Cookie Dough Brownies

Well, my first ever solo baking experience was interesting to say the least! Yes, we laughed, we cried, and in the end, the brownies tasted delicious. And the Giants won the Super Bowl. So all was right in the world. :) But I think, like my idol Rachael Ray, I will stick mostly with cooking from now on...

INGREDIENTS:

-1 package fudge brownie mix

-1/2 cup water

-1/2 cup oil

-1 egg

-1/2 cup chocolate chips

Filling:

-1/2 cup butter, softened

-1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar

-1/4 cup sugar

-2 tbsp milk

-1 tsp vanilla

-1 cup flour

Glaze:

-1 cup chocolate chips

-1 tbsp oil

-1 cup chopped walnuts

DIRECTIONS:

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease bottom only of 13x9 inch pan. In large bowl, combine brownie mix, water, egg, and oil; beat 50 strokes by hand. Stir in 1/2 cup chocolate chips. Spread in greased pan and bake at 350 for 33-35 minutes; do not overbake! Cool completely. In large bowl, beat 1/2 cup butter, brown sugar, and sugar until light and fluffy. Add milk and vanilla; blend well.

Add flour and mix well, then spread over cooled brownies. In small bowl, melt 1 cup chocolate chips and 1 tbsp butter on medium for 1-2 minutes or just until chocolate is melted; stir until smooth. Carefully spoon glaze over filling and spread to cover. Sprinkle with chopped nuts, pressing down slightly. Cut into bars and store in fridge.

COMMENTS:

Tip #1: If you use your brand new shiny KitchenAid mixer to mix the butter/brown sugar/sugar mixture...do not stick your spatula in the bowl while the mixer is mixing. (Crying episode #1)

Tip #2: The chocolate for the glaze doesn't really melt in the microwave. I don't know how in the world the creator of this recipe was able to do that. I ended up with a thick, but not melty, chocolate glaze. Which, needless to say, did not spread well on top of the brownies. (Crying episode #2) Craig helped me by melting an additional 1-2 cups of chocolate chips (these are not diet brownies!) so that we could get enough glaze to cover all the brownies. Phew, crisis averted.

But as I said, in the end, these brownies were delicious. I got the idea for them from a post on thenest.com and those ladies never steer me wrong. I made them for the Super Bowl (we had a few people over) but we had tons leftover. DARN. So we've had brownies for dessert all week. :) This is definitely a good twist on your traditional brownie! Just make sure you learn from my mistakes!