Pillow Cookies

I first saw these on bakerella and concluded that I had to try them someday.

Months later, I saw them posted in BBB by divinebaking and figured it had to be a sign. That, or I just couldn't hold off any longer. So I made them for a friend's birthday, making both components from scratch!

Recipes

Brown Butter Brownies posted by merlotd

Ingredients:

10 Tablespoons Unsalted Butter
1 1/4 Cup Sugar
2 Teaspoons Water
A Dash of Cinnamon
3/4 Cup Unsweetened Cocoa Powder
1/4 Teaspoon Salt
2 Teaspoons Vanilla
2 Eggs1/2 Cup Flour
1/3 Cup Chocolate Chips

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 325. Line an 8×8 square pan with parchment or foil, leaving an overhang on two sides for easy removal. Grease the prepared pan.*

2. Place the butter in a small pot, and melt over medium heat, stirring constantly. Butter will get foamy, and eventually start to brown and smell nutty. Be careful not to burn. Total time should be 6-8 minutes.**

3. Once browned, remove from heat and immediately add the sugar, cocoa, 2 teaspoons water, cinnamon, sea salt and vanilla. Stir to combine.

4. Allow to cool for about 5 minutes, then add in the eggs one at a time, whisking vigorously after each addition. Mixture will become shiny and thick.

5. At this point, stir in the flour and beat vigorously for 2 minutes. Stir in chocolate chips.

6. Pour into prepared pan, and bake for 20-25 minutes - could be longer depending on your oven, up to 30 minutes. Brownies will be gooey, but will firm up once cooled. Allow to cool in pan, then remove from pan by lifting them out with the parchment/foil overhang.

*I actually baked mine in a muffin pan because I didn't have a square pan handy. I didn't line them, and though I thoroughly greased the cups, the brownies stuck fast... good thing I only needed random chunks for these pillow cookies!

**I was paranoid about browning the butter and took much longer with my pot over medium-low heat.

For the pillow cookies, cut the brownies into small pieces once they've cooled. And enjoy the leftovers, especially if you use the above recipe - those brownies were amazing on their own!

Chocolate Chip Cookies for Pillow Cookies adapted by divinebaking

Ingredients:

16 tbsp cold butter, cubed
1 1/2 cups brown sugar
2 large eggs, cold
2 tsp vanilla extract
3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips (I used milk because it's what my friend preferred!)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet.

2. Beat together the cold butter and sugar until barely combined, about 1 minute on lowest speed. Do not beat until creamed or fluffy! Add the egg and vanilla and continue to beat until combined.

3. Mix together the dry ingredients and add them to the butter and sugar mixture. You should have a very stiff, lightly sticky dough. If needed, add another tablespoon of flour. Add the chocolate chips and mix until combined. If possible, chill the dough for at least an hour so it's easier to work with in the next step.

4. Take a heaping tablespoon of dough and flatten it a bit, making an indentation in the middle as you go. Place a piece of brownie in the indentation and then fold the rest of the cookie dough over it, taking more or less dough as needed to completely cover the brownie. Position the formed cookies on your baking sheet.

5. Chill the unbaked cookies for 5 minutes to prevent spreading.

6. Bake 10-12 minutes or until lightly browned outside.

These cookies are large, fluffy, and amazing!

The process does entail many steps, but each one is quite simple.

And ultimately, just take a look:

You should definitely give these a try. :)