Tuesday, May 26, 2009

TWD: Chipster-Topped Brownies


FINALLY!!!

This was my week to pick our Dorie recipe!

I have to say I was very excited. The instant I received the email telling me my week was approaching, I grabbed the book and sat down with my husband. It didn't take us long to pick a recipe once we stumbled upon this brownie recipe. You see my husband has a weakness for chocolate chip cookies and an even bigger weakness for brownies.

I started getting a little nervous when the reviews from bakers who bake our recipes way in advance starting coming in about the cooking time being off and getting gooey middles. I took the advice of one baker who suggested baking the brownie layer for 15 minutes while mixing the cookie layer. It definitely helped to bake the brownie layer first. In the end, my total baking time was 60 minutes and an additional 15 for the brownie layer. I did placed some foil over the top for the last 15 minutes so my cookie layer didn't burn. I also didn't try to spread the cookie layer out, I just let it spread on its own while it baked.

At first I was slightly disappointed because my chocolate chips seemed to sink into my brownie layer leaving me with a brownie with a golden colored top. My disappointment didn't last long once I tasted them. Amazing! I personally still would have preferred more of a cookie layer but these were still great!

Thanks to all who baked with me this week!


Chipster-Topped Brownies
Dorie Greenspan, Baking: From my Home to Yours

Ingredients

For the 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
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup walnuts, coarsely chopped

For the 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

Getting Ready
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.

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.)

Makes 24 servings.

Serving: Ice cream, whipped cream and creme fraiche are all great accompaniments, as is a generous drizzle of chocolate sauce.

Storing: Wrapped well or packed in an airtight container, the bars can be kept at room temperature for 2 days or frozen for up to 2 months.

Playing Around: The cookie top can be varied easily be swapping peanut butter, butterscotch or white chocolate chips for the chopped chocolate. You could even use all of them.

46 comments:

dorie said...

So glad you ended up liking the recipe. Your picture looks great!

chocolatechic said...

This was great.

You were brilliant to pre bake the brownies.

I didn't and ended up with goo.

Natalie said...

i loved these! thanks for the great pick. :)

Amanda said...

They look wonderful! Thanks for choosing it. I didn't have any problems with baking as instructed, though I wasn't sure how impressed I was with this recipe until they sat overnight. Very tasty!

Cristine said...

Thanks for picking a great recipe!

Jules Someone said...

This was a fun recipe. Thanks for choosing it for us! Yours looks yummy.

isa said...

Very good idea to pre-bake the brownies. They looks beautiful. I made mini cupcakes and I really enjoyed this recipe, thanks for for pick:)

steph- whisk/spoon said...

thanks for a great pick...a perfect memorial day bbq recipe!

The Sweet Life said...

Thanks for picking this one! They were great! I agree that you are a genius for baking the brownie a little. I didn't...and I tried to spread the cookies. Half of my pan of brownies had a big gap between the two layers. But they were were good!

Jennifer said...

I love a good casual recipe, something I can make the kids for an afternoon snack. Mine were a little underdone, but I still thought they were good.

Anonymous said...

Bakerella has a recipe similar to this. True, it uses boxed mixes, but the cooking times given are spot-on.

http://bakerella.blogspot.com/2009/01/thaaank-you-betty.html

I have made her recipe several times, very good, especially with the topping!

What's for Supper? said...

These were good. Even if mine didn't turn out exactly as I had imagined. Great pick!

Welcome to our crazy blessed life said...

Thanks for the delicious pick this week! It was a definite winner at our house! :)

Erica said...

I may never make regular brownies again. :)


http://myfoodishways.blogspot.com

http://ehaggins.blogspot.com

spike. said...

Thanks for picking this one- came out way better than the first time I attempted!

Charli said...

I had so much fun with your choice this week! Thanks, and your brownies look beautiful@

Babette said...

Nice brownie...Thanks for a real treat of a pick.

Sara said...

I had baking issues, but the parts that were done were delicious. Great pick!

Lady Baker said...

great pick for this week, it's a recipe I would have tried anyway.

I really liked--but cannot say I LOVED it...only b/c I love brownies and love bar cookies, so prefer them on their own.

With that said, my company was impressed with them!

Thanks for a great choice this week!

Anonymous said...

Your chipster brownie looks great! I'm sorry I had to miss this one but I hope to be able to make it another time.

Heidi said...

These look great. Great idea to prebake the brownie part.

Anne said...

This was a fun recipe to try. Thanks for the great choice!

Anonymous said...

Thanks for this week's pick Beth! I haven't tasted it yet (although I tasted the cookie and brownie separately and loved them!) but I'm sure I'll love it! Good thing I'm getting them out of the house though! =)

Katrina said...

Great pick, VERY rich and chocolaty. Everyone loved mine, but I've been too full since yesterday to even really give them a good try. Just a little nibble while I was cutting them. My ccc layer is a lot thicker than yours and was a little gooey.

Jessica said...

I loved these brownies! Thank you so much for a wonderful pick.

Madam Chow said...

I was "disappointed" that my layers sunk, but it hasn't stopped me from eating two -er, three- brownies. I think your idea of prebaking the layers is a great one, and I'll use it next time.

BAKE-EN said...

I made these for a memorial day party and everyone loved them.

Erin said...

Your brownies look great! Thank you for picking this recipe. I have been wanting to make these for a long time and they were everything I hoped for :)

Carol Peterman/TableFare said...

I am amazed at the variety of experiences people had with this recipe. I come down on the "my brownies were dry" side. They were delicious, but I just needed to pull them out of the oven 5-10 minutes sooner. I think I need to make this one again for testing purposes. It was a fun recipe to make. Thanks.

Anonymous said...

Great tips on the baking time. I'm going to do that next time, my brownies are a little gooey! Great recipe, thanks for the pick!

Bridget said...

These were fun! I messed them up, but that was no fault of the recipe. I'm glad you liked your choice.

Soy*Baby said...

Great pick. I loved them.

CB said...

Hey chicky! Great, fabulous, awesome, delicious, incredible... pick this week. To say I loved this one would be an understatement! *Muah*
Clara @ iheartfood4thought

margot said...

Thanks for a fun pick! I liked them more than I thought I would, which is always great.

Yours look fantastic; it sounds like pre-baking the brownie layer is the way to go.

The Food Librarian said...

Great pick! I messed them up a bit, but they were great. I'm definitely going to make them again.

And I love that The Dorie is your first comment! :)

farah said...

Great job, it looks fantastic! If only i had read the p&q's.

Pamela said...

They look wonderful and I hope your hubs enjoyed them. We loved them, so thanks for a terrific recipe choice!

Leslie said...

Thanks for a fun pick! Great idea to pre-bake the brownie layer...I'll have to try it that way.

Anonymous said...

We loved these and I didn't have any gooey issues to deal with. Great pick!

Anonymous said...

Yum! Great for a party.

Peggy said...

I'm sorry I didn't get to make these. I wanted to. Yours look fantastic and it would have been fun to cook with you. :( I know everyone loved them and I will have to try them at a later date.

TeaLady said...

Thanks for this pick. Prebake is definitely the way to go. Yours look great.

Jaime said...

thanks for a great pick! my hubby says it's in the top 5 things i've ever baked!!

my chocolate chips sank too but oh well

Anonymous said...

My boyfriend made these for me because it was my time of the month...they're AMAZING!!! awesome recipe.

Dazy said...

I have tried this many more times. I'm trying this again. I think I'll try to shoot it, but I don't think it will be as pretty as your picture!

Gavin said...

Hey I too tried baking cup cakes and brownies just after my exams got over. I go weak in the knees with a mention of muffins and brownies.