Chocolate Chip Cookie Brownie Bars

Never decide between chocolate chip cookies and brownies again!  A delicious gooey brownie is sandwiched between layers of chocolate chip cookies, leaving you with an irresistible dessert!

Church potlucks are the bomb dot com!  Did I just say that? ...

Anyway, has anyone ever gone hungry at a church potluck?  I haven't!  A couple weeks ago we had lunch after our church service.  There was a ridiculous amount of desserts on the dessert table.  Have you ever noticed that when there are a lot of dessert options, people tend to take about 5 desserts?  At home I only get 1 dessert choice so that's all I take, but when I have a million choices, I'm going to load up!

One of our youth group kids stopped by our table to show off his creation:  a cookie, topped with a brownie, and topped with another cookie.  It was a cookie brownie sandwich! And it looked amazing!  I thought to myself, I could make that...

So I did!  It was my turn to bring dessert for our small group and since this dessert idea was fresh in my mind, I decided this was the perfect time to give it a try.

I spent a good amount of time researching the idea and trying to figure out the best way to make these bars and get the brownie to cook all the way through without burning the bottom layer.  Turns out, this concept hasn't really been done before, so I was on my own.  I thought about it for a while before deciding that it would be best to bake the bars in steps.  I baked the bottom cookie dough layer and brownie layer for about 20 minutes before adding on the top cookie layer.  The brownie layer turned out perfectly gooey, but not under-baked, and the cookie dough layer wasn't over-baked.  Win!

So next time you have a craving for chocolate chip cookies and brownies, whip up a batch of these bars, then you won't have to choose between the two!

Chocolate Chip Cookie Brownie Bars

Makes one 9x13" pan, about 24 servings

Ingredients:
1 boxed brownie mix, plus ingredients to prepare it
1/3 cup shortening
1/3 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
1-1/2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup chocolate chips


1.  Prepare brownie mix as directed on the box.  Set aside.

2.  Cream together the shortening, butter, and sugars.

3.  Add in the egg and vanilla and mix well.

4.  Stir in the flour and baking soda until completely incorporated.

5.  Add in the chocolate chips and stir to combine.

6.  Divide the cookie dough in half.  Place half in the fridge to chill.  Press the other half into a greased 9x13" pan.

7.  Pour the brownie batter over the cookie dough.

8.  Bake at 350 for 20 minutes.  The edges of the brownie should be baked.

9.  When there's about 3 minutes of baking time left, take the other half of the cookie dough out of the fridge.  Place between 2 sheets of plastic wrap and use your hands (or a rolling pin) to press the dough into a rectangle approximately 9x13".

10.  Remove the pan from the oven and place the flattened cookie dough on top of the brownie.  If it breaks a little or doesn't fit perfectly, that's okay!

11.  Return to oven and bake for an additional 20-25 minutes, until the brownie is baked all the way through and the cookie layer is brown.

Cool completely before cutting into squares.  Cover with plastic wrap and store at room temperature.