Brownie Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Layer Cake

Raise your left hand if you love brownies. Raise your right hand if you love chocolate chip cookie dough.

If you've got two hands in the air right now, this dessert is for you. (Also? Put your hands down. People are staring. lol.)

Today I'm sharing the second dessert of my renowned (haha!) two-dessert birthday-Easter extravaganza offerings.

Since there are a lot of chocolate lovers in my family, I knew I would make something chocolatey for them. 

I was thrilled to find this recipe for brownie chocolate chip cookie dough cake on Home Made Interest. I like recipes that let me make some parts of them homemade while still taking some help from a box mix. It saves time but still gives that impressive homemade flair.

So for this recipe, I used two boxes of brownie mix and made this amazing chocolate chip cookie dough icing from scratch. Then the entire situation gets drizzled with a chocolate ganache and topped with more brownies. It is decadence to the extreme.

As with my last recipe, I hadn't originally intended on sharing it so I didn't take a lot of pictures. But the whole thing turned out so well that I still want to explain how I did it and share the recipe with you so you can try it for yourself.

Luckily, it comes together a lot more quickly than those amazing strawberry cupcakes I shared recently.

HOW TO MAKE 

BROWNIE CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIE DOUGH 

LAYER CAKE

Step 1: Cook the flour for your no-bake chocolate chip cookie dough

Most people know the dangers of consuming raw eggs. However, it turns out that consuming raw flour can also be dangerous. E. coli bacteria can lurk in there, as well. Therefore, removing the egg from edible cookie dough recipes isn't enough to keep us safe; it is also important to cook your flour before consuming it raw. 

Not to worry–it is a simple process. Simply spread flour on a baking pan, and bake in a 350° oven for 5 to 10 minutes. Allow to cool completely, then use according to recipe direction.

Step 2: Make the Brownies 

Prepare 2 family-sized (13x9) boxes of brownies according to package directions. 

I did not combine the two boxes in a single bowl, but instead repeated the process twice. I did this so I would have more control over my batter. Plus, brownies are simple to make so it didn't increase my prep time that much.

Pour equal portions–I weigh my batter with a food scale to be sure I'm dividing it equally–into 3 greased and parchment-lined 9 inch round pans and one 8 x 8 square pan. Note: The original recipe calls for 4 9-inch rounds, but I only had three rounds of that size and I decided that three layers was more than enough. That’s why I poured the last quarter of my batter into an 8 x 8" square pan. That layer gets cut up for the topping anyway. You can do either.

Bake according to the package directions for 8x8" brownie pans.

After the brownies bake, remove them from the oven and allow to cool. I let mine cool 10 minutes in the pan and then carefully remove them from the pans to cooling racks where I left them cool the rest of the way.

Note: Certainly if you have a favorite homemade brownie recipe, you could use that instead of the boxed brownie mix. That's up to you.

Step 3: Prepare the no-bake cookie dough icing

1. In a medium bowl, mix salt with cooked and cooled flour. Set aside.

2. In a mixing bowl fitted with a paddle attachment, Cream together butter, Brown sugar, and white sugar. Add vanilla to combine. With the mixer running on low, add the flour about half half cup at a time until a Soft dough forms.

3. Once fully combined, add milk a tablespoon at a time until your cookie dough reaches a desired consistency for easy spreading. I added close to 1/3 cup of milk (5 Tablespoons) and I really believe I could've added even more sense my cookie dough was still kind of on the thicker side. That will be a judgment call for your personal preference as to how smooth you want it. 

4. Fold in the chocolate chips. Set aside. (NOTE: You could leave out the chips if you like. A few of my family members pointed out that the cake was chocolatey enough without the chips and added that they would have preferred the taste of the cookie dough without the extra textural bite of the chip. That makes sense to me, but is purely a personal preference thing, so feel free to add them in or leave them out. You might also enjoy swapping out a regular-sized chocolate chip for mini-chips.) 

Step 4: Assemble the cake - Part 1

1. Start with one of your three 9 inch round layers on a serving dish. Spread one third of your cookie dough icing on top. Add your second round brownie layer. Spread another third of your cookie dough icing on top of that second layer of brownie. Place your third and final round brownie on top of the cookie dough. Spread the final third of your cookie dough icing on top.

2. Cut your Square pan of brownies into small chunks. Set aside.

Step 5: Make the ganache

Heat cream in the microwave until it begins to boil–about a minute. Pour chopped chocolate into hot cream. Allowed to sit one minute and then stir until smooth and melted.

Step 6: Finish assembling the cake

Pour ganache over the top layer on the cookie dough iced layer cake. It will cascade down the sides and look gooey and delicious. Arrange chunks of brownie on the top middle of the cake for the final decoration.

***

Brownie Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Layer Cake 

(adapted from HomeMadeInterest blog as linked above)

Ingredients:

(for brownies)

Two boxes family sized brownie mix and eggs, oil, water as per the box directions

(for chocolate chip cookie dough icing)

2 1/4 cup flour (cooked to kill bacteria)

1 teaspoon salt

2 sticks butter, softened to room temperature

3/4 cups (150g) sugar

3/4 cups (170g) packed brown sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

3-6 Tablespoons milk

2 cup chocolate chips

(for ganache - note: I halved the original recipe as I suspected rightly that I wouldn't need as much. Feel free to double these amounts.)

1 cup dark or semi-sweet baking chocolate (not chocolate chips), chopped

1/2 cup heavy cream

This is a rich, decadent, chocolate-lover's dream cake. My favorite part is the chocolate chip cookie dough. I could eat that by itself. I urge you to give this a try. MMM!