Better than Brownie Cookies

When I was on my cookie-baking kick over Christmas, my hubby and son would ask when I was going to make some brownies.  I like baking cookies because they only take about 10-15  min...nobody said I was patient.  But, I LOVE brownies. 

I came across these brownie-cookies on Brown Eyed Baker's site, which she adapted from Culinography, who got it from Technicolor Kitchen.  These are the perfect combination. They only take about 12 minutes to bake and they have that shiny, crinkly outside and a soft, chewy center. They're dense enough to dunk in milk, if that's how you roll.


They didn't last long at home and as much as my guys enjoy my cooking, I'd say their pet peeve is that I don't have time to make the same recipe twice because I'm forever searching for the new next best thing.  I can think of worse things than taste-testing a bunch of brownies and cookies. :)


Now, go whip these up and see if you want to make a 35 minute pan of brownies again.


Better-than-Brownies Chocolate Cookies

Makes 24 large cookies

2 2/3 cups (about 16 ounces) bittersweet chocolate, chopped

4 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature

4 eggs

1 1/3 cups granulated sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

½ cup all-purpose flour

½ teaspoon baking powder

1 cup semisweet or bittersweet chocolate chips



1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.



2. Put the chocolate and butter in a heatproof bowl and set it over a saucepan of barely simmering water, stirring occasionally, until completely melted and smooth.



3. In the meantime, stir together the eggs, vanilla and sugar in a medium bowl. Set aside.



4. In a small bowl, sift together the flour and baking powder.



5. Add the melted chocolate mixture to the egg mixture and stir to combine well. Slowly add the dry ingredients, folding them into the batter. Once all of the flour is incorporated, stir in the chocolate chips.



6. Scoop 1½ tablespoons of dough (a medium cookie scoop’s worth) onto prepared baking sheets. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until they are firm on the outside. Like brownies, do not overbake! Leave to cool completely on the baking sheets.

Gingersnaps from 17andbaking.com

If you haven't had the pleasure of reading the 17 and baking blog, please do so. I envy this young woman because I wish I'd had the internet (yes, I'm that old) and idea to do something similar when I was her age. I enjoyed writing and cooking and had just enough confidence back then to go for it. Who knew I'd decide 20+ years later to go for it as a hobby and very welcome distraction.

My mom used to love gingersnaps and she usually kept a bag in the pantry. For me they were a last resort when there wasn't anything else that appealed to me. Every time I had one they were always so much better than I remembered. I just had to get past how hard and crunchy they were. I don't remember the brand, but they were in a simple, brown bag..about as attention-getting as a bag of potatoes.

I saw this recipe for soft and chewy gingersnaps and they looked sooo pretty, I couldn't resist. These aren't my mama's gingersnaps but I thought about her when I picked up the first one and looked at the shiny turbinado sugar glisten as I bent the cookie in half.  Smile.

"Makes 5 dozen 2″ cookies


oven: 375


2 cups all purpose flour
2 tsp baking soda
2 tsp ground cinnamon
2 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp ground cloves
Pinch of salt
1 cup packed light brown sugar
1/4 cup molasses
3/4 cup canola oil
1 large egg

Sugar for rolling (I like evaporated cane juice or raw sugar)

Whisk together the flour, baking soda, spices, and salt in a medium bowl. In another bowl, combine together the brown sugar, molasses, canola oil, and egg until smooth. Mix the flour mixture into the brown mixture, stirring until dough comes together. Cover with plastic wrap and chill for 20 minutes.



Preheat the oven to 375 degrees and line baking sheets with parchment paper. Scoop up bits of dough by the heaping teaspoonful and roll into balls between your palms, about the size of a quarter. Roll the balls in sugar and place on the baking sheets 2 inches apart. Bake 8 minutes – if you like crispy gingersnaps, try 9-10 minutes.


Cookies will be very soft but will firm up. Leave on the baking sheet several minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely."