Recipe: Cookie Dough Brownies!

I show these brownies off on social media whenever I make them, and inevitably get requests for the recipe. At long last, here it is.

COOKIE DOUGH BROWNIES

Adapted from “The Cookie Dough Cookbook” by Lindsay Landis, of Love and Olive Oil

MAKES 1 9 x 13 inch pan.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Line an 9x13 inch pan with parchment paper, leaving overhang to use to remove brownies.

FOR BROWNIES

1 cup all-purpose flour

2 tablespoons dark cocoa powder

1 tsp salt

7 ounces dark chocolate, chopped* see notes

2/3 cup unsalted butter, cut into cubes.

1 cup + 1/3 cup light brown sugar, packed

4 large eggs, lightly beaten

2 tsp vanilla extract

FOR COOKIE DOUGH

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened.

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1 cup light brown sugar, packed

4 tablespoons milk or cream (almond milk also works)

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour* see notes

1/2 teaspoons salt

1 cup – 1 1/2 cup (eyeball/ to taste) mini semisweet chocolate chips.

FOR CHOCOLATE GLAZE

7 ounces (1 bar) dark or semi-sweet chocolate, chopped

4 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into cubes. 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Line a 9 x 13 inch pan with parchment paper, leaving overhang to use to remove brownies.

To make the brownies:  Sift together the flour, cocoa and salt and set aside.   Melt the chocolate and butter in a double boiler or a bowl set over a pan of gently simmering water.  Stir until smooth, and then remove from heat.  Add brown sugar and whisk until sugar is dissolved and mixture has cooled slightly. Whisk in eggs and vanilla.  Using a large rubber spatula, fold flour mixture into chocolate mixture until just incorporated (do not over mix! Barely mix enough to get it combined.)  Pour into prepared pan. Bake 18-20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean. Transfer pan to a wire rack to cool completely. 

For the cookie dough:  In a large mixing bowl, beat together butter and sugars with an electric mixer on medium speed until light and fluffy, 2-3 minutes.  Mix in milk and vanilla.  Add flour and salt and stir until incorporated.  Stir in ½ cup chocolate chips. If more are needed, add more! Gently spread dough onto completely cooled brownies, smoothing to an even layer. (an offset spatula is your friend here.)  Refrigerate these two layers while you prepare the glaze. 

For the glaze: Gently melt chocolate and butter together in a double boiler or a small saucepan set over low heat.  Stir until smooth.  Pour over cookie dough, carefully spreading into a thin even layer.  Return pan to refrigerator and chill until set, about 30 minutes. 

To remove brownies from pan: grasp the edges  of the parchment paper and lift out the entire  block. Place on a cutting board and use a large sharp knife to cut into 2 inch squares.  Refrigerate in an airtight container.  Brownies will keep for 3 days. 

*important notes

·       Though there are no eggs in this “edible” cookie dough, there is another raw ingredient: flour.  So the flour used in the cookie dough portion of the recipe must be “toasted.” To toast flour, spread it in a layer on a rimmed cookie sheet lined with parchment paper.  Bake for 5 minutes at 350 degrees. 

·       The chocolate in this recipe is important and it is better to default to higher end chocolate, the higher % cacao the better. It can be bars, chips or whatever, use a food scale to weigh the appropriate amounts.