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These two-layer Cookie Dough Brownies feature a rich, chewy chocolate brownie topped with eggless mini chocolate chip-filled cookie dough!
Cookie dough + brownies. Arguably two of the world’s best creations when they’re on their own. Together? Irresistible.
The inspiration for this recipe came from a treat I had in London. My friends Izzy, Paige, and I were wandering around the Real Food Market on the Southbank (which was recommended by one of my readers – thanks! :D) and we saw the cutest little dessert stand. Obviously, we couldn’t resist picking up a few treats to bring back with us to snack on.
The first bar we got was a Snickers Bar, which was pretty darn delicious. The second treat we got was a cookie dough brownie. It looked fudgy and rich, with a thick layer of cookie dough on top. Unfortunately, the reality was a little less impressive. The brownie wasn’t as chocolatey as it should have been, and it was on the verge of being too dry. The cookie dough was too sweet and didn’t have any flavor – just sweetness with too few chocolate chips. We weren’t impressed.
After we all took a bite, we agreed that I need to remake these brownies, and make them taste the way you would want a cookie dough brownie to taste: rich, chocolatey, with a delicious cookie dough that tastes like the real thing (even though it’s gotta be eggless). I didn’t want to use a brownie that was too rich, because, with the cookie dough, it could easily become overwhelming.
I had to make my own Cookie Dough Brownies!
When it came time to recreating cookie dough brownies in my own kitchen, I settled on one of my favorite chewy brownie recipes. It paired perfectly with the lightly sweet, but flavored and absolutely delicious eggless cookie dough.
That eggless cookie dough is absolutely to die for and would be so good mixed into some vanilla ice cream or *cough cough* eaten with a spoon. Not that I’d do something like that…
When all the elements came together, you’ve got a dessert bar that’s definitely rich, but not overwhelmingly so. These Cookie Dough Brownies were everything I wanted the ones in London to be. And yeah, there are two different components of it that you need to make, but both the brownies and the cookie dough don’t need more equipment than a bowl, a whisk, and a wooden spoon. Don’t you love that?!
If you’re a cookie dough person (and who isn’t…?), you must try these! Enjoy :)
Cookie Dough Brownies
Ingredients
For the brownies
- ½ cup 1 stick unsalted butter, melted
- ¾ cup white sugar
- ¾ cup light brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 eggs
- ¾ cup all-purpose flour
- ½ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
For the cookie dough
- ¼ cup ½ stick butter, softened
- ¼ cup brown sugar
- ¼ cup white sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 3 tablespoons milk of choice
- 1 cup 4¼ oz. all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup mini chocolate chips
Instructions
For the brownies
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Line an 8×8-inch pan with parchment paper or foil and grease lightly.
- Combine the melted butter, sugars, and vanilla in a large bowl. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each, until thoroughly blended.
- In a separate bowl, combine the flour, cocoa powder, and salt. Gradually stir flour mixture into the egg mixture until blended. Spread the batter evenly into the prepared baking dish.
- Bake in preheated oven until an inserted toothpick comes out clean, about 30 minutes. Remove, and cool pan on wire rack before adding cookie dough on top.
For the cookie dough layer
- In a medium bowl, mix together the brown sugar, white sugar, and butter until smooth. Whisk in vanilla and milk. Mix in the flour until well blended. Stir in chocolate chips.
- Spread cookie dough in an even layer on top of cooled brownies. Refrigerate until firmed up, about 1 hour, before cutting into squares.
That is always so annoying, when a dessert looks amazing but doesn’t taste as good as it looks! No problems here – everything looks rich, fudgy, and decadent, and based on how I am about to faceplant in my computer screen, I can bet it tastes even better than it looks. That cookie dough! Pinning, and happy weekend Rachel!
As one of the friends that tried the average cookie dough brownie in London I am SO UPSET i cannot teleport to Tacoma to try these! Guess ill have to make a whole batch for myself ;)
I do exactly what you do! Get desserts somewhere, feel disappointed, and then make it better myself. These look delicious! I’m sure these are far superior to the ones in London.
Cookie dough brownies are definitely the best dessert ever! Two of my favorites, combined into one. Can’t wait to try these out! Pinned!
Nice recipe and its look so amazing. I will surely try this at home.
This is so ironic.. after having a cookie dough brownie this weekend I could not help to try and recreate them myself. We both tried the same original brownies at South Bank Food Market! I can definitely confirm that they were AMAZING!!!
How funny!! Thanks so much for commenting, Alina :)
This looks delish! The brownie is in the oven as I type this, can’t wait to taste it! Do you put frosting on the brownie before putting the cookie dough, or just leave it as is and dump the cookie dough on top of it?
Hi Julie. You just spread the cookie dough right on the brownies – no need for frosting. Enjoy!
i had an issue with the cookie dough layer not “sticking” to the brownie layer … any suggestions ?
Hi Cindy, I haven’t tried it but my first thought was to try spreading a thin layer of melted chocolate between the brownie and cookie dough to act as a sort of glue. Hope this helps!
Can we just use a boxed brownie mix?
Definitely! Just substitute it for my brownie recipe.
I was wondering if margarine would work instead of butter? I have made this recipe many times, and my family loves it! I just have never used margarine before
Hi Sandy. So glad your family loves these brownies! I don’t ever use margarine, so I’m not sure how it would perform, but I think it would be similar and the brownies would turn out well. Report back if you try it!
It worked out great!