Chocolate Chip Cookie & Fudge Brownie Pie

I’ve had people tell me how much they enjoy reading this blog which is nice to hear as sometimes I feel like I’m just talking to myself (which is okay too as I do that all the time anyway, lol). But if you do end up making a recipe that I’ve posted and made changes that made it better (or worse), I’d love to hear about it via a comment here or an email. Or even if you just tried a recipe and liked it or hated it or had questions, let me know. I’m always trying new recipes and like to experiment so it’s fun to hear of other people’s experiences as well. I’ll always post the recipe as is from wherever I got it from but if I make any changes, I’ll note it in the blog post itself. And don’t worry about hurting my feelings if something turned out terribly or not to your liking. We all have different tastes and I don’t expect everyone to share my taste buds. Otherwise, the world would be overrun in milk chocolate, chocolate chip cookies would only be eaten 10 minutes out of the oven, there’d never be nuts in brownies, fruit would mostly be eaten by itself and not incorporated into anything, jam and jelly might as well go out of existence, and shortening and margarine would be banished forever. In case you can’t tell, I have very strong likes and dislikes about baked goods. In the words of my friend Albie, “I like what I like and I want things the way I want them.” Yeah, that.

Yesterday afternoon, I had another bakefest. I'd already blogged about the Double Fudge Cream Cheese Brownies. The 2nd thing I made was Chocolate Chip Cookie & Fudge Brownie Pie – the title of this recipe pretty much speaks for itself. You start with a chocolate chip cookie layer, partially bake the chocolate cookie crust, take it out and let it cool for 30 minutes so the center will sink and the edges will be slightly raised like a pie. Then you “fill” the top with a brownie layer. This is my kind of pie.

I actually didn’t bake it in a pie pan because I was portioning it out to give away and it’s easier to cut from a square than a round shape so I made it in an 8-inch square baking pan instead of a 9-inch pie pan. I was originally going to make it in a 9-inch square baking pan instead of a pie pan but the batter seemed so little that I thought using a 9-inch pan might make the “crust” a little too thin. Consequently, this turned out to be more of a two-layer confection than any kind of pie. But it also turned out pretty well so you can call it whatever you want. After partially baking the chocolate cookie crust, I barely (and purposely) baked the pie with the brownie topping for the 20 minutes that the recipe called for. So the “topping” turned out pretty soft and fudgy. I think if you bake it longer, it’ll be more firm but that wasn’t the texture I was going for. Since this is two layers, putting it together might seem like it takes a bit longer but it’s not that hard. Make the chocolate chip cookie crust first and while it’s partially baking and cooling, you can make the brownie topping.

Chocolate Chip Cookie & Fudge Brownie Pie - from Fearless Baking by Elinor Klivans, baked 11.15.09

Chocolate Chip Cookie Crust
¾ cup unbleached all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon baking soda
¼ teaspoon salt
5 tablespoons soft unsalted butter
1/3 cup packed light brown sugar
3 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 large egg
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup (6 ounces) semisweet chocolate chips

Brownie Topping
6 tablespoons (¾ stick) unsalted butter, cut into 8 pieces
3 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped
1 ounce unsweetened chocolate, chopped
¼ cup unbleached all-purpose flour
¼ teaspoon baking powder
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 large egg
6 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1. Mix and bake the crust: Position a rack in the middle of the oven. Preheat the oven to 325˚F. Butter a 9-inch pie pan.
2. Sift the flour, baking soda, and salt together onto a piece of wax paper or into a medium bowl and set aside.
3. Put the butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar in a large bowl and beat with an electric mixer on medium speed for about 1 minute until the mixture looks smooth and creamy. Move the beaters around in the bowl if using a handheld electric mixer. Stop the mixer and scrape the mixture from the sides of the bowl and any that becomes caught in the beaters as needed throughout the mixing process. Mix in the egg and vanilla until they are blended in thoroughly. Decrease the speed to low and add the flour mixture, mixing just until it is incorporated and there is no loose flour. Use a large spoon to stir in the chocolate chips. Use a rubber spatula to scrape all of the dough into the pie pan, spreading it evenly over the bottom of the pan. Bake 15 minutes. Cool 30 minutes. The center will sink slightly.
4. Mix the topping: Put the butter, semisweet and unsweetened chocolate in a heatproof container set over, but not touching, barely simmering water in a saucepan. Stir the mixture often over the hot water until the butter and chocolate are melted and smooth. As soon as the chocolate mixture melts, remove the container from over the water and set it aside to cool slightly for about 5 minutes.
5. Stir the flour, baking powder, and salt together in a small bowl and set aside.
6. Put the egg, granulated sugar, and vanilla in a large bowl and beat with an electric mixer on medium speed for about 1 minute until the mixture thickens and the color lightens slightly. Move the beaters around in the bowl is using a handheld mixer. Decrease the speed to low and mix in the melted chocolate, mixing just to combine it with the other ingredients. Add the flour mixture, mixing just until the flour is incorporated. Use a rubber spatula to scrape all of the batter over the partially cooled chocolate chip cookie layer, spreading it evenly.
7. Bake and serve the pie: Bake for about 20 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center of the brownie layer comes out with a few moist crumbs, but not wet batter, clinging to it. Cool the pie thoroughly in the pan.
8. Serve the pie at room temperature. Leftover pie can be covered with plastic wrap and stored at room temperature up to 3 days. Ice cream and warm old-fashioned hot fudge sauce make a good accompaniment.