‘Cause they have everything in them.
This is less of a recipe and more of a reminder that; yes, in fact, you should be making slutty brownies because what else do you have going for you? As with any food topic, I have thoughts on slutty brownies. What should be store-bought? What do you have to make yourself? Do what makes you happy, but here is my food for thought:
1) Make the cookie dough from scratch. It’s so easy to make (recipe below), and if you’re like me, you already have it in the freezer. Pre-made Toll House cookie dough contains palm oil and soybean oil. Not only are these way worse for you than butter, they’re kinda gross. Seriously, all I can taste when I eat store-bought cookies is the fake butter. You’re not going to escape palm oil in your Oreos, but I’d much rather avoid it in my chocolate chip layer.
2) Don’t waste your time making brownies from scratch. Slutty brownies are greater than the sum of their parts. You’re not going to care if the brownie layer was Ghirardelli or homemade. Save time and just use a box of brownie mix.
Ingredients:
- Homemade cookie dough (recipe follows general method)
- 9 Oreos
- 1 box brownie mix, prepared to package instructions (I use Ghirardelli)
- Flaky sea salt, such as Maldon (optional but highly recommended)
Method:
- Preheat your oven to 350° Fahrenheit. Line an 8×8″ square baking dish with aluminum foil and spray with non-stick spray.
- Press the cookie dough into an even layer in the bottom of the baking dish. Add the Oreos in a single layer, and pour over the brownie mix. Top with flaky sea salt.
- Bake 45-55 minutes (they don’t take much longer than the brownie mix would normally take on its own, until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean.)
- Let cool for at least 10 minutes before using the foil to remove them from the pan. Let cool completely to room temperature before attempting to slice.
No-Mixer Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough
Ingredients:
- 1 cup (2 sticks, 226g) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 1/2 cup (100g) white sugar
- 1–1/2 cups (300g) brown sugar, firmly packed
- 2 eggs
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 3 cups (405g) all purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 2 teaspoons hot water
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt + flaky sea salt for sprinkling
- 12 oz semisweet chocolate chips
Method:
- In a small bowl use a fork to mix the butter and the sugars until completely homogenous. If the butter isn’t mixing easily, it’s probably not soft enough.
- Add the eggs one at a time, and beat very well with the fork. Scrape the bowl down as necessary. Mix in the vanilla.
- Transfer to a large mixing bowl and add the flour all at once, fold in with a spatula.
- In a small cup or tiny bowl, pour the hot water over the baking soda to dissolve. Stir as necessary and add to the main bowl. Mix it in thoroughly but gently being careful to not overwork the flour. Gently mix in the kosher salt and chocolate chips.
- Use about ⅓ of the dough for slutty brownies; the rest can be scooped into balls and frozen as individual cookie balls. When desired, bake as many or as few cookies from frozen for 12 minutes at 375 ° Fahrenheit.
Jeremy Scheck is a sophomore in the College of Arts and Sciences. He can be reached at [email protected]. Collegetown Kitchen runs every other week this semester.