Chipster Brownies

I originally bought Dorie Greenspan's cookbook Baking from my Home to Yours in hopes of joining her recipe club (where each week, one member chooses a new recipe from her cookbook and the entire club bakes it and posts pictures of it on their blog).  After weeks of no response from Dorie (not nice Dorie) I put the cookbook away and didn't think about it until my husband was watching sports and I wanted something else to do.  The result: Chipster Topped Brownies!

These cookie-topped brownies are sinful. The brownie portion tastes like fudge and the cookie half adds the perfect amount of crunch and brown sugar/buttery sweetness. They definitely rival my favorite bar of all time-S'mores. I keep them in my freezer and eat them frozen or warmed up with a scoop of ice cream (low fat of course, you have to save some calories somewhere).

The recipe: Chipster-Topped Brownies

Yield: 24 brownies

For the Brownie Layer:

6 ounces bittersweet chocolate

3 ounces unsweetened chocolate, coarsely chopped

2 sticks (8 ounces) unsalted butter, cut into chunks

1 2/3 cups sugar

4 large eggs

½ teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1 cup all-purpose flour

1 cup walnuts, coarsely chopped

For the Cookie Layer:

1¼ cups all-purpose flour

½ teaspoon baking soda

½ teaspoon salt

1½ sticks (12 tablespoons) unsalted butter, at room temperature

¾ 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 chips

1. Center a rack in th oven and preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter a 9×13-inch baking pan, line it with parchment paper and butter the paper. Put the pan on a baking sheet.

2. 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. Remove the bowl from the heat. Alternatively, you can microwave the chocolates and butter together in 30-second increments, stirring well after each one.

3. Working with a stand mixer 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 the 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.

4. To make the cookie dough, whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt.

5. Working with the stand mixer in a 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 minute 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.

6. Bake for 50 to 55 minutes, or until the cookie top is deep golden 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.

7. When the brownies are completely cool, carefully run a knife between the sides of the pan and the brownies, then invert them onto another rack, remove the paper and turn right side up onto a cutting board. Cut into bars about 2 inches by 1 inch.

 PC: My Baking Addiction