Chipster-Topped Brownies

I have been waiting a long time to try this recipe from Dorie Greenspan's Baking: From My Home to Yours. Maybe it has something to do with the fact that this bad boy calls for THIS in a 13x9 pan:

Yup, 6 eggs and over three sticks of butter - get your arteries ready! But on Saturday night Chuck and I were going to hang out with some good friends for dinner and games and I thought, "Perfect! I'll just leave all the leftovers with them!" Well, I didn't need to worry about leftovers because there weren't any! These brownies are just a dense, chocolate, cookie doughy, buttery bar of goodness. Just look at how "tall" they are:

Dorie likes to use chopped baking chocolate instead of chips in her recipes, but sometimes I get lazy and stick with my normal semi-sweet chips instead. So if she calls for 6 oz. of bitter or semi-sweet chocolate, you can just use a cup of chocolate chips in exchange. I also ommitted the nuts, as I usually do, since my father is allergic and I never know when I will be bringing him some extras!

I never bother with the parchment paper and instead use cooking spray right on my baking dish. Also, a word of advice, when you are spooning the cookie batter over the brownies, use the smallest spoonfuls possible and put them as close together as possible. That stuff is hard to spread!

Chipster-Topped Brownies
Dorie Greenspan

For the brownie layer:
6 ounces bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
3 ounces unsweetened chocolate, coarsely chopped
2 sticks (8 oz.) unsalted butter, cut into chunks
1 2/3 cups sugar
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup walnuts, coarsely chopped

For the cookie layer:
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 sticks (12 tablespoons) unsalted butter, at room temperature
3/4 cup (packed) light brown sugar
2/3 cup sugar
1 large egg
1 large egg yolk
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
6 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped into chips, or 1 c. chocolate chips

Getting ready: Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Butter a 9x13 in. baking pan, line it with wax or parchment paper and butter the paper. Put the pan on a baking sheet.

To make the brownie batter: Put both the chocolates and the butter in a bowl set over a saucepan of simmering water. Stirring occasionally, heat just until the ingredients are melted, shiny and smooth. If the mixture gets too hot, the butter will separate from the chocolates. Remove the bowl from the heat.

Working with a stand mixer, preferably fitted with a paddle attachment, or with a hand mixer in a large bowl, beat the sugar and eggs on medium-high speed for about 2 minutes, until pale, thick and creamy. Beat in the salt and vanilla extract. Reduce the speed to low and mix in the melted chocolate and butter, mixing only until incorporated. Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula, then, still on low speed, add the flour, mixing only until it disappears into the batter. Using the spatula, fold in the walnuts, and scrape the batter into the prepared pan. Set aside.

To make the cookie dough: Whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt.

Working with the stand mixer in the cleaned bowl or with the hand mixer in another large bowl, beat the butter and both sugars together on medium-high speed until smooth and creamy, about 3 minutes. One at a time, add the egg and the yolk, beating for 1 minute after each addition. Beat in the vanilla. Reduce the mixer speed to low and add the dry ingredients, mixing only until they disappear into the dough. Still on low, mix in the chopped chocolate.

Drop the cookie dough by spoonful over the brownie batter and, using a spatula and a light touch, spread it evenly over the batter.

Not the best spreading job in the world - the brownie layer is extremely soft.

Bake for 50 to 55 minutes, or until the cookie dough top is deep golden brown and firm and a thin knife inserted into the brownie layer comes out with only faint streaks of moist chocolate. Transfer the pan to a rack and cool to room temperature.

When the brownies are completely cool, carefully run a knife between the sides of the pan and the brownies, then invert them onto another rack. remove the paper and turn right side up onto a cutting board. (This will only work if you have used the parchment paper.) Cut into bars about 2 inches x 1 inch.