In the Oven: Brooksters

No more having to decide between a chocolate chip and a brownie – these are the best of both combined into one! This is our first recipe out of the new Baked Elements. Posting date for Brooksters is September 16.

Plus, everyone who bakes along with us this week will be entered into our giveaway! Win a Baked goodies including a Baked t-shirt, tote and packaged mixes, courtesy of Baked!

A winner will be chosen at random on Monday, September 17, 2012. Here are the contest rules:

• Only U.S. residents can enter, and I will only ship to a U.S. address. Winner must supply a valid e-mail address so that we can notify you if you are a winner (winners cannot be notified by U.S. mail).
• You must post a link to your blog€ entry for Brooksters under the post entitled “Leave Your Links: Brooksters” on Sunday, September 16, 2012. Comments will be open until 11:59 PM PDT on Sunday, September 16, 2012.
• Only one entry in any per person is allowed.
• Winner will be chosen randomly using Random.org. If selected, you will be notified by e-mail and you must respond by September 30, 2012 with a U.S. mailing address.

Brooksters
Yield: 6 Brooksters

For the Chocolate Chip Cookie Filling
2 1/4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
8 ounces (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
1 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar
½ cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
12 ounces (about 2 cups) good-quality semisweet chocolate chips

For the Brownie Tart Shells
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon dark unsweetened cocoa powder (like Valrhona)
1/2 teaspoon salt
5 ounces good-quality dark chocolate (60 to 72%), coarsely chopped
4 ounces (1 stick) unsalted butter, cut into 1-inch cubes
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
3 large eggs, at room temperature
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Make the Chocolate Chip Cookie Filling
In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, and baking soda. Set aside.

In the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and sugars together on medium speed until smooth and creamy. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl and add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. The mixture will look light and fluffy. Add the vanilla and beat for 5 seconds.
Add half of the flour mixture and beat for 15 seconds. Add the remaining flour mixture and beat until just incorporated.

Remove the bowl from the mixer and fold in the chocolate chips until evenly combined. Cover the bowl tightly and chill in the refrigerator for 3 hours.

Make the Brownie Tart Shells
Butter the bottoms and sides of 6 individual (4-inch) pie plates, or lightly spray with nonstick cooking spray, and place the pie plates on a baking sheet. (See below for alternative baking instructions.)

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, and salt.

Place the chocolate and the butter in the bowl of a double boiler over medium heat and stir occasionally until the chocolate and butter are completely melted and combined. Turn off the heat, but keep the bowl over the water of the double boiler and add both sugars, whisking until completely combined. Remove the bowl from the water and let the mixture cool to room temperature.

Add one egg at a time to the chocolate mixture, whisking after each addition until just combined. Add the vanilla and stir until combined. Do not overbeat the batter at this stage or your brownies will be cakey.

Sprinkle the flour mixture over the chocolate mixture. Using a spatula (do not use a whisk) fold the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients until there is just a trace amount of the flour mixture visible.

Fill each pie plate with brownie batter until it is just under halfway full. Place the baking sheet in the refrigerator and chill for 3 hours.

Assemble the Brooksters
After the cookie dough and brownie batter have chilled for 3 hours, preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Using an ice cream scoop with a release mechanism, scoop out the dough into 4 tablespoon–size balls and use your hands to shape the dough into perfect balls. Gently flatten each ball into an oblong disk. The disks should be slightly smaller than the tops of the pie plates.

Remove the baking sheet containing the brownie batter and gently press a cookie dough disk into the batter in each pie plate.

Place the baking sheet in the oven and bake for 20 to 25 minutes, rotating the sheet halfway through the baking time. The Brooksters are done when the cookie part is golden brown.

Cool to room temperature or serve warm with ice cream.

Baked Note: This recipe is fairly straightforward and easy; however, it does require some plan-ahead time. Make sure to read through the whole recipe first, as there are many steps (simple ones, but quite a few). Don’t be tempted to rush the specified refrigeration time—it’s important for the dough and batter to cool and thicken slightly for a perfect bake. You can do all the prep work ahead of time, then bake at your leisure.
You may or may not have some leftover chocolate chip cookie batter. If you do, feel free to scoop into 2-tablespoon sized balls and bake on a separate cookie sheet.

How to Make Brooksters in Muffin or Cupcake Pans
If you are having trouble locating 4-inch pie plates or if you wish to make smaller Brooksters, you can easily bake these in a standard 12-cup muffin or cupcake pan. Simply follow the directions as specified in the original recipe, but make these modifications:

• Use only a light-colored metal muffin or cupcake pan. Dark-colored metal will cause the edges of the Brookster to crisp up too early.
• Lightly grease each individual cup in the muffin or cupcake pan.
• Decrease the oven temperature to 350 degrees F.
• Keep a close eye on the Brooksters to make sure they don’t overbake; they will probably take slightly longer to bake in this form because they are thicker.
• As always, rotate your pan halfway through the baking time.

Excerpted from Baked Elements: Our 10 Favorite Ingredients by Matt Lewis and Renato Poliafito. Copyright © 2012 by Matt Lewis and Renato Poliafito. Excerpted by permission of Stewart, Tabori & Chang, an imprint of Abrams. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.