Martha Stewart Living (May 2014)
We've all been there.
You've been invited to a dinner -- or a cookout, or a party, or a bat mitzvah or whatever -- and you need to take a dish. That's when the internal debate starts. Buy something? Make something? Buy something and pretend like you made something?
Personally, we're fans of the "oh we've got to make something but we've waited 'til the last minute what can we make with what's in the cupboards???" approach.
All that stops now, with this recipe for Walnut Brownie Cookies. This is your new go-to dessert recipe for summer gatherings.
These cookies won't only make you a good guest. They'll make you insanely popular, funnier and better looking*.
There isn't anything necessarily new about cookies that mimic brownies, but really, that's just fine with us. We love a brownie. We love a cookie. And we fully support the marriage of these two beautiful baked creatures.
The ingredients and method are simple. And as long as you haven't raided your chocolate supply in a late-night-Mad Men-anxiety-inspired binge (just us?), you'll be able to cobble these cookies together in short order. The recipe seems forgiving (so what if the cookies aren't all perfectly the same size?), doesn't require decoration (though we wouldn't quibble if you sprinkled a little sea salt on top) and the results are spectacular. They're soft, rich, sweet and salty.
We took a batch of these cookies over to our friend Mark's for a small dinner party (along with that Saffron Roasted Cauliflower). Mark grilled chicken and made wonderful salads. There were eight or so of us, sitting outside, enjoying what was for us the first real outdoor meal of the season, on a night that was just perfectly warm enough.
After dinner, we set out a plate of these brownie cookies. Everyone took one. Then we all took another. And another. The batch was gone in no time (and there may have been some hand-swatting involved).
The only things these sweet morsels are lacking? A trendy hybrid name. Like the cronut or the duffin or the waffogato, a combo dessert isn't worth anything these days without a hashtag-ready portmanteau.
So what to call these brownie cookies?
Cownies?
Brookies?
What about just "delicious"?
* Results may vary, but we stand by the popularity claim.
Walnut Brownie Cookies
Martha Stewart Living (May 2014)
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(This photo: Ryan Liebe for Martha Stewart Living)
Total Time: 1 Hour
Makes 2 dozen cookies
INGREDIENTS
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon unsweetened cocoa powder
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon coarse salt
8 ounces semisweet chocolate, finely chopped
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into pieces
2/3 cup packed light-brown sugar
2 large eggs, room temperature
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 1/4 cups toasted walnuts (about 4 ounces), coarsely chopped
DIRECTIONS
STEP 1: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Whisk together flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt in a bowl.
STEP 2: Melt chocolate and butter in a heatproof bowl set over a pan of simmering water, stirring until smooth and combined. Remove from heat and whisk in brown sugar, then eggs and vanilla. Stir in flour mixture with a flexible spatula, then fold in 1 cup walnuts. Refrigerate until dough is just firm, about 30 minutes.
STEP 3: Drop heaping tablespoons of dough, at least 2 inches apart, onto 2 parchment-lined baking sheets. Sprinkle with remaining 1/4 cup walnuts. Bake until tops of cookies are set and shiny, about 12 minutes. Let cool completely on sheets on wire racks.
MAKE AHEAD: Cookies can be stored at room temperature up to 3 days.
