When Sheri recommended Abby Dodge's cookbook The Weekend Baker to me, she mentioned that one of her favorite recipes from the book is a bar that is half brownie, half chocolate chip cookie -- like a Brookster in a pan. I'm still searching for a great brownie-chocolate chip cookie hybrid, so I decided to give Dodge's recipe for "Chocolate-Chip Brownie Double-Deckers" a try.
The recipes in The Weekend Baker are organized by how much time they require: Baker's Express (if you're in a hurry); Baking in Stages (uncomplicated recipes that can be made in stages or in advance); and Productions (when you have extra time and want to pull out all the stops). The Double-Deckers recipe is in the "Productions" section but the recipe doesn't actually require that much time.
First you start making the chocolate-chip layer on the stove by melting butter in a pan, whisking in brown sugar until smooth, and setting the mixture aside to cool. Then you make the brownie layer by melting butter; whisking in cocoa powder; adding sugar and salt; mixing in eggs and vanilla; and folding in flour. You pour the brownie batter into a 9-inch by 13-inch pan. Finally, you return to the chocolate-chip layer -- adding an egg and vanilla to the cooled butter-brown sugar mixture; stirring in the dry ingredients (flour, baking soda, and salt); and adding chocolate chips. You spread the chocolate-chip cookie batter over the brownie batter. While my chocolate-chip batter was thinner than normal cookie batter, it was stiff enough that when I used an offset spatula to try and spread it over the brownie layer, I ended up pushing the brownie batter around and the brownie layer became uneven. I baked the bars, let them cool completely, and chilled them overnight to make them easier to cut.
The bars cut easily when cold and I thought that they looked great, even though you can see in the photo above how the brownie layer was uneven. I liked these bars, especially the creamy brownie portion. However, I think the bars suffer from the same shortcoming as the Brooksters, which is an inherently flawed underlying concept. In my opinion, when you combine a brownie with a chocolate chip cookie, the result is not quite as satisfying as either a good brownie or a good chocolate chip cookie alone because the two parts end up competing and one inevitably overshadows the other. That said, tasters enjoyed the bars and this recipe is a lot easier than the Brookster recipe from Baked Elements -- so if you want a brownie-chocolate chip cookie combination, I think these double-deckers are the way to go.
Recipe: "Chocolate-Chip Brownie Double-Deckers" from The Weekend Baker by Abigail Dodge.
Previous Posts:
The recipes in The Weekend Baker are organized by how much time they require: Baker's Express (if you're in a hurry); Baking in Stages (uncomplicated recipes that can be made in stages or in advance); and Productions (when you have extra time and want to pull out all the stops). The Double-Deckers recipe is in the "Productions" section but the recipe doesn't actually require that much time.
First you start making the chocolate-chip layer on the stove by melting butter in a pan, whisking in brown sugar until smooth, and setting the mixture aside to cool. Then you make the brownie layer by melting butter; whisking in cocoa powder; adding sugar and salt; mixing in eggs and vanilla; and folding in flour. You pour the brownie batter into a 9-inch by 13-inch pan. Finally, you return to the chocolate-chip layer -- adding an egg and vanilla to the cooled butter-brown sugar mixture; stirring in the dry ingredients (flour, baking soda, and salt); and adding chocolate chips. You spread the chocolate-chip cookie batter over the brownie batter. While my chocolate-chip batter was thinner than normal cookie batter, it was stiff enough that when I used an offset spatula to try and spread it over the brownie layer, I ended up pushing the brownie batter around and the brownie layer became uneven. I baked the bars, let them cool completely, and chilled them overnight to make them easier to cut.
Recipe: "Chocolate-Chip Brownie Double-Deckers" from The Weekend Baker by Abigail Dodge.
Previous Posts:
- "Baked Sunday Mornings: Brooksters," September 16, 2012.
- "Brownie + Blondie = Meh," March 18, 2009.
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