If you've known me long enough, you know that I like Valentine's Day. A lot. A friend of mine theorized that we are all very fond of the holidays closest to our birthdays, and maybe that's why I like it so much. Or maybe it's because Valentine's Day is a good excuse to break up the bleary wintery days with pretty notes and chocolate and heart confetti. And to try to talk your children out of store-bought valentines in exchange for complicated handmade ones that are not going to turn out as you are currently envisioning. Sigh.
But let's get to the point. I made these cookies for Superbowl as a little test. And they passed the test. So I think I will be making more and sending them as valentines to friends near and far. And so should you. Or you could just make some and eat them all yourself. That would also be a good idea.
Frosted Brownie Cookies
Makes 12 large cookies. Adapted from Sweetapolita.
For the Cookies
- 1 1/2 cups high quality semisweet chocolate chips
- 3 Tablespoons butter
- 1 cup packed light brown sugar
- 2 eggs
- 1 Tablespoon vanilla extract
- 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
- 2 Tablespoons Dutch cocoa powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
For the Frosting
- 1/2 cup high quality milk chocolate chips
- 1/4 cup high quality semisweet chocolate chips
- 2 Tablespoons butter
- 1 teaspoon corn syrup
Sprinkles of Choice (I like these.)
Preheat oven to 325 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
In a double boiler (heat proof bowl in a pot of water, 1 inch deep), melt the butter and 1 cup of chocolate chips over medium heat, being sure not to let the water boil or spill into the heat proof bowl (if water gets into the melting chocolate it will cause the chocolate to "freeze" and be unusable). Stir every so often until melted and smooth.
Meanwhile, use a fork to sift together the flour, baking powder and salt in a separate bowl. Set aside.
In another bowl, use an electric mixer to beat together the sugar, eggs and vanilla until well combined and smooth. Add the chocolate mixture to this and beat together on medium speed until well incorporated. Add the flour mixture in 3 increments, beating on low between each increment. Finally, stir in the remaining 1/2 cup of chocolate chips.
Use an ice cream scoop to scoop out six dollops of batter and place two inches apart on baking sheet. These will spread in the oven, so be sure to give them plenty of room. Bake for 10-12 minutes, until the cookies have a cracked appearance. (Do not overcook or the cookies will dry out and taste chalky.) Let cool on pan for 10 minutes, and then on a wire rack for another 10. Repeat to make the last six cookies.
After the two batches are cooled, make the frosting. In a double boiler, melt the chocolate chips, butter and corn syrup together, stirring occasionally until smooth. Use a knife to spread the frosting onto one half of each of the cookies and then add sprinkles generously.
Wrap them up all prettily and send them to everyone you love. I'm sure they'll like them.
P.S. These cookies are very rich, so you don't need to send a whole batch to each person.
