Have you heard of brookies? If you’re unfamiliar, fear not, we are going to get down to the nitty gritty in today’s installment of #monthofchocolate. Brookies are essentially brownie cookie bars, a treat that is equal parts chocolate chip cookie dough and brownie batter. Both components are baked into one ultra-rich and satisfying dessert, the ultimate treat for the chocolate lover who refuses to choose between chocolate chip cookies and brownies. 

My experience with brookies began as a kid. Growing up, my Nana and I would take day trips to the next town over where we would shop for books and eat lunch. We’d spend hours thumbing through stories and magazines, acquiring stacks of paperbacks and colorfully illustrated pages to take home for keeps. Any vacation to visit my Nana was incomplete without an outing to that bookseller, and I firmly believe that my love for reading and writing began in the quiet corners of that store.

Shopping was always followed by lunch, and we’d visit the same restaurant each time. In keeping with our tradition, dessert was ordered first, and we would fill our bellies on slices of banana cream pie and brookies served with scoops of ice cream. Occasionally, we would save room for lunch, but the beauty of those meals was the space to do something that felt out of the ordinary and special. That act of eating dessert first became like a sacred right, a privilege reserved for meals spent across the table from my Nana. 

Do you guys have memories like that? Are there people in your life who have created those moments for you? I think some humans have a knack for making ordinary days and places and moments sparkle. They thrive on creating magic for others and have the seemingly innate ability to make the everyday memorable. In a long list of qualities that I hope to inherit from my Nana, this is one: I want to create meaning from the mundane. I want to be a person who can polish life’s simple moments until they become someone’s treasure. 

In retrospect, the brookies we enjoyed all those years weren’t that great. You could kinda tell it was one of those mass-produced desserts that was microwaved at the last minute and served a la mode. But the prospect of greatness is still there- a brownie and cookie combined?! Could anything in the world be more tantalizing?

These brookies are made from a simple cocoa powder brownie batter that is topped with an equally easy chocolate chip cookie dough. The recipe can be prepped in ten minutes flat, yet has that “OH MY GOSH, WHO BROUGHT THESE?” kind of a effect on the people who eat them. They’re just that fab.

To make them, we start with the brownie batter. Melted butter is stirred with sugar before a single egg and some vanilla are added. Flour, leavening and cocoa powder are added next, and a fold of chocolate chunks completes the batter. Spread the brownie goodness into the bottom of a 9″ baking dish and get started on the cookie dough. Again, melted butter and sugar are stirred together before an egg and vanilla are added. The dry ingredients and chocolate chunks are stirred in next, and the dough is spread in on top of the brownie batter. A sprinkle of salt finishes the bars, and the whole pan gets baked in the oven until they have puffed and baked through.

Fresh from the oven, the brookies are cookie in texture and ultra-chocolatey in flavor. They’ll store terrifically in the freezer, but my guess is that they won’t last that long. Give them a try and let me know what you think! Next week is our very last week of #monthofchocolate (BRB, I’m actually crying real tears), and we will celebrate with two desserts. Don’t worry, I’ve totally saved the best for last. Happy Tuesday and Happy Baking!

If you like these brookies, you should check out:

Pretzel Shortbread Peanut Butter Brownies

Derby Pie Bars

Candied Walnut Chocolate Chip Cookies

Brown Butter Blondies

Peppermint Bark Brownies

Triple Chocolate Cookies

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