M&M Homemade Brownies | Disneyland Copycat Recipe

5 from 3 votes

These colorful homemade brownies are inspired by one of my favorite Disneyland treats! This fudge brownie recipe is simple to prepare and puts a smile on everyone’s face!

If you love Disneyland inspired recipes like we do, try our Apple Pie Caramel Apples recipe too!

baked brownies on serving napkin

Homemade Brownies

It’s no secret that Disneyland is my happy place and on my Disney Hungry page, I highlight all of my favorite treats at the Parks plus travel tips and tricks! One of my favorites is this M&M topped fudgy brownie that you get from White Water Snacks, now called Craftsman’s Grill located at Disney’s Grand Californian Hotel & Spa. I created my own version that looks and tastes just as delicious! You’ll love them and they bring a little Disney magic to your kitchen.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

  • Great Copycat Recipe. Tastes just like the brownies you get at Craftsman Grill inside the Grand Californian Hotel!
  • Chocolate Perfection. These brownies are perfectly crisp around the edges and soft in the center.
  • Makes A Great Homemade Gift. If you’re looking for a good homemade gift for Holidays or other occasions, this brownie looks so great wrapped in cellophane.

Try my Churro Toffee recipe too! Follow Picky Palate on Instagram for daily recipe inspiration.

ingredients for brownie recipe

What You’ll Need

Here are the ingredients you’ll need to make homemade brownies at home. See the recipe card for full details.

  • Butter- For most of my recipes I use salted butter. Unsalted works too.
  • Vegetable Oil– Vegetable oil is added to the brownie batter.
  • Granulated Sugar– This fine white sugar adds sweetness to the brownies.
  • Large Eggs– For consistency, I use large eggs in my cooking and baking.
  • Pure Vanilla Extract– Use pure vanilla extract for best tasting results.
  • All Purpose Flour– Flour is the main dry ingredient in the brownies.
  • Unsweetened Cocoa Powder– Find cocoa powder in the baking isle. Make sure it says unsweentened.
  • Kosher Salt– Kosher salt is a course salt commonly used in cooking and baking. I prefer it over table salt.
  • Baking Powder– Baking powder helps the brownies rise during baking.
  • Chocolate Chips– Use your favorite variety of chocolate chips. Milk or dark is great.
  • Milk– Milk is used to make the frosting. 2% is preferred.
  • Powdered Sugar– Also referred to as confectioners sugar. You’ll use it to make the frosting.
  • Mini M&M’s– Look for mini M&M’s in the candy isle of the grocery store.
adding sugar to bowl for homemade brownies

This easy brownie recipe can be whipped up in no time and you are likely to have all of the ingredients on hand! Found my cute Mickey Mouse bowl from my local Disney Store.

How To Make Homemade Brownies

Preheat Oven and Prepare Baking Dish. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. and line a baking dish with with six 3-inch paper baking cups.

Microwave Butter To Melt. Place butter into a large mixing bowl and microwave until partially melted.

Sugar and Oil. Add sugar and oil, mix until well combined.

adding eggs to bowl for brownies

Eggs and Vanilla. Stir in eggs and vanilla stirring until combined.

dry ingredients in mixing bowl

Dry Ingredients. Add flour, cocoa powder, salt, baking powder and chocolate chips. Stir until combined and thick.

fill liners with brownie batter

Spoon Brownie Batter Into Baking Dish. Spoon batter into prepared baking dish.

brownie batter in liners ready to bake

Spread. Fill each paper liner 1/2 to 3/4 full. Spread Brownie Batter evenly.

disneyland copycat brownies in oven baking

Bake. Bake for 30-35 minutes, until baked through. Remove and let cool completely, about 30 minutes to an hour.

Fudgy Brownies

These fudgy brownies are packed with cocoa powder and chocolate chips for a double chocolate punch!

baked brownies in liners

Cool Brownies. When the brownies cool, the centers will drop slightly, no worries, the frosting will cover the tops.

preparing frosting for homemade brownies

How To Make Brownie Frosting

To prepare frosting place butter into a small saucepan over medium heat. Cook and stir until melted then add cocoa powder. Whisk until smooth. Remove from heat and transfer to a medium-large mixing bowl. Let chocolate cool for 10 minutes. When cooled slightly, add milk/vanilla and powdered sugar, alternating until all is used or frosting is to your desired conistency. 

frosting brownies

Top With Frosting. Spread the brownie frosting over cooled brownies.

top brownies with m and m's

M&M’s. Top each brownie with LOTS of Mini M&M’s. Find these in the candy section of your grocery store, or sometimes the baking section has them too.

baked homemade brownies

Serve. Does it get any more fun than this?! Love these, they’re so perfect for parties.

baked disneyland copycat brownies in liners

Tips For Making The Best Homemade Brownies

  1. Choose the right pan. Be sure to use the pan specified in the recipe you choose. Going with a pan that’s too small can sometimes make center of the brownies uncooked or undercooked, while choosing one that’s too large can lead to the batter spreading out too much and the brownies being too thin and dry.
  2. Don’t over mix your brownie batter. You want all of the brownie ingredients combined to make a smooth batter, but be careful not to overmix them. Doing so can result in tough, overworked brownies. One way to avoid this is to let the unbaked batter rest in the pan for several hours or overnight in the refrigerator, which gives it time to “relax” before being baked. The next day, bake as instructed.
  3. Store them properly. Once your brownies have cooled down to room temperature, cover the pan tightly in aluminum foil or transfer the brownies to a sealed container. Alternatively, brownies can be frozen but that may affect their texture. To avoid this problem with freezing, wrap each cut brownie in plastic wrap, then aluminum foil before placing them all together in an airtight freezer bag.

How To Serve

Serve brownies at any occasion where dessert is needed. You can cut then in quarters to share.

How To Store Leftovers

Store any leftovers in an airtight container for up to 3 days. Refrigerated or room temperature.

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homemade brownies
5 from 3 votes

M&M Homemade Brownies Disneyland Copycat Recipe

These homemade brownies look and taste just like the ones from Disneyland that are one of my favorite treats to enjoy! Perfect for parties!
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 50 minutes
Servings: 12
Calories: 556kcal
Author: Jenny
Cost: $30
Print Pin Rate

Equipment

  • Oven
  • baking liners I usually find mine on Amazon
  • mixing bowl
  • measuring spoons
  • measuring cups
  • baking sheet
  • mixing spoon

Ingredients

  • 1 stick unsalted butter partially melted
  • 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
  • 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • 1/2 cup all purpose Gold Medal Flour
  • 1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1 cup mini chocolate chips

Homemade Chocolate Frosting

  • 1 stick butter salted
  • 3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 1/2 cup milk
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
  • 5-6 cups powdered sugar
  • 1 cup mini M&M’s

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. and line a baking dish with with 6 3-inch paper baking cups.
  • Place butter into a large mixing bowl and microwave until partially melted. Add sugar and oil, mix until well combined. Stir in eggs and vanilla stirring until combined then add flour, cocoa powder, salt, baking powder and chocolate chips. Stir until combined and thick.
  • Transfer batter to prepared baking dish, spreading evenly. Bake for 30-35 minutes, until baked through. Remove and let cool completely, about 30 minutes to an hour.
  • To prepare frosting place butter into a small saucepan over medium heat. Cook and stir until melted then add cocoa powder. Whisk until smooth. Remove from heat and transfer to a medium-large mixing bowl. Let chocolate cool for 10 minutes. When cooled slightly, add milk/vanilla and powdered sugar, alternating until all is used or frosting is to your desired conistency. Frost over cooled brownies then top with mini M&M’s. Serve room temperature.

Nutrition

Calories: 556kcal | Carbohydrates: 114g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 13g | Saturated Fat: 8g | Cholesterol: 32mg | Sodium: 105mg | Potassium: 240mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 99g | Vitamin A: 112IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 89mg | Iron: 3mg
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photo collage of homemade brownies

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9 Responses
  1. Anna

    5 stars
    Turned out pretty well! I ran out of oil and butter, so I used coconut oil instead. I also ran out of the sugar I needed, so I used powdered/confectioners instead; and it all worked out! I didn’t do the frosting because I originally thought I was supposed to bake the m&m’s inside, as that is what I had googled. It is very thick but it’s okay; just gave small tablespoons into muffin cups and it was the perfect amount. My personal touch was broiling 2-3 mini marshmallows on each cup at 575 for 40 seconds; so perfect, and way easier than making frosting from scratch! As they were in muffin cups, I baked them for 25 minutes. Perfect amount (at 350).

  2. Kennedy

    Hi! If you were going to make this recipe in a pan would recommend an 8×8 or a 9×13? Not able to have the adorable liners at the moment! 😭

    1. Jenny

      Hi Kennedy, I would try the 8×8 inch baking dish. Start at 30-35 minute bake time and check for doneness every 3-5 minutes after that.

  3. Jill

    5 stars
    I am super picky about brownies, but I made these with my kids because I knew they’d like the making it process And that it was a Disney park copycat. They are amazing. The brownie is amazing, the frosting is delicious. It’s all around amazing.

  4. Renee

    I am looking for a similar paper cup on amazon and can’t find one. They are all higher than yours. Thought these would also be perfect for cookie they sell by “incredicoaster“ would love a link!
    Thanks!

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