flavor post-baking by mixing in melted chocolate, cream cheese, or even frosting, similar to the pops made from leftover layer cake.

If you're aiming for a polished look and want your cake pops to be uniform in shape and size, using a cookie scoop or a small ice cream scoop will help achieve consistency. Additionally, it's important to chill the pops before inserting the sticks, as this prevents them from losing their shape when you create a hole. To ensure the sticks remain upright, dip the ends in melted chocolate before inserting them into the brownie balls, then refrigerate for at least five minutes. This will help the brownie balls stay secure when you coat them in chocolate.

Fudgy Brownie Cake Pop Recipe