Oatmeal Cookie-Crusted Brownies

Sorry I've been a little MIA this week. Between feeling a little under the weather and working ten to eleven hour shifts at work, I haven't had much time to do anything other than sleep. December is by far our busiest month at work so I don't hold out much hope of it slowing down anytime soon.

BUT. I'm determined to get back in my own kitchen, hopefully very soon, to churn out some more fun decorated cookies so stay tuned for those. But enough about cookies. You're here to read about brownies. Crazy, jacked up on cookie steroids, brownies.

I had an iteration of this at a restaurant in Virginia Beach over the summer. It was like a fudgey chocolate cake with a chewy oatmeal crust, and I could NOT stop eating it. So when I came across this recipe in a magazine, I tore it out and put it at the top of my list.

I'll be honest, it wasn't as good as the dessert I remember, but it was pretty fantastic in its own right. The brownie was the perfect combination of cakey and fudgey, and had an intense chocolate flavor. And the oatmeal cookie crust stayed nice and chewy (although it didn't add enough of an impact for me, which was disappointing). But my absolute favorite part was the icing. I have never come across this kind of recipe before, using melted butter instead of softened, but it worked like a charm. And the sweet chocolate flavor was a perfect compliment to the much darker brownies. I can definitely see myself using it again for a cake or cupcakes in the future.

I think what I particularly love is that you could take this idea and run with it. Instead of an oatmeal cookie layer, sub in peanut butter for the oats, or leave any flavoring out and go for a sugar cookie crust. Or just try out a new brownie recipe. Whatever you do, you won't be disappointed. Now if you'll excuse me, I have some cleaning to do. Like finally getting rid of our pumpkins from Halloween. Yeah, we're those people.

Oatmeal Cookie-Crusted Brownies
Yield: 12 large brownies

Ingredients:
For the crust
1 1/2 cups rolled oats, pulsed in a processor 5-6 times
3/4 cup light brown sugar
3/4 cup all purpose flour
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp kosher salt
3/4 cup unsalted butter, melted

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a 9x12’’ baking dish with parchment and spray with cooking spray, set aside.
2. Mix all ingredients except butter in a bowl; add butter and mix well.
3. Pat evenly into prepared pan. Bake 10 min. Cool 30 min and reserve. Keep oven on.

For the brownies
1 cup all purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
8 Tbsp unsalted butter
1.4 lb unsweetened chocolate
2 tsp vanilla extract
2 cups granulated sugar
4 lg eggs, lightly beaten


1. Mix flour and baking powder in a bowl and set aside.
2. Heat butter and chocolate in a small saucepan set over low heat. Cook, stirring occasionally, until melted. Remove from heat, pour into a large bowl, and cool slightly. Add vanilla. Stir in sugar, eggs, and flour mixture.
3. Pour evenly over oatmeal crust. Spread with offset spatula to cover evenly. Bake 45 minutes (do not open door during baking). Remove from oven, cool, cover with plastic wrap. Reserve overnight.

For the icing
8 Tbsp unsalted butter, melted
2/3 cup dark cocoa
3 cups powdered sugar
1/3 cup whole milk
1 tsp vanilla extract

1. Place butter in bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a whisk attachment.
2. Sift cocoa over top, mix well. Add sugar, milk, and vanilla. Whisk on medium speed until spreading consistency.
3. To serve, spread frosting evenly over top of brownies with offset spatula. Cut brownies into 12 squares and serve. Store wrapped well, at room temperature, for 2-3 days.

Recipe Notes

• Many pastry chefs believe brownies are better the day after they are made. Some store them in the fridge overnight or even freeze them for 24 hours before serving them.
• I found it was easiest to use the parchment paper and remove the finished brownies in one big slab before cutting them.

Recipe courtesy of Chef/Owner Anne Kearney, Rue Dumaine, Dayton Ohio from Food Arts September 2011