The best of both worlds

If I had to pick a favorite dessert, it would definitely be brownies.  The fudgy kind, not the cakey kind.  I don't like them to be too gooey, but they should be dense, moist and chocolatey.  (Blogger's spell-checker thinks I'm making up lots of words for this post. =)  )  I also have a recipe for blondies that I really like, which are kind of like a chocolate chip cookie version of brownies--lots of brown sugar and butter, with chocolate chips thrown in, and the same fudgy texture.  I made that blondie recipe many, many times while I was in high school.  They were a hit everywhere I took them, and everyone always wanted the recipe.

This week's Tuesdays with Dorie recipe is the best of both worlds.  Beth of Supplicious chose Chipster-Topped Brownies for us to make this week.  They're essentially brownies with a layer of chocolate chip cookie dough on top.  Sounds good to me!  The original recipe makes a 13"x9" pan, and I knew it wouldn't be safe to have that large a quantity of brownies in the house, especially over a holiday weekend.  I'd be way too tempted to eat way too much--it's just so easy to carve off a little sliver here, and a little sliver there.  And before you know it, half the pan is gone! =)

I cut both the brownie batter and cookie dough in half.  I also did everything by hand, although Dorie's instructions call for lots of mixing in a stand mixer.  For the bittersweet chocolate, I used El Rey 61%, and for the unsweetened chocolate I used these--very handy to measure, no chopping necessary.  I left the walnuts out, too, since I prefer my brownies without nuts.  For the cookie batter, the original recipe calls for 1 egg plus one yolk; I just used the one egg when I cut it in half.  I thought about chopping chocolate for the chips, but ended up going with some Guittard semisweet chips that I had on hand.

I used an 8" square pyrex pan to bake the brownies.  To make it easier to get them out of the pan, I lined it with non-stick foil.  There were lots of concerns on the P&Q this week about the doneness of the brownies.  Most people seemed to report them being underdone.  So I watched the time carefully, and ended up baking mine for 40 minutes.  When I took them out of the oven, the cookie layer had puffed up around the edges, separating from the brownie layer.  I gently pushed it back down with a spatula so the top layer was even.  I let the brownies cool completely before sampling them.

The verdict?  I really enjoyed these.  And they were a big hit with both Brianna and Gillian, which I expected.  I probably could have baked the brownies just a little bit longer, but they still had a good texture.  I liked the contrasting flavors and textures between the two layers.  And the brownies are also quite good cold.  =)  I definitely think I'll be making these again.

To see how the other TWD bakers fared this week, head on over and check out the blogroll.  And if you'd like to try them yourself, you can find the recipe on Beth's blog.