Chocolate Chip Cookie-Brownie Cups

Williams-Sonoma is where my baking brain goes in its dreams. Everything there is the best of the best, highest quality, most delicious, and insanely overpriced stuff I always wish I felt okay spending money on. But I don't. Take, for example, this incredibly fantastic looking boxed mix for something called a "brookster". Until this weekend, I had never heard of such a thing...and I'm pretty sure it's because that is such a horrible name for such a wonderful little piece of food. 

Yeah, a brookster is not only food, its a cookie baked on top of a brownie...like, how amazing is that idea? The problem is, Williams-Sonoma wanted $16.95 for the box of flour, sugar, and cocoa I was supposed to use to bake it...seriously W.S.?? This is why I only dream of buying things there. 

Having been infected with the idea that I now could only eat cookies and brownies baked as one, I immediately pulled out my muffin pan. How hard could this be? 

Good news! Not hard. You basically need three things: Cookie Dough, Brownie Mix and a Cupcake or Muffin pan. 

I used a Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough that I am still working on, recipe wise, so I'm going to tell you to use whatever Cookie Dough you'd like...homemade, store-bought, whatever. Same goes with the brownie batter. You want to use boxed ghiradelli? Go ahead, because I'm pretty sure those are some of the best brownies I've ever had. I, made them from scratch using a recipe from the back of the Ghiradelli Sweet Ground Chocolate Tub.

The idea is this: You butter the muffin pan and place about 2 Tablespoons of Brownie Batter in the bottom. Refrigerate it for 1 hour so the cookie dough does not immediately sink to the bottom of the pan. It's a good idea to make the cookie dough (if you are going to make it) and refrigerate it along with the muffin pan of brownie batter so the two are the same temperature when you go to bake them.

After the hour is up, place about 2 Tablespoons of Cookie Dough on top of the brownie batter. 

Bake at 350 degrees for about 18 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean from the center of the cookie-brownie thing. 

And you have, what I refuse to call the "brookster" 

I'm certain that the New York bakery that created these is a wonderful place, and I am certain that their boxed mix is fantastic...but I just saved $16.95 and gained a lot of new best friends by making them at home. 

Enjoy!