Once upon a time I made a Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Brownies recipe. I loved them, I shared them on my blog, and readers either loved them or not.
There were a few “observations” made about my version of this totally-awesome-brownie-recipe that were sinking into my soul… which caused me to lose sleep at night (not really, but I added that for dramatic effect…) I LOVE MY FIRST VERSION THE WAY IT IS… but I decided to listen those observations to see if I could create an even better Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Brownies Recipe and make everyone happy! Here it is!
Observation #1:
The cookie dough is “grainy.” Well, I’ve got news for y’all. Cookie dough is grainy. That’s just the way it is. In this version, I melted the butter and then whisked in the sugars to see if I could make it less grainy and more dissolved… it might be a little better, but it’s still grainy. If you’re a cookie dough lover then you know what I mean and you don’t care. Cookie dough is just (by nature) grainy! Someone had suggested trying powdered sugar to avoid the whole grainy-thing. I wasn’t into that. Real chocolate chip cookie dough must have both white granulated sugar and brown sugar or it doesn’t taste like chocolate chip cookie dough. So there.
Observation #2:
The cookie dough layer isn’t thick enough. In this version, the brownies are baked in a 9×9- inch pan. The brownie layer and the cookie dough layer are just about even. That should satisfy just about everyone, right?
Observation #3:
The brownie layer isn’t fudgy… or it has no flavor (in other words… it’s not good). This (new and improved) brownie layer is FUDGY. Though I have to admit, I don’t think anything is wrong with the original chocolate chip cookie dough brownies recipe. I like both, but I do like this one better.
Observation #4:
The cookie dough layer doesn’t stick to the brownie layer. I don’t have this problem, so let me share exactly how I construct my brownies so it works per-fec-to: I bake my brownies in a pan lined with parchment paper, then I put them in the refrigerator until they are all cooled down and pretty firm. While the brownies are baking, I make the cookie dough and then refrigerate it until the cookie dough is chilled and easy to work with (firm-ish). Then I take the brownies out of the fridge, wet my hands (or spray them with nonstick spray) and pat the cookie dough on top of the brownies into an even layer. Then I wrap the pan with plastic wrap and refrigerate the brownies until they are firm. Take the brownies out of the pan and place them on a cutting board. Because I’m obsessed with neat edges, I use a very sharp, large knife to cut off all of the edges, then I cut the brownies into small, clean pieces. Clean pieces require that you wipe your knife with a paper towel between cuts.
That’s it! You’ve learned all of my secrets. And now you can make my new-and-improved version of this chocolate chip cookie dough brownies recipe. By all means, let me know what you think of them… and if you have any feedback about these! Hopefully, they are perfect. That’s the goal here. See, I listen to my readers… and keep workin’ it to make you happy and satisfied! It’s a tough job (you know… re-testing chocolate chip cookie dough brownies over and over again to find the perfect version), but somebody has to do it, right? 🙂
How to make eating raw flour safe:
I know there are concerns about eating flour that hasn’t been cooked. Here’s the solution, if you are worried about that. Toast your flour in the oven before using in this recipe. You’ll just put the flour in a pan and toast it at 350 degrees. F. for 5 minutes. That will kill any potential bacteria in the flour, and you can feel safe to use it in an uncooked cookie dough recipe.
Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Brownies
Ingredients
BROWNIE LAYER:
- 3/4 cup (1½ sticks) unsalted butter
- 1½ cups bittersweet chocolate chips
- 1 cup granulated white sugar
- 1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
- 4 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup all purpose flour
COOKIE DOUGH:
- 3/4 cup (1½ sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature or almost melted
- 3/4 cup granulated white sugar
- 3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoons milk or cream
- 1½ teaspoons vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste
- 1 cup all purpose flour (see RECIPE NOTES below)
- 1 cup miniature chocolate chips
- additional miniature chocolate chips, if desired (to sprinkle on top)
Instructions
PREPARE THE BROWNIE LAYER:
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a 9x9-inch pan with nonstick spray, then line with a strip of parchment paper so that it covers the bottom and comes up two sides of the pan. Spray the parchment with nonstick spray too.
- In a microwave safe bowl (or in the top of a double boiler or pan set on top of a pan of simmering water), microwave in 30 second bursts to melt butter and chocolate chips together until all is melted and smooth. Whisk in the sugars, then whisk in the eggs, vanilla and salt. Sift flour into the bowl and stir that in too. Scrape the brownie batter into the prepared pan. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until the brownie layer is cooked through (toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean). Place the pan of brownies in the refrigerator to speed up the cooling process (or cool at room temperature and add the cookie dough layer later).
PREPARE THE COOKIE DOUGH LAYER:
- In a large bowl, use an electric mixer to combine the butter, sugars and salt until soft and creamy (1 to 2 minutes). Mix in the milk and vanilla. Sprinkle in the flour and mix in until combined. Stir in the 1 cup of chocolate chips. Scoop the cookie dough onto the top of the brownies and spread onto the brownie layer. I find that it's easiest to do this if the brownie layer is chilled and firm. Wet your hands or spray them with nonstick spray and pat the cookie dough on top in a even layer. Sprinkle additional chocolate chips on top to create a nicer, visual appearance. For easy, clean cutting, chill the brownies (wrap the brownies with plastic wrap and chill until firm- 1 to 2 hours or up to 2 days).
CUT THE BROWNIES:
- Run a knife along the sides of the brownie pan and then use the parchment paper to lift the brownies from the pan and onto a cutting board. Slice the brownies with a sharp knife, wiping the knife with a paper towel between cuts. If you'd like all of your slices of brownies to look clean-cut without edges, use the knife to cut the sides of the brownies off before cutting pieces. Keep brownies slices covered and chilled until ready to serve.
Notes
- If you are worried about eating raw flour, you can cook it in the oven before using it in this recipe. Sprinkle the flour on a cookie sheet and toast it at 350 degrees. F for 5 minutes. This will kill any potential bacteria in the flour.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
How far in advance can I make these delicious sweets?
If I make way in advance, can I freeze the batches?
Thanks
I’m not sure about freezing since I haven’t tried it, but it would be okay to make them a day or two ahead of time and keep them covered in the refrigerator until serving.
Very tempting and so pretty! I must try them. Would probably cut down on the sugar, though.
Well he really really liked them! He liked both versions a lot! 😉 Toooo much sugar… but they are yummy!
For me these didn’t come out quite the same, but I also didn’t have bittersweet chocolate chips so maybe that’s part of the reason. I think the original version was better. But I tried this one b/c we were running low on brown sugar… well, we’ll see what my husband thinks when he gets home… lol 🙂
Hi Lori,
I am making the chocolate chip cookie dough brownies for a BBQ tomorrow and I wanted to see if were ok to make box mixes and refrigerate overnight to then just bake in the morning? I have already made the brownie mixture but wanted to check with you first before I did the same for the cookie dough.
Thank you & I look forward to serving this scrumptious treat!
Paige
Hi Paige, I’m probably late to answering your question! I haven’t used boxed mixes to make this combination, but please let us know if you had success!
i needed to make these with truvia so my step father could eat them too (he has sugar problems) they didnt come out nearly as fudgy as i had hoped, not sure if the sugar thing did that or maybe i did something wrong, they are sort of bread-like.. the cookie dough is fine it is extreamly rich so i dont think anyone could handle more then one at a time of them. all in all i do enjoy them, next time i may use a box mix for the brownies and real sugar in the cookie dough though! Thanks
It’s gotta be the truvia that made them turn out different- these are a very fudgy brownie!
My new boo thang is a major chocolate lover. I think I’m gonna make these for him this weekend, I’m sure he’ll love them. But in the meantime I’m going to run to Coldstone and get some ice cream with GRAINY pieces of cookie dough 😉
I want to use the brownie part of this recipe for another brownie bar you had posted a while back (http://www.howsweeteats.com/2010/08/better-than-crack-brownies/), but that recipe calls for a 9×13, and yours calls for a 9×9. Am I still able to use your recipe by cooking them for less time? What would you suggest? Thank you!
How Sweet It Is is another blog- so that’s not my recipe. Since I haven’t baked these in a different sized pan, I can’t assure you that they’ll work, but you can certainly experiment!
i came across this website accidentally. the browny caught my attention.. looks absolutely yummy and tempting!! the mere look of it motivated me to start making it. am really happy to tell you that I made these yummy brownies for my baby’s first birthday..
my husband loved it.. so there is another new ingredient that got automatically added to my browny.. ‘Love..!’ Thank you Lori!
My cousin wanted to know the recipe. she too visited this page..
i also shared the photos with her to let her know about each stage.. also let me tell you that all those interested in cooking and would love to share the photos as and when you cook that too only with people whom you choose, check out LiveAlbum. ASAP..
Thank you once again Lori..!
I have no idea how I stumbled upon this recipe, but I made these brownies and they are the BEST thing I ever ate! I’m lazy, so I skipped your actual brownie directions and used a box of Betty Crocker fudge brownies, baked them in a 9×9 pan for 28 minutes and added the cookie dough layer to the top after it cooled. The first batch I made for a party, along with 7 other sweet treats, and these brownies were the first to disappear. I made another batch for my home because my family liked them so much and despite my diet I’ve been creeping around my kitchen in the middle of the night like a crackhead, eating brownies and promising myself that I’ll count my calories and give the rest of them away in the morning. I love’em more than wedding cake, I love’em so much I wanna drive around town handing them to strangers because I think everyone deserves to eat these…maybe the sugar has gotten to me a little bit. Thanks for the great recipe.