Chocolate Chip Cookie Topped Brownie Bars

I found this recipe while poking around the Internet and e-mailed it to my sister Julie. They seemed right up her alley. Brownies with chocolate chip cookies on top. Those are two of the only deserts that are acceptable to Julie. It's not that she doesn't like other desserts. It's just that she doesn't really see the point of making non chocolate desserts. I told her I made the one smart cookies (next post) and she asked what was in them. I told her and inadvertently forgot to list chocolate chips. She says that she hates cookies with random (cardamom and nutmeg) spices. "What's the point of making cookies that aren't chocolate chip? Why didn't you put chocolate chips in them?", she joked. I told her there were chocolate chips in them and her tone changed. She said, "When you come for my daughter's baptism, you should bring some of them along."

We made these chocolate chip brownie bars for Lillian's baptism. Three notes on them. First, they are a fair amount of work. You are making brownie batter and chocolate chip cookie dough all at once. (I found the recipe to be less of a hassle then Julie, but I'm guessing more people would agree with her.) Second, they make enough for an army. The bars get to be approximately two inches deep so if you cut them an in an a 1 1/2 inch square, you have a good sized bar. One pan makes a ton of bars. Third, our bars didn't come out pretty like the ones Eggs on Sunday made in the first link. They didn't have distinct layers. Our cookie layer got very dark. You wouldn't know the cookie layer was there unless you knew to look for it. Julie's oven temperature is a little off, so that may be the problem. We ended up having to cook these longer then the recipe called for. In another oven you may or may not get the pretty version. Now for the important part, the taste is exactly what you would imagine. Chocolate heaven. What else would you expect from a somewhat cakey brownie topped with a chocolate chip cookie. I've added a picture to this post of the pretty cookies Julie's friend Beata made for the baptism. The original chocolate chip/brownie recipe came from this cookbook.

CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIE TOPPED BROWNIE BARS

INGREDIENTS

For the brownie layer
6 ounces bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
3 ounces unsweetened chocolate, coarsely chopped
2 sticks (8 ounces) unsalted butter, cut into chunks
1 2/3 cups sugar
4 large eggs
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup walnuts, coarsely chopped (I omitted)

For the cookie layer
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 sticks (12 tbsp) unsalted butter, at room temperature
3/4 cups (packed) light brown sugar
2/3 cup sugar
1 large egg
1 large egg yolk
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
6 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped into chips, or 1 cup chocolate chips

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a 9x13 inch baking pan with aluminum foil or parchment (use enough so that it comes up and over the sides), and butter the foil/parchment.

To make the brownie batter, melt both chocolates and the butter together in a bowl set over a saucepan of simmering water, stirring occasionally. Melt and stir just until the mixture is shiny and smooth, then remove the bowl from the heat and set aside.

Meanwhile, beat the sugar and eggs together in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or using a hand mixer) on medium high speed for about 2 minutes, until pale, thick and creamy. Beat in the salt and vanilla, then reduce the speed to low and mix in the melted chocolate and butter, mixing just until incorporated. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and then add the flour, mixing on low speed just until it disappears into the batter. Turn off the mixer and fold in the chopped walnuts by hand with a spatula, then scrape the batter out into the prepared pan and smooth the top with a spatula. Set aside.

To make the cookie dough, first whisk together the flour, baking soda and salt in a small bowl, and set aside. Wash the bowl of your stand mixer (that you used to make the brownie batter), and then beat the butter and both sugars together using the paddle attachment on medium-high speed until smooth and creamy, about 3 minutes. One at a time, add the egg and the egg yolk, beating for 1 minute after each addition. Beat in the vanilla, then reduce the speed to low and add the dry ingredients, mixing only until they disappear into the batter. Still on low, mix in the chopped chocolate or chocolate chips.

Drop the cookie dough by spoonfuls onto the brownie batter, then use a spatula to gently smooth out the cookie dough layer evenly over the batter.

Bake for 50-55 minutes, until the cookie top is deep golden brown and a sharp knife inserted into the pan comes out with only faint streaks of moist chocolate.

Transfer the pan to a cooling rack to cool, then when you're ready to cut them, just lift them out using the foil/parchment that you lined the pan with. It's easiest to cut these when they're cool/cold, if you can wait that long.