Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Brownies Recipe

Ever since my friend Sheryl first shared with me her freshly made cookie dough brownies, I knew I had to make this recipe! I am a cookie dough lover, and have been known to bake a batch of cookies just because I'd like to eat some cookie dough. No joke. Well, this recipe is much safer as the cookie dough contains no eggs, but it's just as gooey and sweet as the real deal. Topping a fudgy homemade brownie with cookie dough was just brilliant! People will love you for these brownies. Seriously. 

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Brownies Recipe

recipe adapted from Taste of Home

Makes 24-36 servings

Ingredients

brownie: 

4 eggs

1 cup canola oil

2 cups sugar

2 tsp vanilla extract

1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 cup baking cocoa

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 cup chopped walnuts, optional

filling:

1/2 cup butter, softened

1/2 cup packed brown sugar

1/4 cup sugar

2 tablespoons 2% milk

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 cup all-purpose flour

1 cup chocolate chips

glaze (optional)*

*I drizzled chocolate syrup over top.

1 cup (6 ounces) semisweet chocolate chips

1 tablespoon shortening

3/4 cup chopped walnuts, optional

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees, then grease a 9x13 inch baking dish. 

In a large bowl, cream together egg, oil and sugar. Beat in vanilla. In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, cocoa and salt, then stir in gradually to wet ingredients. Stir in walnuts if desired.

Bake 25-30 minutes or until brownies test done. Cool completely.

For filling, in a large bowl, cream together butter, brown and white sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in milk and vanilla. Gently stir in flour. Fold in chocolate chips. Once brownies are cooled, spread evenly over the top of the brownies and refrigerated until set. 

For glaze, drizzle with chocolate syrup before serving OR in a microwave, melt chocolate chips and shortening; stir until smooth. Spread over filling. Immediately sprinkle with nuts, pressing down slightly. 

Caramel Peanut-Topped Brownie Cake Recipe

Talk about an indulgent birthday dessert! I always know where to look when I want a sweet treat that will WOW our guests--Annie's Eats. I mean, the girl is amazing! Most of the wish-list birthday desserts I've wanted to make are from her list of cakes. Yum!

This particular dessert was for an early-birthday celebration for Kevin & his brother Brian when his family came to visit us at the beginning of October. There were 7 in our family plus the 6 in the Pastor's family that we invited to join us--and there were still 2 pieces of cake leftover. I served the brownie cake with homemade vanilla ice cream--the perfect compliment.




Caramel Peanut-Topped Brownie Cake Recipe

recipe adapted from annies-eats.com

Serves 14-16

Ingredients

For the brownie cake:

1 cup flour

1 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

8 Tbsp unsalted butter, cut into 8 pieces

5 oz. bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped

3 large eggs

1/2 cup packed light brown sugar

1/4 cup sugar

3 Tbsp light corn syrup

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

For the topping:

2 cups sugar

1/2 cup water

1-1/2 Tbsp light corn syrup

2/3 cup heavy cream

2 Tbsp unsalted butter, at room temperature

1 cup honey roasted peanuts

Directions

Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 350° F.  Butter an 8-inch springform pan, dust the inside with flour, tap out the excess and line the bottom of the pan with a piece of parchment paper.  Place the springform pan on a baking sheet.

To make the cake, combine the flour, baking soda and salt in a small bowl; whisk together and set aside.  Add the butter and chocolate to a heatproof bowl set over simmering water.  Heat, stirring occasionally, until the ingredients are just melted – do not let them get so hot that the butter separates.  Remove the bowl from the heat and set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the eggs and sugars until well blended.  Whisk in the corn syrup, followed by the vanilla.  Add in the melted butter and chocolate mixture, and whisk until combined.  Gently whisk in the dry ingredients, mixing only until they are just incorporated.  The batter should be thick, smooth and shiny.  Pour the batter into the prepared pan and jiggle the pan a bit to even out the batter.

Bake for 40-45 minutes or until a thin knife inserted in the center comes out almost clean.  Transfer the pan to a rack and cool for 15 minutes, then run a thin knife between the cake and the pan and carefully remove the sides of the springform.  The cake may have puffed up during baking, but don’t be concerned if it develops a crater in the center while cooling.  Allow to cool to room temperature.  When the cake is totally cool, invert it, remove the base of the pan and peel off the parchment paper.  Turn the cake right side up onto a serving platter.

To make the topping, combine the sugar, water and corn syrup in a medium heavy-bottomed saucepan, stirring just to combine the ingredients.  Place the pan over medium-high heat.  Heat, without stirring, until the caramel turns deep amber, 5 to 10 minutes depending on the size of your saucepan and the intensity of the heat.  As the sugar is caramelizing, wipe down any splatters on the sides of the pan with a pastry brush dipped in cold water.  To test the color of the caramel, drop a bit onto a white plate.  Don’t be timid about the color – if it’s too pale, it won’t have much flavor.

Lower the heat a bit and, standing back from the saucepan, add the cream and butter.  When the spatters are less vehement, stir to calm down the caramel and dissolve any lumps.  Stir in the peanuts and pour the caramel and peanuts into a 1-quart Pyrex measuring cup or a heatproof bowl.

You will have more caramel than you need, but you want to get all of the peanuts onto the cake, so spoon all of the peanuts out of the hot caramel and onto the top of the cake.   Pour or spoon enough caramel to cover all the nuts, drizzling a bit over the edges of the cake for presentation.  Allow the topping to set at room temperature, about 20 minutes, before serving.  Keep the leftover caramel at room temperature and save for another use.

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S'mores Brownies

I'm going to go ahead and assume you are all very familiar with the concept of a s'more. (Assuming otherwise would just make me sad.) First you take a graham cracker, top with a portion of Hershey's chocolate, roast a marshmallow to perfection, slap the marshmallow on top of the chocolate so it gets all melty, top with a second graham. Enjoy. Then have s'more.(=some more.)

This pan of awesomeness includes two batches of brownies with the s'more ingredients stuffed in between. GLORY. 

S'mores Brownies

recipe by adorkablerecipes.blogspot.com

Serves 24

Ingredients

2 packages of your favorite brownie mix (I'm a huge fan of Aldi's!)

Oil, Water, and Eggs as called for on packaging (be sure to double everything!)

6-8 whole sheets of graham crackers

6-8 Hershey's chocolate bars

24 large marshmallows

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. 

Grease a 9x13 inch pan with cooking spray. Set aside. 

In a large mixing bowl combine both brownie mixes and the appropriate amount of oil, water, and eggs. (another option: Make two separate batches of brownies so as not to confuse yourself. :D)

Pour half of the brownie mix in the bottom of the 9x13 inch dish. Layer on graham crackers, followed by Hershey bars followed by marshmallows. Pour the second half of the brownie mix carefully over the top of the marshmallows, covering as much area as possible. 

Place on a baking sheet and bake 35-45 minutes or until set. (It can be really difficult to decide if these extra thick brownies are cooked through. I err on the side of undercooked, because the brownies will set up a bit and everyone around here loves thick and gooey brownies. :))

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Deep Dark Chocolate Fudge Brownie Ice Cream

Remember these brownies?
The brownies of thick, chewy glorious chocolate heaven?
I made them for our Valentine's celebration.
But I froze half of them. For such a time as this.

We have both been craving ice cream something crazy recently.
And we've indulged ourselves a few times with our favorite local ice cream parlour.
But.
I remembered the ice cream maker Kevin's parents bought for us.
And I decided to put all apprehension aside and go BIG.
Forget about the heavy whipping cream.
The cost and the calories.
And go for it.
Come on, Mel, you know it's going to be aaaamazing.

Boy, was I right.
I took a few ideas from Annie's ice cream recipes.
And looked up the options in our owner's manual.
And tweeked until I came up with this.
A cup of rich chocolately, fudgy ice cream that you will never forget.

It's so rich that even I couldn't finish it. 
Wowzers. 
You must make this.
It's totally worth every calorie.
(Although I might take that back in five or ten years.
But let's just pretend it really is worth it. :D)

Ingredients

2 cups whole (or 2%) milk

2 cups heavy cream

1 tsp vanilla

1 cup sugar

½ cup cocoa powder

2 large eggs

2 large egg yolks

12 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped 

OR ½ semisweet and ½ unsweetened
1/4 to 1/2 pan crumbled thick and chewy fudge brownies (or other favorite variety)

Directions

In a large sauce pan, combine the whole milk and heavy cream over medium low heat. Add vanilla. Simmer over low heat for 30 minutes. 

Combine the sugar, cocoa, eggs, and egg yolks in a medium bowl; using a hand mixer on medium speed, beat until thickened like mayonnaise. Measure out 1 cup of the hot milk/cream mixture. With the mixture on low speed, add the cup of hot milk/cream to the cocoa mixture in a slow, steady stream and mix until completely incorporated. Stir the chopped chocolate into the saucepan with the hot milk/cream. Stir the cocoa/egg mixture into the hot milk/cream. Cook over low heat, stirring constantly, until the mixture thickens and begins to resemble a chocolate pudding. Transfer the chocolate mixture to a bowl (or a 9x13 inch glass pan). Cover with plastic wrap placed directly on the surface of the chocolate mixture, and refrigerate until completely cooled. 

Pour the chilled custard into the freezer bowl of an ice cream maker, turn the machine on and let mix utnil thickened, about 25-30 minutes. Add in chopped/crumbled brownies. The ice cream will have a soft, creamy texture. If a firmer consistency is desired, transfer the ice cream to an airtight container and place in freezer for about 2 hours. Remove from freezer about 15 minutes before serving. Keep the remaining mixture sealed in an airtight container in the freezer. 

Chewy, Fudgy Triple Chocolate Brownies

Valentine's Day is coming up. But we've been spreading out our celebration (mostly because our weekend is jam packed already). Yesterday we went out for our annual "hunt for the next great pizza place." And today I decided to bake up the chocolately goodness I had been planning. I couldn't decide what to make--truffles, brownies, cake, fudge. I asked Kevin his favorite form of chocolate. He said fudgy brownies in chocolate ice cream.

Done.

For the greatest brownie recipe ever I knew just where to check--Annie's Eats & Brown Eyed Baker. They are two of my most trusted foodie bloggers and when I discovered their top brownie recipe overlapped, I knew I had found what I was searching for. This recipe was easy to execute, but different than the other brownie recipes I had worked with. I think I'll save this for special occasions as it is truly rich and thick and delicious and divine.

Maybe this is something you should share with your loved ones this Valentine's.

Ingredients

5 oz. (~2/3 cup) semisweet or bittersweet chocolate, chopped

2 oz. (~1/4 cup) unsweetened chocolate, chopped

8 tbsp. unsalted butter, cut into quarters

3 tbsp. cocoa powder

3 large eggs

1¼ cups (8¾ oz.) sugar

2 tsp. vanilla extract

½ tsp. salt

1 cup flour

Directions

Place an oven rack in lower-middle position and preheat the oven to 350° F. Line an 8-inch square baking dish with foil and spray lightly with nonstick cooking spray; set aside.

In a heatproof bowl set over a pan of barely simmering water, melt the chocolate and butter, stirring occasionally until smooth. Whisk in the cocoa powder until smooth. Set aside to cool.

In a medium bowl, combine the eggs, sugar, vanilla and salt; whisk until combined, about 15 seconds. Whisk in the warm chocolate mixture until incorporated. Then stir in the flour with a wooden spoon until just combined. (Annie notes: "It took me a while to get the flour evenly incorporated and I was worried it would affect the texture of the brownies, but they turned out fabulously – no need to worry.") Pour the mixture into the prepared pan and spread with a spatula to make an even layer. Bake until slightly puffed and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with a small amount of sticky crumbs clinging to it, 35-40 minutes. Transfer the pan to a wire rack and let cool to room temperature, about 2 hours.

Remove the brownies from the pan using the foil and transfer to a cutting board. Cut into squares as desired. Store in an air-tight container.

Serve with chocolate ice cream.

And...if you're my husband...

Iced Java Mocha syrup.

And peanut butter.

And chocolate chips.

Butterscotch Brownies

I don't think I've ever had anything like this brownie, but I'm so glad I tried this recipe on a whim. It was listed in my Betty Crocker Cookbook as "lowfat" (what!? A lowfat brownie!) and as it turns out is really fast and really easy to throw together. Oh, and did I mention delicious. Kevin and I were both impressed with these chewy bars of goodness. I hope you are too!

Butterscotch Brownies

1/4 cup butter or margarine
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
2 Tbsp. milk
1 large egg
1 cup flour
1/2 cup chopped nuts, if desired (I left this out)
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease bottom and sides of an 8 inch square pan.

In 1-1/2 quart saucepan, melt butter over low heat. Stir in brown sugar, vanilla, milk, and egg and remove from heat. Stir in remaining ingredients (using a wire whisk is helpful here). Spread in pan.

Bake 25 minutes or until golden brown. Cool at least 5 minutes in pan on wire rack.

Yields: 16 brownies

Fudge Brownies

Even though I have a couple delicious brownie recipes, I'm always wanting to try a new one just in case it turns out to be even more amazing than the others. This particular recipe comes from the Taste of Home recipe card collection I acquired. They are easy and quick to through together and have a perfectly chewy consistency.

Fudge Brownies

1-1/3 cups flour
2 cups sugar
3/4 cup baking cocoa
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup chopped nuts (optional, I left them out)
2/3 cup vegetable oil
4 eggs, slightly beaten
2 tsp vanilla extract

Combine flour, sugar, cocoa, baking powder, salt and nuts. Set aside. Combine oil, eggs, and vanilla; add to dry ingredients. Do not overmix. Mixture will be thick. Spread in greased 9x13 in pan.

Bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.

Yields: 24 brownies

Chewy Cocoa Brownies

I believe there are two forms of brownies--cakey or chewy. Personally, I will eat anything with chocolate (that is, I will eat any brownie), though I am a bit partial to the chewy variety. That, my friends, is what this recipe is all about. And boy, is it delicious. Growing up, the idea of baking brownies from scratch honestly never even occured to me. I was a "mix" girl. But NO more! (Or at least not at this point in my life, when I have no children, no sports practices, and no moments of intense desire to pull out my hair.)

1 2/3 cups granulated sugar 3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) butter or margarine, melted 2 tablespoons water 2 large eggs 2 teaspoons vanilla extract 1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour 3/4 cup baking cocoa 1/2 teaspoon baking powder 1/4 teaspoon salt 3/4 cup chopped nuts (optional) [I do not include nuts] Directions: PREHEAT oven to 350º F. Grease 13 x 9-inch baking pan. COMBINE granulated sugar, butter and water in large bowl. Stir in eggs and vanilla extract. Combine flour, cocoa, baking powder and salt in medium bowl; stir into sugar mixture. Stir in nuts. Spread into prepared baking pan. BAKE for 18 to 25 minutes or until wooden pick inserted in center comes out slightly sticky. Cool completely in pan on wire rack. Sprinkle with powdered sugar. Cut into bars.