Brookies

When you can't decide between a fudgy brownie and a perfect chocolate chip cookie, a brookie is just what you need! This treat brings together two classics into an easy to bake dessert that can cure almost any sweets craving.

First you'll make your chocolate chip cookie layer, with no special equipment needed. Once you mix in your semisweet chocolate chips and your dough is formed, it will chill in the fridge while you make your brownie batter. I went through two rounds for this recipe, and the adjustments in the second round brought us a thicker cookie layer with more of a classic cookie texture to top our brownies with.

For the brownie layer, if you're going to splurge on any ingredients I recommend the chocolate ones - cocoa powder and your semisweet chocolate. I love the Valrhona dutch processed cocoa powder because it brings a deep chocolate flavor. For your semisweet chocolate, chips will work (I used Guittard semisweet chips for my cookie layer and have absolutely used those to melt into brownie batter before) but chopped chocolate will melt more easily and lead to a fudgier brownie. My favorite is the Guittard semisweet chocolate bars when I can find them! Though I do recommend using a hand mixer for your brownies, a whisk will work great too as long as you're ready to get a bit of an arm workout.

When making any baked brownie or bar, the type of pan you use is really important. To get the most even bake and a fudgy center, I recommend using a metal pan rather than glass (like this OXO pan). Just know if you use a glass pan that the bake time may vary and you could wind up with overcooked edges and an under baked center.

Ingredients:

Chocolate chip cookie layer

• 1 stick + 1 tablespoon (9 tablespoons) unsalted butter at room temperature 127g

• 1/2 cup light brown sugar 96g

• 1/4 cup granulated sugar 48g

• 1 egg yolk*

• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

• 1 cup + 2 tablespoons all purpose flour 135g

• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda

• 1/4 teaspoon salt

• 1 cup (6 oz) semisweet chocolate chips

Brownie layer

• 1 stick (8 tablespoons) unsalted butter 113g

• 2/3 cup (4 oz) semisweet chocolate

• 1/3 cup light brown sugar 64g

• 2/3 cup granulated sugar 128g

• 2 large eggs*

• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

• 1/2 cup all purpose flour 60g

• 1/3 cup cocoa powder 36g

• 1/2 teaspoon salt

*I recommend taking your eggs out of the fridge about 30 minutes prior to starting

Total time: 2-3 hours including chill time before slicing

Prep time: About 30 minutes

Bake time: 26-28 minutes

Equipment:

• 9x9 square metal pan (if you use an 8x8 or glass pan you may need to increase the bake time)

• Parchment paper

• Spatula or large spoon

• Hand mixer or whisk

• Various bowls - large, medium, and small

• Optional: mesh sifter

Cooking instructions:

Make your cookie layer. In a medium bowl, combine your room temperature butter and both sugars using a spatula or large spoon. Continue mixing until the sugar is completely incorporated into your butter, with no streaks of butter remaining. Add in your vanilla extract and egg yolk, and mix until fully combined into your butter and sugar mixture.

Next, add in your flour, baking soda and salt. Fold your ingredients together, and when your dough is about half formed add in most of your chocolate chips, reserving some for later. Continue using your spatula or large spoon to fold in your chocolate chips until they are evenly dispersed and your dough has fully formed. Place your dough into the fridge to chill.

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.

Meanwhile, make your brownie batter. In a small bowl, melt your butter in the microwave. Add in all of your semisweet chocolate (I prefer chopped, but chips also work), stir to coat your chocolate with the melted butter, and then place back into the microwave for another 15-30 seconds. Leave your mixture be for about a minute, and then stir to combine your chocolate and butter fully until smooth.

In a large bowl, add in both sugars, eggs, and vanilla extract. Using your hand mixer (or a whisk) combine at a medium speed for one to two minutes, or until your mixture lightens in color and thickens.

To your egg mixture, pour in your butter and chocolate. Mix at a low speed until fully combined.

At this point, you'll incorporate your dry ingredients. I recommend sifting in your flour, cocoa powder, and salt first. I used a mesh strainer rested on top of my large bowl and added in my dry ingredients. Then you can lightly tap the sides of the strainer with one hand while holding the handle in the other to sift your dry ingredients clump free into your wet ingredients. If you don't have a strainer, just check for any large clumps in your cocoa powder before adding in to your wet ingredients. Using a spatula or large spoon, fold your dry ingredients in. Move slowly here and be sure to only mix as much as necessary, scraping the sides and bottom of your bowl.

Finish prepping and baking your brownies. Line a 9x9in square pan with parchment paper. I recommend ensuring all sides of the pan are lined, or you can lightly grease the uncovered sides.

Pour your brownie batter in and spread it evenly across your pan.

Remove your cookie dough from the fridge, and form large patches with your cookie dough and disperse across the top of your brownie batter, gently pressing the pieces in. I like to leave parts of the brownie batter showing, but this is baker's choice - and know that your cookie dough will spread a bit in the oven. If you reserved some of your chocolate chips, sprinkle them across the top of your brookies and gently press them in to secure.

Place your brookies into the oven for 26-28 minutes. You don't want to over bake your brookies and every oven is different, so keep an eye on them. Once done, the cookie layer should have a lightly golden crust and the center should be just firm but wiggle a bit if you shake the pan. They are meant to be fudgy so don't worry much about under baking.

Once fully baked, allow your brookies to cool for about an hour at room temperature and for a clean slice, then place into the fridge for another hour or so before you slice in.

When you're ready to slice, you can remove your brookies from the pan or slice in the pan. My preference is to slice into 16 squares out of the pan. Once they're sliced, you can store the pieces in the fridge for up to a week in an airtight container, or store in the freezer to eat any time! They taste best when enjoyed fresh the day of, but they really do taste delicious straight out of the fridge or microwaved from the fridge or freezer.

Carb and serving info:

Carbs for full recipe: 682

Carbs per serving (1 of 16): 43

Carbs from chocolate chips (in cookie layer): 110

Carbs from chocolate (in brownie layer): 55

Note: Carb information is calculated based on the specific ingredients I used to cook with to help guide my own insulin to carb ratio when dosing before I eat my home cooked recipes.