Or in other words, I-don’t-know-what-to-call-these bars. After four days of pondering, I still couldn’t settle on a name.
Honestly, I’m a little obsessed with them. Completely smitten, if you will.
How can I think straight with my mouth full of… cookie? Brownie? Blondie? Brookie? It’s confusing, I know.
Picture a chocolate chip cookie base blended with a fudgy brownie center and a peanut butter blondie topping. Decadent. The cookie layer is adapted from a deep-dish chocolate chip cookie, though it doesn’t taste “wheaty” at all—just rich chocolate with a hint of cocoa. From there it only gets better. Three words: lots. of. butter.
I’ll let the bars speak for themselves—go ahead and try one.
Triple Layer Chocolate Chip–Fudge Brownie–Peanut Butter Blondie Bars
Makes one 9 x 13 pan
The chocolate chip layer
(adapted from deep dish chocolate chip cookies)
- 1/2 cup butter, softened
- 3/4 cup brown sugar, loosely packed
- 1 egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 tablespoon dark cocoa powder (optional)
- 3/4 cup chocolate chips
Preheat oven to 350°F. Whisk together flour, baking soda, cocoa (if using) and salt; set aside. In a mixer bowl, beat butter and brown sugar until light and fluffy. Add the egg and vanilla and mix until combined. Add the dry ingredients and mix until just combined, then fold in the chocolate chips. Spray a 9×13-inch pan with nonstick spray and press the dough evenly into the bottom. It may look thin—that’s the right amount for these bars. Using the back of a spoon lightly sprayed with nonstick spray helps press it evenly.
The brownie layer
(adapted from a classic brownie recipe)
- 1/2 cup butter, at room temperature
- 1 1/2 cups sugar
- 2 eggs
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 3 tablespoons cocoa powder
- 2/3 cup chocolate chips (optional)
In a mixer, beat butter and sugar until fluffy. Add eggs one at a time, then add 1 teaspoon vanilla. With the mixer on medium, add cocoa, flour and salt and mix until combined. Fold in chocolate chips if using. Using a spatula lightly greased or sprayed, spread the brownie batter evenly over the chocolate chip layer.
The blondie layer
(adapted from a simple blondie recipe)
- 1/2 cup butter, melted
- 1/3 cup peanut butter, melted (crunchy gives a nice texture)
- 1 1/3 cups brown sugar
- 1 egg
- 2 teaspoons vanilla
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup peanut butter morsels
In a large bowl, whisk together melted butter, melted peanut butter and brown sugar until smooth. Add the egg and vanilla and mix until combined. Whisk together the dry ingredients, then fold them into the batter until combined. Fold in peanut butter morsels and spread the blondie batter evenly over the brownie layer.
Place the baking dish on a cookie sheet and bake at 350°F for 35–40 minutes, until the top is set but the center remains slightly soft. If desired, cover loosely with aluminum foil for the last 10 minutes to prevent over-browning. Let cool completely before cutting into bars to ensure clean slices.
I have a soft spot for layered desserts—textures and flavors stacked together are hard to resist.