Brownie Cookie Cake

This cake is not a cake. It is heaven. Or better yet, it is a salted brown sugar chocolate chip cookie layered with a black cocoa brownie and covered with an espresso buttercream.

This cake is not pretending to be anything other than what it is: the richest, most decadent, gut wrenching dessert you’ve had in a long time.

Note: this recipe makes enough for two, three layer cakes. One for now and one for when you polish off the first cake and wish you had a second :).

---

Brownie Cookie Cake
adapted from Bake from Scratch and yours truly

Brownie Layers
397g (2⅓ cups) dark chocolate morsels/chips, divided
227g (1 cup) unsalted butter, cubed
300g (1½ cups) granulated sugar
220g (1 cup, packed) brown sugar
188g (1½ cups) all purpose flour
64g (¾ cup) black cocoa powder
2 tsp salt
5 large eggs
1 tbsp vanilla extract

Cookie Layers
113g (½ cup) butter, at room temperature
48g (4 tbsp) granulated sugar
184g (¾ cup + 2 tbsp packed) brown sugar
1 large egg
1 tsp vanilla extract
¾ tsp baking soda
Heaped 1/4 tsp salt
215g (1 ¾ cups) all purpose flour
225g (8 oz) dark chocolate morsels/chips

Coffee Buttercream
6 large egg whites
300g (1½ cups) granulated sugar
340g (1½ cups) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 tsp vanilla bean paste
2 tbsp espresso powder, not granules

Make the brownie layers: Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray three 6” cake pans and line with parchment paper (you can also make bake this in a 13x9 baking pan for traditional brownies).

In the top of a double boiler, add 1⅓ cups (227 grams) of the chocolate morsels and butter. Stir occasionally until the mixture is smooth. Turn off heat and whisk in sugars. Remove from heat, and let cool slightly.

In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, cocoa powder, and salt.

In a small bowl, lightly whisk eggs. Add half of beaten eggs to chocolate mixture, whisking until combined. Add remaining eggs and whisk until combined. Whisk in vanilla. Gently mix in flour mixture with a spatula until just combined. Fold in remaining chocolate chips and spread batter into prepared pans.

Bake until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out with a few crumbs, about 18 minutes.

Make the cookie layers: Heat oven to 360°F. Spray three 6” cake pans and line with parchment paper. In a large bowl, cream the butter and sugars together with an electric mixer until very light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Add egg and vanilla, beating until incorporated, and scraping down the bowl as needed.

Beat in salt fine sea or table salt and baking soda until combined, then the flour on a low speed until just mixed. Fold/stir in the chocolate chunks.

Evenly divide the dough into the three cake pans. Bake for 18-20 minutes, until just golden on the outside but still soft inside.

Make the buttercream: Place egg whites and sugar into the bowl of a stand mixer, whisk until combined.

Place bowl over a double boiler on the stove and whisk constantly until the mixture is hot and no longer grainy to the touch (approx. 3mins). Or registers 160F on a candy thermometer.

Place bowl on your stand mixer and whisk on med-high until the meringue is stiff and cooled (the bowl is no longer warm to the touch (approx. 5-10mins)).

Switch to paddle attachment. Slowly add cubed butter and mix until smooth. Add vanilla bean paste and espresso powder. Whip until smooth.

---

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Sandwich Cookies

I think that my life would be complete if I had the opportunity to eat chocolate chip cookie dough every 35 minutes. Actually, my life may be more complete if I simply did not think about eating cookie dough as often.

If you think about cookie dough as frequently as I do, I suggest heeding the following warning: turn away now...........from what you are doing and make these cookies. What is the alternative? Continuing to work on that boring excel spreadsheet and not make brownie cookies filled with cookie dough?

---

Brownie Cookies with [egg-less] Cookie Dough Filling

Make the cookies: Combine butter and chocolate chips in a medium saucepan and melt over medium heat, stirring frequently. Remove from heat and allow to cool, ~10-15 minutes. 

In a mixing bowl, whisk together flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt, set aside. In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat together sugars, eggs, and vanilla on medium-high speed until pale and fluffy, about 1 minute. Using a rubber spatula, fold and stir in melted chocolate mixture. 

Fold in 1/3 of the flour mixture at a time just until combined. Chill dough about 45 minutes (until it holds it's shape), preheating oven to 325 degrees while it is chilling.

Using a size 100 scoop (~1 tbsp), scoop dough onto Silpat or parchment lined baking sheets. Bake for 9 minutes, cool on baking sheet for a minimum 5 minutes before transferring to a rack to cool. Once cool, sandwich with chocolate chip cookie dough.

Make the frosting: In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat butter and sugars together on medium until light and fluffy. Beat in vanilla and milk/cream and mix until combined. Whisk together flour and salt and add to mixer; beat until combined. Add chocolate chips.

Cookies
1/2 cup unsalted butter
12 oz semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup sugar
3 eggs
2 tsp vanilla

Egg-less Cookie Dough
1 stick unsalted butter, room temperature
4 oz brown sugar (1/2 cup)
3.5 oz sugar (1/2 cup)
1 tsp vanilla
1.5 oz milk/cream
6 oz all purpose flour (1 1/3 cups)
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup mini chocolate chips

---