It’s not even Saint Valentine’s Day yet and I’m already overwhelmed. Inundated by heart this and pink that. I’ve been feeling pressured to come up with something over the top wonderful and feeling a little a little inadequate.
Easy, mix by hand – two layer bars – chocolate chip cookie on top, fudgy brownie on bottom
I already posted my Boston Creme Pie, which I have often made on Valentine’s Day, on which I rather cleverly (in my own mind) added chocolate hearts around the top. One for every piece. That’s about the extent of my cake decorating abilities.
Oh, I might pipe a star here or there on a dessert if I’m very inspired and I can pretty much, usually, do a great swirl on a cupcake. But other than that? What can I say?
So, in the end, I decided to make my Chocolate Chip Double Decker Brownies this week. A gorgeous chocolate chip cookie, rich, slightly chewy, with just the perfect crispness to the top perches right on top a softer, ooey, gooey fudgy brownie, melding into one perfect bar. Insanely good. Decadent, even.
Chocolate Chip Double Decker Brownies
I might posit (I always wanted to use the word posit, sometime. Now I can cross that of my bucket list!) that these really are a perfect Valentine’s day treat – they’re like a marriage. Each could stand on its own but together, they’re even better.
This recipe is so much simpler than it looks. It doesn’t even need a mixer. Use whatever kind of chocolate you’d like in the cookie portion. Today, I used a milk chocolate because – well, why not have more kinds of chocolate? 🙂 Cut the bars small. They’re very sweet and very, very rich.
And if you’re very inspired, plunk a few chocolate hearts on the top.
Easy, mix by hand – two layer bars – chocolate chip cookie on top, fudgy brownie on bottom
Chocolate Chip Double Deckers
Chocolate Chip Layer:
1 1/2 sticks or 12 tablespoons butter
1 cup brown sugar
1 1/2 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 to 1 1/2 cups chocolate chips
Brownie Layer:
1 1/2 sticks or 12 tablespoons butter
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder, sift if lumpy *
1 1/2 cups sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 large eggs
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3/4 cup flour
Preheat oven to 325 degrees. For easy removal, line a 13 x 9 inch baking pan with aluminum foil, allowing the foil to extend over the edges of the pan. Spray or butter very lightly.
Chocolate Chip Layer:
Melt butter in a medium-sized bowl in the microwave. Whisk in the brown sugar until smooth. Set aside to cool while combining the dry ingredients. In a small bowl, add the 1 1/2 cups flour, 1/2 teaspoon of baking soda, 1/4 teaspoon of salt. Whisk to combine.
To the butter/sugar mixture, once it has cooled, whisk in the egg and vanilla. Stir in flour mixture, then chocolate chips. Set aside.
Brownie layer:
In a medium-sized bowl, melt butter. Add cocoa and whisk until well combined. Add sugar and salt, then eggs, one at a time, whisking after each addition.
Sprinkle the flour over the top and gently stir in with a spoon or spatula until combined.
To assemble:
Spread the brownie mixture evenly into the prepared pan. Gently dollop with spoonfuls of the cookie mixture then smooth with a spatula (clean fingers are helpful, but it doesn’t have to be perfect).
Bake until a cake tester comes out with small, gooey bits of brownie stuck to it, about 35 – 40 minutes. Do not over bake or the brownie portion will not be fudgy. Carefully lift out of the pan to cool.
Cut into 24 bars…note that if these are fudgy, they will never cut “cleanly.” Store in an airtight container for up to a week.
My favorite cocoa powder to use for these is Hershey’s Special Blend, a combination of Natural and Dutch Processed.
From the kitchen of http://www.frugalhausfrau.com, source unknown.
Did you know that the day after Valentine’s Day is the BEST time to buy chocolate? Many of the best chocolate companies put out chocolate hearts so pick them up at the half price sales and use them for baking!
And any Holiday will generally have great prices on other baking goods, so stock up when you see them at a low.
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You know I’ll be bringing this to our Throwback Thursday #25 Link Party, hosted by Quinn of Dad What’s for Dinner, Meaghan of 4 Sons are Us, Alli of Tornadough, and Moi! That’s right – me!
Click over to our Throwback Thursday post for links to their blogs and social media, rules and more info or just click on the blue leapfrog, below, to view all the Throwback Thursday Posts or enter your own!
I will also be bringing these over to Angie’s Link Party, Fiesta Friday # 106, Hosted this week, by Stefi from Ginger & Bread and Andrea from Cooking with a Wallflower! It should be another great party!!
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