cookie dough brownies

Pin It Today, I am sick in bed with my laptop and a pile of magazines.  One of my favorite magazines is Oprah  (totally normal for a 16 year old girl... feel free to judge).  My favorite part is the column at the end called "What I Know For Sure," where every month, Oprah comes up with some super deep, super true comment on life to make, with a perfectly appropriate anecdote to go with it.  Classic Oprah.

I've been thinking, what do I really know for sure? This has been eating away at my brain for the past hour and a half and driven me all the way to Crazyville and back. Maybe it's all the DayQuil I've been taking...

 
I've finally come to the conclusion that the answer is: not much. 
I'm unpredictable, spontaneous, maybe even a little confused.
My handwriting changes on an hourly basis. 
Some days I wear earrings that dangle down to my shoulders, other days I look like I stepped out of a J. Crew catalog.
I never know what to order at restaurants. 
I don't know how I feel about real Christmas trees.  One one hand, they smell lovely and are so romantic.  On the other hand,  it makes me sad to think that this little tree was cut down just to be thrown out in a few weeks.
I often forget my keys and I have  no idea what I think about the situation in Afghanistan.

But then there are things that are uniquely "Erica."  Nothing huge, but these are things that I can count on, which is comforting.
Here are a dozen things I know for sure.

1. Lullabies make me cry.
2. There's no feeling quite like putting on socks fresh out of the dryer.
3. Face masks are always better in theory than practice.
4. I cannot drink plain milk.
5. I will never be able to pronounce the word "sixth."
6. I start a disproportionate number of my sentences with the phrase"but wait."
7. Honeycrisps are the best kind of apple.
8. Nothing is more refreshing than drinking ice water after brushing with minty toothpaste.
9. Caltrate chocolate calcium chews are delicious.
10. One of my eyes is a lot bigger than the other.
11. Crunching on ice cubes is seriously addictive.
12. Cookie dough brownies are really tasty.

These are the things I know for sure, the rest I’m just making up as I go along... and that's OK.  For now, I think I'm going to pour myself a glass of apple juice (not milk), eat three one of these cookie dough brownies, and wait for the DayQuil to die off before I go crazy contemplating any more existential questions.

What do you know for sure?

With love,
Erica

P.S.
One more thing I know for sure: DayQuil and chocolate lead to hours of profound ruminations on life.

Ingredients
For the brownies:

• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 tbsp cocoa powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 3 1/2 oz dark or semisweet chocolate, chopped
• 1/3 cup unsalted butter, cut into cubes
• 2/3 cup light brown sugar, packed
• 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
• 1 tsp vanilla

For cookie dough:

• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup light brown sugar, packed
• 2 tbsp almond milk or regular milk
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/2 cup mini dark chocolate chips

For chocolate glaze:

• 3 1/2 oz dark or semisweet chocolate, chopped
• 2 tbsp unsalted butter, cut into cubes

Preheat oven to 350.  Line the bottom and sides of an 8x8-inch pan with parchment paper, leaving a slight overhang on two sides.
For the brownies, sift together the flour, cocoa powder, and salt.  Set aside.  In a double boiler or a heatproof pan set over a pot of simmering water, melt the chocolate and butter together.  Stir until smooth and remove from heat.  Whisk in the brown sugar until it is dissolved and the mixture has cooled slightly.  Whisk in the eggs and vanilla.  Using a large rubber spatula, fold the flour mixture into the chocolate mixture until just incorporated.  Pour into the prepared pan and bake for 18-20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
For the cookie dough, beat together the butter and sugars with an electric mixer until light and fluffy, 2-3 minutes.  Add in the milk and vanilla, mixing until incorporated.  Add the flour and salt and stir until incorporated.  Stir in the chocolate chips.  Gently spread the dough onto the cooled brownies, smoothing the top into an even layer. Refrigerate while the glaze is prepared.
For the glaze, melt the chocolate and butter together in a double boiler over low heat.  Stir until smooth.  Pour over the cookie dough and carefully spread into a thin, even layer.  Refrigerate until set, about 30 minutes. 

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