Chipster-Topped Brownies

After a hard day at work some people like to wind down by watching TV, taking a bath, having a glass of wine, talking to their friends on the phone etc...I bake. And have a glass of wine. :) Baking is a form of therapy. You have all these random ingredients located in various places and out of all the scattered chaos you create something beautiful, delicious, and comforting. Its a form of alchemy. And the actual process is like a sort of 'dance'. You start off slowly with measured waltz-like steps. Making sure you have everything, gathering the ingredients, and placing them in front of you like an audience. The seductive tango begins along with the fun of actually combining your butters and sugars and eggs and the sexy chocolate and spices. The sugar and butter are beaten together and the primal drums begin . They increase to the pulse of your beaters as the eggs are added. Chocolate joins in and you know you're already in love. It bleeds slowly into the demure sugar/butter, Coaxing it out and making it loose all inhibitions. The heat from the oven fuses all these characters together and they almost always receive a stomach-patting ovation.

Is it obvious that I am having fun with a new cookbook? :) These bars are a double decker bus of brownie and chocolate chip cookie dough. Dorie Greenspan is a genius. If in your wildest dreams you wondered what it would be like to take a bite of a brownie and a scoop of cookie dough, this is what it would taste like.

The brownie layer is very fudgy and rich thanks to the use of both bitter and unsweetened chocolate. It would make a killer dessert on its own. The flavour and texture is almost like that of real fudge. *You have been warned.* The chocolate chip cookie dough layer is made much in the same way as any c.c.cookie. You can have fun with this part and add whatever you want. I threw in some cinnamon chips and a little bit of chopped toffee. When you bite into these brownies, your taste buds become slightly confused. Is it a brownie or a cookie? A split-second later they don't care what it is. They just know it's something fabulous. The moist brownie is kind enough not to over take the cookie layer too much but you really do taste the chocolaty bottom layer a bit more. Cut these into small pieces and invite a group of friends over. Your bad day will have crumbled away like a cookie.

Chipster-Topped Brownies

( recipe by Dorie Greenspan )

* printer friendly Recipe *

Ingredients:

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 ( I used 1 whole tsp. )
• 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 cup walnuts, coarsely chopped ( I used pecans )

Cookie Layer:

• 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/2 sticks (12 tablespoons) unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 3/4 cup (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 store bought chocolate chip (I used 1/2 cup chocolate, 1/2 cup of cinnamon chips, and 1/4 cup of chopped toffee)

Method:

Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter a 9x13 inch baking pan, line it with wax paper or parchment paper and butter the paper. Put the pan on a baking sheet.

To Make the Brownie Batter:

Put both chocolates and the butter in a bowl set over a saucepan of simmering water. Stirring occasionally, heat just until the ingredients are melted, shiny and smooth. If the mixture get too hot, the butter will separate from the chocolates. Remove the bowl from the heat.Working with a stand mixer, preferably fitted with a paddle attachment, or with a hand mixer in a large bowl, beat the sugar and eggs on medium-high speed for about 2 minutes, until pale, thick and creamy. Beat in the salt and vanilla extract. Reduce the speed to low and mix in the melted chocolate and butter, mixing only until incorporated. Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula, then, still on low speed, add flour, mixing only until it disappears into the batter. Using the spatula, fold in the walnuts, and scrape the batter into the prepared pan. Set aside.

To Make the Cookie Dough:

Whisk together the flour, baking soda and salt.Working with the stand mixer in the cleaned bowl or with the hand mixer in another large bowl, beat the butter and both sugars together on medium-high speed until smooth and creamy, about 3 minutes. One at a time, add the egg and the yolk, beating for 1 minutes after each addition. Beat in the vanilla. Reduce the mixer speed to low and add the dry ingredients, mixing only until they disappear into the dough. Still on low, mix in the chopped chocolate. Drop the cookie dough by spoonfuls over the brownie batter and, using a spatula and a light touch, spread it evenly over the batter.Bake for 50-55 minutes, or until the cookie top is deep gold brown and firm and a thin knife inserted into the brownie layer comes out with only faint streaks of moist chocolate. Transfer the pan to a rack and cool to room temperature.

*Before I baked these I read some reviews. The brownie layer tends to be under baked while the cookie layer comes out perfectly. Some people suggest that you bake the brownie layer for 15 minutes at 350F. before proceeding. I made mine this way and they were fine. *

When the brownies are completely cook, carefully run a knife between the sides of the pan and the brownies, then invert them onto another rack, remove the paper and turn the right side up onto a cutting board. Cut into bars about 2 inches x 1 inch. (You can cut larger bars if you're serving cookie lovers with Texas-size appetites.)