Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Brownies

I've been on quite a cookie dough frenzy lately.

I mean how can you not be??? 

Cookie dough, by definition, is absolute BLISS. It's basically just butter and sugar....and you gotta love those two ingredients. But cookie dough ON TOP OF A BROWNIE?????? Umm...yummmmm! This recipe is so sinfully delicious, and I promise everyone will be asking you for it once they take the first bite. The bottom layer is a super fudgey, rich, densely chocolatey brownie (no cakey texture here! Just the way I like it!), and the cookie dough is wonderfully buttery, vanilla-y, and everything you believe the perfect cookie dough should taste like. And, just like my incredibly delicious cookie dough cheesecake bars here, the cookie dough is eggless, so you can eat as much as your little tummy pleases(:

I brought these treats to a party at my school and they were declared "little squares of heaven." My friend is now seriously OBSESSED with them and goes insane and drools whenever someone mentions them. As do I.

Don't believe me? Try them yourself.

Yield: 16 brownies

Ingredients:

BROWNIE LAYER:

3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter
1 1/2 cups bittersweet chocolate chips
1 cup granulated white sugar
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
4 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup all-purpose flour

COOKIE DOUGH:
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
3/4 cup granulated white sugar
3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons milk
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste
2/3 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup miniature chocolate chips
additional miniature chocolate chips, if desired (to garnish the top)

Instructions: 
Prepare the brownie layer:
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a 9x9-inch pan with nonstick spray, then line with a strip of parchment paper so that it covers the bottom and comes up two sides of the pan. Spray the parchment with nonstick spray too.
2. In a microwave safe bowl (or in the top of a double boiler or pan set on top of a pan of simmering water), microwave in 30 second bursts to melt butter and chocolate chips together until all is melted and smooth. Whisk in the sugars, then whisk in the eggs, vanilla and salt. Sift flour into the bowl and stir that in too. Scrape the brownie batter into the prepared pan. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until the brownie layer is cooked through (toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean). Place the pan of brownies in the refrigerator to speed up the cooling process (or cool at room temperature and add the cookie dough layer later).

Prepare the cookie dough layer:
3. In a large bowl, use an electric mixer to combine the butter, sugars and salt until soft and creamy (2 minutes). Mix in the milk and vanilla. Sprinkle in the flour and mix in until combined. Stir in the 1 cup of chocolate chips. Scoop the cookie dough onto the top of the brownies and spread onto the brownie layer. I find that it's easiest to do this if the brownie layer is chilled and firm. Wet your hands or spray them with nonstick spray and pat the cookie dough on top in a even layer. Sprinkle additional chocolate chips on top to create a nicer, visual appearance. For easy, clean cutting, chill the brownies (wrap the brownies with plastic wrap and chill until firm- 1 to 2 hours or up to 2 days).
4. Cut the brownies: Run a knife along the sides of the brownie pan and then use the parchment paper to lift the brownies from the pan and onto a cutting board. Slice the brownies with a sharp knife, wiping the knife with a paper towel between cuts. If you'd like all of your slices of brownies to look clean-cut without edges, use the knife to cut the sides of the brownies off before cutting pieces. Keep brownies slices covered and chilled until ready to serve.

Note: these taste most delicious just slightly cool (after about an hour of thawing at room temperature) or completely at room temperature (at least two hours of thawing), or my personal favorite: warmed up in the microwave until gooey and amazingly delicious.

Golden Sweet Potato Brownies

I'm not one to cut the chocolate out of a brownie, but this recipe seriously doesn't need it.  Similar to my Sweet Potato Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting, this "brownie" is super moist, wonderfully sweet, with just the right amount of spice.  However, this recipe has more of a moist brownie-like texture than my cake recipe, and the cake part - or should I say "brownie" part - is a little sweeter as well.  These are not crumbly like brownies, though...I guess you could say they are stuck in the middle between a brownie and a cake.  The brown sugar, cinnamon, and butter make this recipe super sinfully rich. And the glaze on top is just delicious.  I don't recommend adding a frosting because that would make the dish a little too sweet.  I do, however, recommend adding the golden raisins (regular are fine too, but the golden complements the color better), and they are incredible when soaked in boiling orange juice for an hour. The shredded sweet potato (or yam) that you use melts away into the cake, similar to what a carrot cake would be like. I also love the sunny-orange-golden color this cake makes; it's unlike anything I've ever eaten before.  Do NOT use canned yams for this recipe because I have no idea how that would turn out!  I would think that it would make it too moist/wet.  Use fresh, shredded yams or sweet potatoes for the best results because they will be amazing!

Yield: 1 9x13 inch baking dish (about 20 servings)

Ingredients
1 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
3 eggs, room temperature
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
2 cups peeled and finely shredded sweet potato (or yam)
1 cup golden raisins (optional)

1 cup powdered sugar
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons milk

Instructions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease a 9x13 inch baking dish.
2. In a large bowl, cream together the butter, brown sugar, and white sugar until smooth. Beat in the eggs one at a time, then stir in the vanilla. Combine the flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg; stir into the batter just until blended. Fold in the shredded yam and (optional) raisins. Spread the batter evenly in the greased baking dish.
3. Bake for 30 minutes in the preheated oven, until a toothpick inserted into the center, comes out clean. Mix together the confectioners' sugar, butter and milk until smooth. Spread over the brownies while they are still warm. They will absorb some of the glaze. Serve hot or warm.

BEST Fudgy Brownies

  

Ohhh the love of brownies....I don't know even know where to begin.  They truly are the key to any person's heart.  If you ask somebody what they crave the most for dessert, brownies are always one of the first things that come to mind.  What's not to love about a fudgey, moist, chocolatey explosion of pure deliciousness??? I made these brownies for a bake sale at my school, and they vanished in - literally - minutes.  I almost didn't bring them to the bake sale because I wanted the whole pan for myself.  They are super duper moist on the inside (due to a low amount of flour/dry ingredients and many eggs/wet ingredients), with a perfectly cracked, thin, crispy surface - everything you could possibly dream of the perfect brownie to be.  The melted chocolate chips in the brownies give an incredibly amazing flavor that cocoa powder just can't compete with. Using butter instead of vegetable oil also makes them wonderfully rich.  And the addition of dark chocolate chips and coffee allow the pure chocolate flavor to really pull through without being overly sweet.  These are incredible served warm with vanilla ice cream (french vanilla is my fave), and also killer at room temperature.  One thing I wouldn't do is frost these brownies because they're so perfectly rich by themselves and may be too sweet if frosted.  When you make this recipe, I guarantee you will never, ever, ever buy box mix brownies EVER again.

Yield: one 13x9 inch pan (about 16 servings)

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
•  
• 1 1/2 cups white sugar
• 1/4 cup strongly brewed coffee
• 2/3 cup butter
• 1 (12 ounce) bag semisweet chocolate chips
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
•  
• 4 large eggs 
• 1 (12 ounce) bag bittersweet chocolate chips  (I used Ghirardelli 60% cocoa)
• 1 cup coarsely chopped walnuts  (optional)

Directions:

1. Preheat an oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Combine the flour, baking soda, and salt in a small bowl; set aside. Grease a 13x9-inch baking dish.
2. Combine the sugar, coffee, and butter in a saucepan. Cook and stir over medium heat until the butter has melted and the sugar has dissolved. Remove from the heat and stir in semi-sweet chocolate chips and the vanilla extract until the chocolate has melted. Pour the mixture into a mixing bowl, and beat in the eggs one at a time until smooth. Fold in the flour mixture until incorporated, then fold in the bittersweet chocolate chips along with the (optional) walnuts. Pour into prepared pan.
3. Bake in the preheated oven until the top is dry and the edges have started to pull away from the sides of the pan, 40 to 50 minutes. Cool for at least 15 minutes before serving warm.  If serving at room temperature, cool completely before cutting into bars.

Sour Cream Brownies

These moist, cake-like brownies are so chocolaty-good that they'll go fast at any get-together.  The sour cream in the frosting gives these scrumptious squares a little tang that makes them extra special.  I brought these to a party with a bunch of my friends, and they disappeared in seconds.  Usually I prefer fudgey brownies, but these are one of the best brownies I've ever had (in my top 5 for sure...and I've had hundreds. Maybe even thousands).  These definitely made me change my mind of how I thought fudgey brownies were better than cakey brownies.  Now I can't decide!

Yield: about 1 dozen bars

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 1 cup sugar
• 4 eggs
• 1 can (16 ounces) chocolate syrup
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
• 1 cup chopped nuts
• 
  CHOCOLATE SOUR CREAM FROSTING:
• 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
• 1/4 cup butter, cubed
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 2-1/4 cups confectioners' sugar

Directions:

• In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in chocolate syrup and vanilla. Gradually add flour. Stir in chocolate chips and nuts.
• Pour into a greased 13-in. x 9-in. baking pan. Bake at 350° for 35-40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack.
• For frosting, in a microwave-safe bowl, melt chocolate chips and butter; stir until smooth. Cool for 5 minutes. Whisk in sour cream. Gradually stir in confectioners' sugar until smooth. Frost brownies. Cut into bars. Store in the refrigerator. 

Best Brownies

I've had a heck load of brownies in my short fifteen years...and this is my favorite classic fudge brownie. Yes, this is a FUDGE brownie.  If you're the kind of person who prefers cakey brownies - and I have no idea why you would; cakey brownies are no where near as good as fudge ones - then this is not a recipe for you.  And this frosting is absolutely to-die-for.  I'm the type of person who loves really rich desserts, so if you're not a rich dessert fan, then you may not want to make the frosting.  The brownies are wonderful without frosting, and the frosting makes them as rich as fudge ---> because that's what it is really...a fudge frosting. These are a choco-holic's dream-come-true. My mom says this is the best thing I've ever made.  That's saying a lot. Trust me.


you can click here for the brownie recipe. (just don't make the frosting included in this recipe)
...and here for the frosting recipe.