Gooey Cookies & Cream Bars

Tags

bar, chocolate, cookie, marshmallow creme, oreo

I’m sorry, but I had to post another dessert recipe! I’ll try to get back to more savory dishes soon but I couldn’t resist. I’ve been eying this recipe ever since I came across it, and I even lost it once and frantically tried to find it. Thankfully I did, and I made sure to bookmark it right away before I lost it a second time! The original concept of these bars were as smores cookie bars, which sound amazing and I definitely plan on trying those eventually. These cookies and cream ones just called out to me, though. Gooey marshmallow with cookies and cream candy bar center, surrounded by an Oreo-based cookie. Doesn’t that sound just amazing?! Okay, I made myself hungry… I’m gonna go enjoy one now! I hope you try them, too!!Gooey Cookies & Cream Bars
Yield: 9 to 16 bars

½ cup butter, at room temperature
½ cup granulated sugar
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1⅓ cups all-purpose flour
¾ cup Oreo cookie crumbs, about 10 Oreos
1 teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon salt
2 king-sized Cookies ‘n Cream or white chocolate candy bars
1 (7-ounce) jar marshmallow crème

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease an 8-inch square baking pan and create a foil sling: tear off 2, 16-inch long pieces of aluminum foil and fold them in half. Lay one in the center of the pan, flattening it along the bottom and sides of the pan and leaving overhanging flaps on each side. Situate the other foil piece in the same manner, but perpendicular to the first foil piece. Grease the foil; set pan aside.

In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, cookie crumbs, baking powder, and salt; set aside.

Cream the butter and sugar together in a large bowl until fluffy and pale yellow, about 3 minutes. Beat in the egg and vanilla. Gradually add the dry ingredients and mix until just combined. Divide the dough roughly in half, placing half the dough in your prepared pan.

Use your fingers or a rubber spatula to press and spread the dough in the pan until it covers the bottom in an even layer. Place the candy bars side by side over the dough; if they don’t fit, break and arrange them so you have a full single layer of chocolate (about ¼-inch thick). Drop dollops of marshmallow crème on the chocolate and use a rubber spatula to spread it evenly. Take the remaining dough and place on top of the marshmallow layer; easiest method is to take a small handful at a time and flatten it into a “shingle” then lay them together until the top is covered.

Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until lightly browned. Let cool completely in pan before gently using the overhang of the foil sling to lift the bars out of the pan and place them on a cutting board. Slice into 9, 12, or 16 bars, depending on desired size. Store in an airtight container.

Source: Adapted from Willow Bird Baking

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Brownie Cookie Dough Sandwiches

Tags

brownie, chocolate, cookie, cookie dough, dessert, marshmallow creme

It’s the fifth day of sweet treats… The day is almost over, but I have one last goody that would be a perfect weekend treat! And of course, another late Christmas gift. Hehe. In my defense, these were for a friend/ex-coworker and I don’t see her very often, so I didn’t even decide on what to make her until I knew when I was going to see her. These cookie sandwiches seemed like a perfect treat for my chocolate chip cookie-loving friend, since she loves cookie dough, too, and I wanted to do something more than just plain old chocolate chip cookies! I also needed something amazing to compare to the cookie dough cream pie I made for her birthday!

She loved them, and everyone else who got to try one loved them, too! The cookies are perfect for making cookie sandwiches… They hold up well on their own, but are still nice and soft when you bite into them. And the filling is amazing with marshmallow creme. There is minimal sugar added so it’s not overly sweet, and the consistency is perfect for resting between two delicious cookies. 🙂 People really seemed to enjoy the little surprise chocolate chips in the filling, too. My only complaint is that I didn’t find them to have a very strong cookie dough flavor because the cookies seemed to overpower the cookie dough. But don’t get me wrong, these things are amazing and I will definitely be making them again and again! The cookies also make a great foundation for other cookie sandwiches combos… I’ll have to see what I can think up. 😉 Any suggestions?Brownie Cookie Dough Sandwiches
Yield: about 20 cookie sandwiches

Brownie Cookies:
1¾ cups all-purpose flour
1¼ cups unsweetened cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temp
1 cup granulated sugar
¾ light brown sugar, packed
2 large eggs, at room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Cookie Dough Filling:
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temp
2 tablespoons packed light brown sugar
2½ cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 (7-ounce) jars marshmallow crème
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
½ teaspoon salt
½ cup mini chocolate chips

To make the cookies: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda and salt; set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, cream the butter, granulated sugar and brown sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition; mix in the vanilla. With the mixer on low, gradually add the dry ingredients, beating until just combined.

Scoop the dough into 1 to 1½ tablespoon balls. Place on the prepared baking sheet, spacing them about 2 inches apart; slightly flatten the balls of dough with your fingers or the bottom of a drinking glass. Bake for 9 to 11 minutes, or until the edges of the cookies are set and the tops are puffed and cracked, but still soft. Transfer the baking sheet to a wire rack and let the cookies cool for 5 minutes before removing them to the rack to cool completely.

To make the filling: In large mixing bowl, cream the butter and brown sugar on medium speed until fluffy, about 2 minutes. Mix in the flour and baking soda until incorporated. Add the marshmallow crème, vanilla, salt, and chocolate chips; beat until the mixture is smooth and thick.

To assemble the sandwiches: Match the cookies in pairs by size. Scoop about 2 to 3 tablespoons of the filling onto the flat side of one of the cookies in each pair. Put the other cookie on top and press until the filling reaches the edges.

Source: Very slightly adapted from Tracey’s Culinary Adventures and Heat Oven to 350