Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Brownies
These chocolate chip cookie dough brownies start with my favorite basic brownie recipe, and are topped with an egg-free cookie dough.
I posted a version of this recipe nearly six years ago, and while the concept (brownies + cookie dough!) is amazing, many of the reviewers thought that the recipe was a bit lacking, both in flavor and texture. Since this has been an incredibly popular recipe, I wanted to do it right and have updated it to include new-and-improved versions of both the brownies and the cookie dough, yummmm…
Brownies are sort of like cheesecake, aren’t they? There’s nothing better than the perfect dense, fudgy brownie, just like not much can beat a classic piece of creamy cheesecake. Yet with both of these desserts we’re always fiddling around with different versions, swirling things in and layering things on the top and the bottom (incidentally, peanut butter goes well with both!). It’s an endless merry go round of dessert experimentation, where there really can never be a bad result. I mean, chocolate chip cookie dough brownies? Nothing but good comes from these babies.
Hello beautiful bowl of cookie dough I can eat guilt-free with a spoon…
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When I first saw these chocolate chip cookie dough brownies years ago on RecipeGirl I stopped in my tracks. Aside from looking amazing, they were pure genius. I had done the whole chocolate chip cookie/brownie combo, but chocolate chip cookie dough?! SO much better! The topping for these brownies is very similar to the Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Dip that a friend passed along to me years and years ago, which is always a huge hit. The cookie dough is egg-free, so no raw egg consumption. (Your mom just breathed a sigh of relief.) This cookie dough is a little stiffer than the dip, so it holds up well to slicing and eating with your hands – no fork needed!
For this revised version, I turned to a combination of favorites – the better-than-box-mix brownies, which are fabulously simple and my favorite brownie recipe to dress up with other flavors. On top I used the cookie dough from my chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream, which hails from The Cookie Dough Lover’s Cookbook (written by Lindsay from Love & Olive Oil). The combo is a total home run – dense and fudgy brownies with intense chocolate flavor, along with the best edible cookie dough money can buy!
You know how milk and cookies go well together? How it’s great to wash down a rich brownie with a glass of milk? Yeah, you’re going to need at least one glass of milk after one of these babies – they are sweet and rich, and everything that is right with the world.
One year ago: Homemade Restaurant Style Salsa
Two years ago: Top 10 List: Favorite Main Dishes
Six years ago: Crunchy Good-For-You Granola Bars
Seven years ago: Raisin Bran Muffins
Nine years ago: Cheesecake Truffles
Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Brownies
Ingredients
For the Brownie
- ⅓ cup (28.67 g) Dutch-processed cocoa
- ½ cup (125 ml) + 2 tablespoons boiling water
- 2 ounces (56.7 g) unsweetened chocolate, finely chopped
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
- ½ cup (109 ml) + 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 2 eggs
- 2 egg yolks
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2½ cups (500 g) granulated sugar
- 1¾ cups (218.75 g) all-purpose flour
- ¾ teaspoon (0.75 teaspoon) salt
For the Cookie Dough
- 1 cup (227 g) unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 1 cup (220 g) light brown sugar
- ½ cup (100 g) granulated sugar
- ¼ cup (59.5 ml) heavy cream
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon (0.5 teaspoon) salt
- 1½ cups (187.5 g) all-purpose flour
- 1 cup (180 g) miniature semisweet chocolate chips
Instructions
- Make the Brownies: Adjust oven rack to lowest position and heat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a 9×13-inch baking pan with foil, leaving about a one-inch overhang on all sides. Spray with nonstick cooking spray.
- Whisk cocoa powder and boiling water together in a large bowl until smooth. Add the unsweetened chocolate and whisk until the chocolate is melted. Whisk in the melted butter and oil (the mixture may look curdled at this point, that’s okay!). Add the eggs, yolks, and vanilla extract, and whisk until smooth and homogeneous. Whisk in the sugar until fully incorporated. Add the flour and salt and mix with a rubber spatula until combined.
- Scrape batter into prepared pan and spread into an even layer. Bake until a toothpick inserted halfway between edge and center comes out with just a few moist crumbs attached, 30 to 35 minutes. Transfer the pan to a wire rack and cool completely.
- Prepare the Cookie Dough: Combine the butter and both sugars in a mixing bowl and beat on medium speed until light and fluffy, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the cream, vanilla and salt, and mix for another minute or so, until combined. Scrape the sides of the bowl, then reduce the mixer speed to low and gradually add the flour, mixing just until incorporated. Using a rubber spatula, stir in the chocolate chips.
- Spread the cookie dough evenly over the cooled brownies. Refrigerate until the dough is firm, about an hour. Transfer the brownies to a cutting board and use a sharp knife to cut the brownies into squares. The brownies should be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator or at cool room temperature for up to 1 week.
Notes
Did you make this recipe?
Leave a review below, then snap a picture and tag @thebrowneyedbaker on Instagram so I can see it!
This recipe was originally published on July 21, 2011.
I just made these and there is something wrong with the quantities in the cookie dough part. I measure everything very precisely when I bake because I don’t want any surprises, but after mixing up the cookie dough, it was so dry it was basically just crumbs – nothing like cookie dough at all. I re-checked the recipe and quantities to make sure I hadn’t left anything out – I hadn’t. I wound up adding 6 Tbspn oil to get it to cookie dough consistency. I think when the eggs were left out of the recipe, nothing was substituted for them, as 3 Tbspn milk and 1.5 tsp of vanilla just aren’t enough liquid to bind that quantity of flour and sugar…..
Even with the butter….
However they do get the taste approval of the whole family.
Hi Heather, I’m so sorry your cookie dough didn’t turn out well. Mine was definitely creamy, not like crumbs at all. I’m wondering if you’re in particularly dry climate, and that could be part of a problem?
I made these for my Cub Scout leaders and they loved them – so did my family! I included your link in my Friday Favorites.
I made these brownies last weekend after anticipating them all week. However, I also found them very bland (lack of salt?), and very “fatty” tasting. The 4 eggs made the brownies too fluffy for my liking. I had a big lunch party, and no one went for seconds – even the kids left the brownies untouched after the first bite. I wonder what it would be like to use a denser brownie base and salted butter for the whole recipe. Overall, it was an expensive recipe to waste. I’m not discouraged, though. Some of your other recipes look amazing! And at the end of the day, not everthing will be for everybody.
Hi I made these and the brownie turned out like cake! And it’s a cake that’s not nice too :( may i know what went wrong?? I followed exactly except I halved the recipe.
Well, I haven’t tested this recipe by halving it. Some recipes can scale with no problems, while others can have issues with the leavening, eggs, etc. Usually though brownies turning cake-like is due to over-mixing of the batter or baking for too long.
I’m not much of a baker, but these might make me try
Just Stumbled this post. These look awesome. Will have to give them a try.
Wow! these brownies were incredible and i never cheat on brownies.
(only cheesecake!) like ever! the brownie base was fudgy and dense, like a brownie should be and then the cookie dough topping was soft, yummy and delicious. it was such a genius idea to avoid baking the topping since the cookie dough has a shorter baking time than the brownies. i cant wait to serve these to more people because they are such a crowd pleaser! thanks for the recipe but no thanks for the extra pounds you caused me to gain!
btw i love your blog and always recommend it to other people who are obsessed with cooking & baking like i am!
Ok, made these today, and its another winner! Since I’ve found this site I’ve been baking non-stop every weekend, (Mikey’s Peanut Butter Pie, Hershey’s perfect cake, etc) and every one has been a winner. Thanks for such great recipes with really clear instructions and helpful tips.
omg these look beyond amazing
I made these for snack time at work last week– they were a big hit! Thanks for a great recipe!
I followed this recipe to the T and it did not come out looking this way with this recipe make out. They were dry and did not taste right. We were so excited to make these too. :-( Later looked at some other recipes and this one is omitting some key ingredients to keep things tasty.
oh to double up on more information. The cookie dough itself was WAAAAAAAYY to sweet and grainy.
Well I guess I don’t like cookie dough as much as I remember. The picture made them look delicious and mine turned out very nice. However they have an amazing amount of butter and sugar and were just too sweet and rich for us.
I made these and my husband and I thought they were good but not the best brownie variation we’ve had. I cut back on the amount of cookie dough layer by reducing all the measurements by 1/3. I’m glad I did this since the amount of sugar in the dough can be overpowering and create a grainy texture. I also added a little salt to both layers. If I make these again I’ll probably further reduce the chocolate chips- it was a bit much for my preference.
Sugar will take away the potential salmonella from the egg. So never fear adding eggs to any recipe that also has sugar in it!
Read more: http://wiki.answers.com/Q/Does_sugar_cook_an_egg#ixzz1UOX4oCCI
Stop! – you had me at ‘chocolate’!
I finally got around to making these today and I think that they were ok…I did follow the advice about the salt and I added about a 1/4 tsp to the cookie dough mixture. I did deviate from the brownie recipe by adding a 1/4 cup of cocoa powder in with flour, a tablespoon of granulated sugar in with the chocolate and I also added 2 tablespoons of sour cream into the batter. A small piece with a glass of milk was more than enough to satisfy my sweet tooth.
I made these yesterday (August 2, 2011) exactly as the recipe states. I have to be honest, I really disliked them. I couldn’t even eat a small piece. The unsweetened chocolate for the brownies just really made the brownies lack that rich smooth sweetness that you come to expect from brownies. Also, the flavors just didn’t blend together in the right way. Using unsalted butter for both the brownies and the cookie dough left it with a really flat taste; nothing to balance out the sweetness.
I made them for my niece’s 16th birthday and decided not to even serve them. Huge disappointment.
I made this recipe on Sunday, and it was almost too rich! I added some salt per a reviewer’s suggestion which i thought was a great idea. This recipe was very easy and good, but the dough was so sweet, a lot of people in my office couldn’t handle it. That being said, they were still good, but they definitely need to be served in small portions and with some milk!
Oh my gosh, these look divine! Would lovee to try these!
These look amazing!! Can’t wait to try this recipe later!! =)
just made these and they were sooooo easy!! i ate about 1/2 of the cookie dough batter….ummm, divine. now waiting for them to cool in the fridge — can’t wait to see how they turn out!! :) THANK YOU!
I made these up & the cookie dough tasted a little bland. I realized there is no salt in the brownie recipe or the cookie dough & so I added a bit of salt to the cookie dough recipe & I think that helped (for my tastes). I definitely preferred them served fresh from the refrigerator, as they warmed up, they just weren’t as yummy. I am curious as to why there isn’t any salt in either recipe. Wondering if that was an oversight?
I noticed the same thing tonight when I made these! I ended up sprinkling them with kosher salt because the flavor seemed flat. I put in a note to add salt to each layer next time. Glad I wasn’t the only one!
I think will freeze okay…right?
Yes, definitely!
These look delish!
But… What SHOULD I use? Salted or unsalted butter? Which would you recommend?
I would go the unsalted route. I will amend the recipe to reflect that.
Made these today and overall they were pretty good. Although I found that the cookie dough seemed to over power the brownie taste a tad too much. But hey, if you love cookie dough go for it! I would recommend cooking the brownie for the 25 minutes and not any longer because they were a bit dry.
I’m definitely making these this week. They look awesome!
Oh, boy, do these look outstanding! Copied to try ASAP!!!!
These brownies look delicious!! You are always posting great looking desserts that I just have to try. My neighbor is loving all the baking I’m doing because he gets a few of them. Thats me though, I love to share.
I think my husband and kids will love these! They look amazing…. This pregnant mommy has a bit of a brownie obsession…. Can’t wait to try them!!