Brookies

Continuing my small-batch kick this week with some brookies (brownie/cookie combo, for those not in the know) made in my cute little 1/8 sheet pan! We’ve been having a nice lazy stay around the house day, and these were a good little midday snack. And, even though it’s a small batch recipe, we’ve got lots of them to get us through to Thanksgiving!

Speaking of, planning a Thanksgiving meal for two is strange. We’re not traveling (thanks, COVID), but will be doing virtual Thanksgiving with each of our families at various times during the day. That still leaves food for us to eat, though, and we’re thinking it would be fun to use this as a way to start our own traditions. Obviously we’ll have stuffing, but the rest of our menu is pretty nontraditional – we’ll be doing a full fish (if we can find one), a roasted butternut squash with tahini and za’atar recipe, and, as you’ll see on next week’s blog, a pumpkin pie made with butternut squash instead of pumpkin.

Hopefully you’re all trying to make the best of this, too – it’s a weird year, and everyone is approaching it differently, but it’s been helping me at least to think of this as an opportunity for new things rather than as missing out on my favorite things. Either way, hopefully next year we’ll all be celebrating in person again.

Anyways, the Brookies. Start by making the cookie dough. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda and salt. Set aside.

In a heat safe bowl, melt the butter. Add the brown sugar and mix until combined.

Next, add the egg yolk and vanilla extract, stirring again to combine.

Stir in the dry ingredients, a little at a time, until just combined. I had to switch to a wooden spoon for this (and whenever I bake small batch things I feel the need to use all my mini-sized kitchen items, so this is my little wooden spoon).

Finally, stir in the chocolate chips. I think this recipe calls for a few more chocolate chips than the dough can actually hold, but no one is going to complain if some of the chocolate chips end up escaping into the brownie batter.

Using a 1 tablespoon cookie scoop, scoop about half the dough out into a 1/8 sheet pan (or 9×5 loaf pan) lined with parchment paper and scatter randomly. Smush each ball of dough.

Next, make the brownie batter. In a medium bowl (same one you used for the dry ingredients for the cookie dough), whisk together the flour, granulated sugar, cocoa powder, confectioners sugar and salt.

In another heat proof bowl, melt the butter, then add the egg and and vanilla extract and mix to combine.

Add the dry ingredients, a little at a time, and mix until incorporated.

Add the boiling water (which Hummingbird High swears is the trick to fudgy brownies) and stir in.

Using an offset spatula, spread the batter over the cookie dough in the pan, being sure to cover it.

Drop pinches of the remaining cookie dough across the top, pressing it into the brownie batter.

Bake at 350°F for about 40 minutes, until a toothpick comes out with just a few crumbs and the cookie dough is browned.

Allow to cool in the pan before removing, using the parchment paper, and cutting into bars.

This was super easy, and definitely fills the craving when you’d really like some brownies from a boxed mix or Toll House chocolate chip cookies, but instead of being the person that keeps those things around, you’re the person that just constantly has on hand the ingredients to makes them from scratch. (That’s the kind of person I am.)

Happy Thanksgiving!

Brookies

Ingredients:

Cookie Dough

• 1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon (72 g) flour
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1/3 cup (71 g) dark brown sugar, packed
• 1 egg yolk
• 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup (85 g) dark chocolate chips

Brownie Batter

• 3/4 cup (149 g) granulated sugar
• 1/3 cup (43 g) flour
• 1/3 cup (28 g) Dutch processed cocoa powder
• 1/4 cup (28 g) confectioners sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1 egg
• 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 tablespoon boiling water

Directions:

1. Start with the cookie dough. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda and salt.
2. In a heatproof bowl, melt the butter in the microwave in 15 second intervals. Add the brown sugar and stir to combine.
3. Add the egg yolk and vanilla extract and stir to combine.
4. Add the dry ingredients in a few additions, stirring until just incorporated.
5. Stir in the chocolate chips.
6. Scoop about half the dough, in 1 tablespoon sized balls, into a 1/8 sheet pan or 5×9 loaf pan lined with parchment paper. Press each ball down.
7. Next, prepare the brownie batter. In a medium bowl, whisk together the granulated sugar, flour, cocoa powder, confectioners sugar and salt.
8. In a heatproof bowl, melt the butter in 15 second intervals. Mix in the egg and vanilla extract.
9. Stir in the dry ingredients in a few additions until smooth.
10. Add the boiling water and stir to incorporate.
11. Spread the batter over the cookie dough in the pan using an offset spatula, being sure to cover the dough.
12. Drop the remaining cookie dough in generous pinches across the brownie batter, pressing in each piece.
13. Bake at 350°F for about 40 minutes, until a toothpick comes out mostly clean.