Bready or Not: Brookies
No need to deliberate whether to make chocolate chip cookies or brownies–this recipe for Brookies combines these goodies together in a delicious way.
This recipe excels at chocolate distribution. It’s not super-chocolaty, but every bite has some brownie and chocolate chips. If you add in cacao nibs, it’s even better; the nibs enhance the other chocolate flavors and adds a pleasant crunch at the same time.
On that note, this is a great recipe for people who don’t like nuts. There’s lots of flavor here without them. Could you add nuts? Sure. Is it necessary? Nope.
These bars are dense and nicely portable. Wrap them up individually, and they are great for a school lunch, road trip, or picnic. Plus, they freeze well, so you can even save some for later!
Modified from AllRecipes Magazine August/September 2020.
Bready or Not: Brookies
Equipment
- 9×13 pan
Ingredients
Cookie layer
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter (1 stick) room temperature
- 1/2 cup light brown sugar packed
- 1/4 cup white sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 large egg room temperature
- 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
Brownie layer
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter (1 stick) melted
- 1 cup white sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 large eggs
- 1/3 cup cocoa powder sifted
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 cup cacao nibs optional
Instructions
Make cookie layer
- Preheat oven at 350-degrees. Line a 9×13 pan with aluminum foil and apply nonstick spray.
- In a large bowl, beat together butter, sugars, and vanilla until light and creamy. Add egg, scraping bottom of bowl, then beat another two minutes.
- In another bowl, combine flour, salt, and baking soda. Gradually mix the dry ingredients into the wet. Fold in chocolate chips. Dough will be very thick and sticky. Drop into pan in clumps and press into a level layer, covering the bottom completely.
Make brownie layer
- Using the same big bowl (leave it unwashed or wash it, baker’s preference), beat together butter, sugar, and vanilla. Follow with the egg. Stir in the cocoa powder, flour, baking powder, and salt. Fold in the cacao nibs, if using.
- Pour over the cookie layer, spreading it into an even layer.
- Bake until the middle passes the toothpick test, 20 to 25 minutes. Cool completely–chilling in fridge, if desired–before slicing into bars.
- Brookies will keep in a sealed container at room temperature for 3 days, and can also be frozen for layer enjoyment.
OM NOM NOM!
Bready or Not: Gingerbread Chocolate Chip Cookies
Let’s start the year right with these Gingerbread Chocolate Chip Cookies!
These things are soft and chewy, the coarse sugar providing a sweet, crunchy crust. Plus, you get chocolate mixed throughout, which provides a lovely contrast to the spicy gingerbread.
I’ve noticed that it’s a very British thing to do at least part of a gingerbread recipe on the stovetop. It definitely creates a different, richer flavor that the standard American recipe that mixes everything in a bowl.
You’ll notice this recipe includes a lot of fresh ginger. In the past, I’ve kept ‘fresh’ ginger around by buying a hunk, using a vegetable peeler to take off the outside, then freezing the interior in pieces. You can then grate it straight from the freezer. I think I learned about this technique from a food magazine ages ago.
The original of this recipe is from a food magazine, too–Bake from Scratch Holiday Cookies 2019, this recipe by Edd Kimber. My version is modified a great deal. I do recommend seeking out this issue, though, as it has a LOT of great recipes.
Bready or Not: Gingerbread Chocolate Chip Cookies
Equipment
- large saucepan
- tablespoon scoop
- parchment paper
Ingredients
- 1 cup light brown sugar packed
- 1 cup unsalted butter 2 sticks, softened
- 1/2 cup unsulphured molasses
- 2 large eggs room temperature
- 4 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 Tablespoons fresh ginger
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 10.5 ounces chocolate chips dark, semisweet, or a mix
- 3/4 cup turbinado sugar
Instructions
- In a large saucepan on medium-heat, stir together brown sugar, butter, and molasses until the butter is melted and everything is mixed. Remove from heat to cool for 30 minutes.
- Whisk eggs into the cooled mixture.
- In a big bowl, combined flour, fresh ginger, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, ground ginger, salt, and nutmeg. Pour in the sugar from the saucepan, stirring until just combined. Fold in the chocolate.
- Encase dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 hours.
- Pull out dough to soften slightly, about 10 or 15 minutes. Preheat oven at 375-degrees. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Measure out the turbinado sugar into a small bowl. Use a tablespoon scoop to dole our dough, rolling each ball in sugar before setting spaced-out on baking sheet.
- Bake for 12 to 14 minutes, until cookies are set. Cool on pan for 5 minutes before transferring them to a cooling rack.
- Store in an airtight container at room temperature. Cookies keep for at least 3 days.
OM NOM NOM!
Bready or Not: Peppermint Bark Cookies
These incredible Peppermint Bark cookies really do taste like peppermint bark, but in chewy, beautiful cookie form!
These cookies even look holiday-colorful due to the bits of crushed candy cane throughout. I used a Hershey’s Chocolate Mint Candy Cane, but many varieties of candy cane would do. You could even mix it up with different colors and flavors!
I kept things easier by using chocolate chips, but this would be great with chopped chocolate, too, for different textures and flavors. Peppermint Bark itself comes in different variants, after all!
These cookies would be fantastic for a holiday cookie exchange, or to serve at a gathering. Or, if you’re cheap like me, bake them later on in January using candy canes scored on clearance!
Modified from Bake from Scratch Magazine Holiday Cookies 2019.
Bready or Not: Peppermint Bark Cookies
Equipment
- tablespoon scoop
- parchment paper
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups light brown sugar packed
- 1 cup unsalted butter 2 sticks, melted
- 1/2 cup white sugar
- 2 large eggs room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon peppermint extract
- 3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 4 ounces white chocolate chips
- 4 ounces dark chocolate chips
- 4 peppermint candy canes crushed
Instructions
- In a mixer, beat brown sugar, butter, and white sugar until combined. Add eggs one at a time followed by the extracts.
- In a separate bowl, stir together flour, baking soda, and sea salt. Gradually add the dry ingredients into the butter mixture. Fold in the two chocolates and candy cane bits. Cover top of dough with plastic wrap and chill it for 15 minutes.
- Preheat oven at 350-degrees. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Use a tablespoon scoop to parcel out dough, spaced out, on baking sheet. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, until cookies are set and just turning golden. Keep on sheet for a few minutes then transfer to a cooling rack.
- Store cookies in seal containers at room temperature. Keeps for at least 3 days.
OM NOM NOM!
Bready or Not Original: No Bake Pecan Praline Cookies
Do you need cookies ready, FAST? These no-bake wonders are prepared in minutes and just need 15 minutes to set.
Traditional pecan pralines are crunchy and sweet. This no-bake cookie version definitely has all that going on, with added chewiness from coconut.
I highly recommend using unsweetened coconut flakes or shreds here, as these cookies are not lacking at all in the sugariness department!
It’s amazing to me how something so goopy and hot can so quickly become set and easy to handle. This is the ultimate in fast-and-delicious cookies.
Bready or Not Original: No Bake Pecan Praline Cookies
Equipment
- large saucepan
- cookie sheet
- waxed paper
- tablespoon scoop
Ingredients
- 2 1/2 cups pecans chopped or whole
- 2 cups unsweetened coconut flakes or coconut shreds
- 2 1/2 cups white sugar
- 1/2 cup milk
- 1/2 cup light corn syrup
- 1 stick unsalted butter 1/2 cup
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Prepare a large cookie sheet, or several sheets, with waxed paper. In a bowl, stir together the pecans and coconut.
- In a saucepan on medium-high heat, stir together the sugar, milk, corn syrup, and butter. Continue to stir while bringing the mixture to a rolling boil. Stabilize the heat so that it continues to boil for 3 minutes.
- Remove pot from heat. Pour in the vanilla. Follow up with the pecans and coconut, stirring well to coat everything in goopy hot sugar.
- Use a tablespoon scoop to dole out cookies on the waxed paper. If they fall apart a bit, carefully use a spoon or the scoop to shape them again. Let cookies set, at least 15 minutes. Carefully peel them away from the waxed paper; note that the first scoops may be more prone to stick.
- Store cookies in a sealed container.
OM NOM NOM!
Bready or Not: Pearl Sugar Ginger Cookies
Pearl Sugar Ginger Cookies! These beauties are holiday-perfect with their crackled gingerbread looks and a crusting of pearl sugar.
What is pearl sugar, you ask? Something awesome! It’s the kind of thing you see in Scandinavian bakeries, and through the miracle of the internet, you can now use it in home baking as well.
I highly recommend the stuff. Not only is it pretty, but it adds an texturally-pleasant crunch. That is especially nice with these cookies, as the actual cookie is quite chewy. The sugar granules make it into something extraordinary.
If you can’t find pearl sugar in nearby stores (I can’t), it is available on Amazon. I like the Lars’ brand. [affiliate link]
These cookies will keep for upwards of a week in a sealed container, making them perfect for holiday cookie trays and gift-giving.
Recipe modified from my favorite baking magazine, Bake from Scratch.
Bready or Not: Pearl Sugar Ginger Cookies
Equipment
- parchment paper
- teaspoon scoop
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter (1 stick) room temperature
- 3/4 cup white sugar
- 1/4 cup light brown sugar packed
- 1 medium lemon zested
- 1/3 cup molasses not blackstrap
- 1 large egg room temperature
- 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons ground ginger
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
- 1 cup Swedish pearl sugar
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350-degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Beat together the butter, white sugar, brown sugar, and lemon zest until fluffy. In a stand mixer , this will be 2 to 3 minutes. Add the molasses and egg, scraping the bowl to make sure everything is mixed.
- In a separate bowl, stir together the flour, ginger, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, cardamom, and cloves.
- Gradually add the dry ingredients to the butter mixture. Stage the pearl sugar in a small bowl.
- Use a teaspoon scoop to form balls of dough. Roll them in the pearl sugar. If the granules aren’t sticking well, lightly dampen the dough and try again. Place the balls spaced out on the pan.
- Bake until the cookies look crackled on top with the edges just set, at 10 to 12 minutes. Let set on pan a few minutes before transferring cookies to a rack to completely cool. Store cookies in an airtight container at room temperature.
OM NOM NOM!
Bready or Not Original: Pumpkin Spice Snickerdoodles
A necessary clarification first thing: these Pumpkin Spice Snickerdoodles are named thusly because they include pumpkin spice, not pumpkin.
If you do want Snickerdoodles with pumpkin, I can help with that, too. Even in bar form.
These cookies look like normal Snickerdoodles with crackled tops, but the flavor is much more complex thanks to that spice mix. These really taste and smell like autumn.
However, these are so good, they are fantastic year-round. As I’ve said before, the things you enjoy–be it food or music or décor–shouldn’t be confined to one season. If you like it, like it whenever you want!
This recipe makes a decent batch, about 50 cookies using a teaspoon scoop, and will be best if eaten within 3 days. Therefore, make them to share with a crowd, or you may experience a Snickerdoodle overdose.
Bready or Not Original: Pumpkin Spice Snickerdoodles
Equipment
- parchment paper
- teaspoon scoop
Ingredients
Topping
- 3 Tablespoons pumpkin spice
- 1 Tablespoon ground cardamom
- 1/3 cup white sugar
Dough
- 2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons cream of tartar
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 cup unsalted butter (2 cubes) room temperature
- 1 1/2 cup white sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat an oven at 350-degrees. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. In a small bowl, mix together the three topping ingredients. Set aside.
- In another bowl, combined the flour, cream of tartar, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, beat together the butter and sugar until they are light and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, followed by the vanilla extract. Gradually work in the flour mixture until it’s just combined.
- Use a teaspoon scoop to form small bowls of dough. Roll the dough in the topping spices, one at a time, and place spaced out on the baking sheet.
- Bake for 8 to 10 minutes, until the tops are crackled and just set, but not browning. Let them cool at the sheet for a few minutes, then transfer them to a rack to fully cool.
- Store cookies in a sealed container at room temperature for up to 3 days.
