Chocolate Peanut Butter Cookie Dough Brownie Bars

I've been winning contests since I was a kid. I'm not talking about the kind of contest where you need to have real skill and talent to win.

I'm talking about the contests where you enter your name and can randomly have your name drawn out of a hat as the winner.

I don't know what it is. Maybe since I won young, I've been more tempted to enter since then, increasing my chances over those who just walk by and think they don't have a chance.

Just a theory. 

As a kid, I won the huge Christmas stocking at the grocery store. It was taller than me. Taller than my dad, even. It was stuffed with cheap grocery store toys, and I loved it.

From the library's summer reading program, I won an awesome pair of roller skates. With whatever color wheels I wanted. :) 

I won a free library worth of books for my classroom (200 new Scholastic books), and a free library of books to give to another classroom in my school.

Most recently, it was The Cookie Dough Lover's Cookbook, published by Lindsay of Love and Olive Oil. I won it from a delightful blog giveaway she hosted.

It's amazing. I am nothing if not a cookie dough lover, and the cookbook, which features her egg-free cookie dough, shows you how to bring cookie dough into every baked good you can think of.

Since I've been on a chocolate and peanut butter kick since I was born, I had to bring peanut butter into her chocolate chip cookie dough brownie bars.

It was the right choice. As we've been over, peanut butter makes almost everything with chocolate in it even better.

And I made them in muffin tins to create individual cakes. Just to be cute.

They come together in a snap because you can whip up the cookie dough while the brownies are baking. When you top them with a scoop of ice cream, they get even more fantastic.




Chocolate Peanut Butter Cookie Dough Brownie Bars

Ingredients:
For the brownies:
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon dark cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 1/2 ounces dark chocolate, chopped
1/3 cup unsalted butter, chopped
2/3 cup dark brown sugar, packed
2 eggs, beaten with a fork
1 teaspoon vanilla

For the cookie dough:
1/2 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup dark brown sugar, packaged
2 tablespoons milk (I used almond milk)
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup miniature peanut butter cups, chopped

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Butter 8 muffin cups.

Make the brownies: In a small bowl, combine the flour, cocoa powder and salt. Set aside. In a double boiler, melt the chocolate and the butter, stirring the two together until smooth. Remove from the heat. Add the brown sugar, and whisk well until the sugar is dissolved and the mixture has cooled. Whisk in the eggs and vanilla.

Fold the flour mixture into the chocolate mixture until just incorporated.

Pour the brownie mix into the prepared muffin cups, evenly distributing the batter between the cups.

Bake for 13 to 16 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Transfer the muffin pan to a wire rack to cool completely.

Prepare the cookie dough: In a large mixing bowl, combine the room temperature butter and the sugars. Beat on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 2 to 3 minutes. Mix in the milk and vanilla, and mix well.

Add the flour and salt, and stir until incorporated. Stir in the chopped peanut butter cups.

(Once the brownies are cool!) Spread the cookie dough evenly on top of the brownies. Smooth the top of the cookie dough. Refrigerate the desserts until needed.

Serve on individual plates, topped with a bit of ice cream (I used chocolate) or whipped cream.