Cookie Butter Stuffed Brooksters

Cookie Butter Stuffed Brooksters - made October 25, 2014 from Shared Appetite

Ever since I made the brookies, I've been enamored of pairing brownies and chocolate chip cookies together. When I stumbled upon this version on pinterest where you stuffed cookie butter or nutella between the two, well, okay, yeah, let's give it a whirl.

And I have to confess, I even followed the recipe's direction to use a brownie mix. I know, I know, I should be shot by the Baking Gods for my hypocrisy. A mix? Really? I didn't have one in my pantry so I even had to go out and buy one. I'd been hearing for years from my brownie-mix-defending friends that Ghirardelli brownie mixes are "almost as good" as the made from scratch variety. Heresy. But I figured if I had to use a mix, I should use it with this kind of recipe since the chocolate chip cookie part would be made from scratch and the cookie butter was sure to hide a lot of sins so it's not like I would have to judge the brownie on its own. So I did it. Target didn't have the Dark Chocolate version recommended in the original recipe and I didn't know the difference between "Dark Chocolate" and "Double Chocolate" as the Ghirardelli people defined it so I went with what was available. In using the said mix, I'd have to guess "double chocolate" means they started with their original version of their brownie mix, threw in a handful of chocolate chips and considered that doubling the chocolate.

Anyway, the experiment forged on since I had managed to clear the hardest hurdle of buying a brownie mix. This recipe isn't hard to make; it just has a couple of components so it takes a little more time and a few more baking implements to wash up. I made the cookie dough first as instructed in the recipe but in hindsight, I'd recommend making the brownies first. The brownie batter goes on the bottom and you want it to firm enough to bear the weight of the filling and the cookie dough or else everything will sink and you'll get marbling instead of layering.

The trickiest part of this recipe is the baking. You don't see how the brownie layer is coming along and the toothpick test won't help because you'll mostly encounter the filling. Instead, I had to go by how brown the cookie layer was getting and hoping the brownie layer was baking at the same pace. I did lower the temperature to 350 degrees and changed that in the directions below. The original recipe called for baking at 375 degrees but in my oven, that baked the cookies too brown too quickly so 350 worked better for me.

For the most part it worked but since I tended to underbake my cookies, I think the brownies were a bit soft. They're fine when cooled but when warm, which is when the cookie layer was best, the brownie layer was a bit mushy.

The cookie butter filling is always amazing, especially when eaten lukewarm and it's still gooey. When it cools completely, it's more manageable to eat without a fork and doesn't flow like lava. Not that that's a bad thing but this is easier to serve at room temperature.

I do strongly advise lining your muffin tins with cupcake liners. I tried baking a batch in a mini muffin pan with no liners and got the cookie layer divorcing from the brownie layer with the filling forlornly torn between the two. Not pretty. It only worked to use the liners. Conversely, you could try putting the cookie layer on the bottom and the brownie layer on top. Those would be easier to take out because the cookie layer has a firmer texture than the brownies when cool. Either way, don't forget the cookie butter. You can also use nutella or peanut butter for the filling if you wish.

Chocolate Chip Cookies

• 2¼ cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
• ½ cup granulated sugar
• 1 cup brown sugar, lightly packed
• 1½ teaspoons vanilla extract
• 2 large eggs
• 2 cups good quality semi-sweet or dark chocolate chips
• 
  

Brownies*

• 1 box Ghirardelli Chocolate Brownie Mix
• ¼ cup water
• ½ cup vegetable or canola oil
• 1 egg
• *or your favorite brownie mix (follow directions on box) or homemade recipe.

for Brookster assembly

• Brownie Batter
• Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough
• Nutella
• Cookie Butter (alternatively, Biscoff Spread or Speculoos)

Chocolate Chip Cookies

1. Combine flour, baking soda, and salt in a small bowl. 
2. In your stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or in a large bowl with an electric mixer, beat butter, sugars, and vanilla extract until smooth and creamy. 
3. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each. Gradually mix in flour mixture, and then stir in chocolate chips. Refrigerate until well-chilled, about 1 to 2 hours.

Brownies

1. Place water, oil, and egg in a medium mixing bowl and stir until fully combined. Add brownie mix and stir until fully incorporated, about 50 strokes.
2. Fill 2 cupcake pans with cupcake liners. 
3. Divide brownie batter among the cupcake liners, filling each one with about ¾" of batter. 
4. Refrigerate until very well-chilled, about 2 hours.

Assemble the Brooskters

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Remove cookie dough and brownie-filled cupcake pans from the refrigerator.
2. Drop approximately teaspoon-sized amounts of either nutella or cookie butter on top and in the center of each of the brownies.
3. Scoop cookie dough by heaping spoonfuls, roll into ball, and flatten into discs slightly smaller than the size of each cupcake liner. Gently press cookie dough discs into the brownie batter and sealing the nutella/cookie butter inside.
4. Bake Brooksters for approximately 15-20 minutes, until the cookie is golden brown.
5. Remove from oven and let cool.