Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Billionaire Bars + A Cookbook GIVEAWAY!

June 4, 2012

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Billionaire Bars

My mom and I represent the yin and yang of kitchen equilibrium. Growing up, she cooked every single night. My mom’s a great cook and would make a variety of meals, usually consisting of some type of chicken or beef with potatoes or rice, a vegetable and a salad. She would bake occasionally, but not terribly often. Then there’s me. I bake multiple days a week, but only cook real meals or dinners occasionally. My mom’s a cook, and I’m a baker; we create balance in our little corner of the food world. The exception to my mom’s occasional baking was around the holidays. She would bake up a storm, making tons of different holiday cookies to take to family and to have at the house should we get any visitors. When I was really young, I remember milling about the kitchen and waiting (im)patiently for her to finish mixing the cookie batter so I could lick the beaters. To my young taste buds, licking the beaters was by far the best part of cookie baking. No doubt about it.

Around the time I hit upper elementary school and junior high, my mom banned beater-licking over recent salmonella scares and warnings about raw eggs. Kids everywhere mourned. Away from the watchful eye of Mom, I’d still sneak a taste or two. It wasn’t until many years later, when I was older and working, that a friend shared a recipe with me that rocked my cookie dough world. Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Dip. It tasted exactly like chocolate chip cookie dough, but it didn’t have any raw eggs in it. This was a culinary epiphany. Finally, a way to eat cookie dough without second-guessing yourself! Then there were the Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Brownies. Now? An entire cookbook dedicated to creating all sorts of amazing treats with (egg-free) cookie dough! The Cookie Dough Lover’s Cookbook was written by Lindsay Landis, who you might know from the blog, Love & Oil. This bar recipe comes straight from the book, which is packed with fantastic recipes using different types of cookie dough in some of the most creative ways imaginable. I am excited to be giving a copy of the book away today!

You may have heard of “Millionaire Bars” before, which are essentially a shortbread crust topped with a layer of caramel and then a layer of chocolate. Pretty good stuff, right? Lindsay takes it a step further in the book with a layer of chocolate chip cookie dough between the caramel and chocolate layers. I love the added layer of flavor that it provides, truly amping up the original dessert and making it worthy of billionaire status!

Now, on to the giveaway!

Giveaway Details

One (1) winner will receive a copy of The Cookie Dough Lover’s Cookbook.

How to Enter

To enter this giveaway, just answer the following question in the comments section of this post:

“Do you eat raw cookie dough?” Yes or no, there’s no judgment here! I can’t keep my fingers out of the bowl!

Additional (Optional) Entries

To up your chances of winning, you can receive up to FOUR additional entries to win by doing the following (these are optional, not required):

1. Subscribe to Brown Eyed Baker by either RSS or email. Come back and let me know you’ve subscribed in an additional comment.

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The Fine Print

Deadline: Thursday, June 7, 2012 at 11:59pm EST.

Winner: The winner will be chosen at random using Random.org and announced at the top of this post. The winner will also be notified via email; if the winner does not respond within 48 hours, another winner will be chosen.

Disclaimer: This giveaway is provided by Quirk Books.

GOOD LUCK!

One year ago: Creamy Cucumber Salad
Two years ago: 1st Birthday Party Smash Cake
Three years ago: How to Decorate Sugar Cookies with Royal Icing
Four years ago: French Chocolate Brownies

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Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Billionaire Bars

Yield: 16 bars

Prep Time: 2 hours

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Total Time: 2 hours 30 minutes

Ingredients:

For the Shortbread:
1/3 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/3 cup granulated sugar
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
¼ teaspoon salt
1 cup all-purpose flour

For the Caramel:
7 ounces soft caramel candies (about 25 candies), unwrapped
2 tablespoons heavy cream

For the Cookie Dough:
½ cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
½ cup light brown sugar
¼ cup granulated sugar
2 tablespoons heavy cream
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
¾ cup all-purpose flour
Pinch of salt
½ cup mini semisweet chocolate chips

For the Chocolate Glaze:
4 ounces semisweet or dark chocolate, chopped
1 tablespoon unsalted butter

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line an 8x8-inch square baking pan with parchment paper, leaving a 1-inch overhang on two sides.

2. Make the Shortbread: In a mixing bowl, beat together the butter and sugar with an electric mixer on medium speed until light and fluffy, 2 to 3 minutes. Add vanilla and salt and beat until combined. Add flour and mix until incorporated; dough may appear slightly crumbly. Firmly press into prepared pan. Poke shallow holes into the surface of the dough with a fork or skewer. Bake 18 to 22 minutes, or until the edges are lightly golden. Remove pan from oven and set on a wire rack.

3. Make the Caramel Layer: Place the caramel candies in a small saucepan over medium heat. Add the heavy cream and stir until completely melted. Pour hot caramel mixture over shortbread crust and spread into an even layer. Refrigerate until set, 30 minutes to 1 hour.

4. Make the Cookie Dough: Combine the butter and sugars in a large mixing bowl and beat on medium speed until light and fluffy, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the heavy cream and vanilla; mix well. Add the flour and salt and mix on low speed until incorporated. Stir in the chocolate chips. Spread the cookie dough on top of the caramel layer, using a spatula to smooth the dough into an even layer. Refrigerate the pan while you prepare the glaze.

5. Make the Chocolate Glaze: In a small bowl, combine the chocolate and butter and microwave on 50% power in 30-second increments, stirring after each, until completely melted and smooth. Spread the glaze over the cookie dough layer and chill until set, about 30 minutes.

6. To remove the bars from the pan, grasp the edges of the parchment paper and lift out the entire block. Place on a cutting board and use a large sharp knife to cut into 2-inch squares. Stored in an airtight container, bars will keep for up to 3 days.

(Recipe adapted from The Cookie Dough Lover's Cookbook)