Baked’s Brooksters

Method

1. To make the chocolate chip cookie filling, whisk the flour, bicarbonate of soda and salt in a large bowl and set aside. Using an electric mixer, beat the butter and sugars on medium speed until smooth and creamy. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition (the mixture will look light and fluffy). Add the vanilla and beat for 5 seconds. Add half the flour mixture and beat for 15 seconds, then add the remaining flour mixture and beat until just combined. Fold in the chocolate chips until evenly combined. Cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 3 hours.
2. To make the brownie shells, grease six individual 10 cm pie dishes and place on a baking tray. Whisk the flour, cocoa and salt in a bowl and set aside. Place the chocolate and butter in a heatproof bowl set over a saucepan of gently simmering water (don’t let the bowl touch the water) and stir occasionally until melted and combined. Remove from the heat, but keep the bowl over the water in the saucepan. Add both sugars and whisk until well combined. Remove the bowl from the water and cool to room temperature.
3. Add the eggs to the chocolate mixture, one at a time, whisking after each addition until just combined, then stir in the vanilla (do not overbeat the batter at this stage or the brownies will be cakey). Sprinkle the flour mixture over the chocolate mixture, then using a spatula (do not use a whisk), fold in until there is just a trace amount of flour mixture visible. Fill the pie dishes with the brownie batter until just under halfway full. Refrigerate for 3 hours.
4. Preheat the oven to 190°C.
5. To assemble the Brooksters, using an ice-cream scoop with a release mechanism, scoop cookie dough into ¼ cup-sized balls then, using your hands, shape the dough into perfect balls. Gently flatten each ball into a disc (the discs should be slightly smaller than the tops of the pie dishes). Gently press a cookie dough disc into the brownie batter in each pie dish. (You may have leftover cookie batter, which you can scoop into 1½ tablespoon-sized balls and bake on a separate baking tray.)
6. Place the baking tray in the oven and bake, rotating the tray halfway through, for 20–25 minutes or until the cookie part is golden brown. Cool to room temperature or serve warm with ice cream, if desired.