Big Brownie Cookies from The Shortcut Cookie Book

It's no secret around here that I love to bake. It's also no secret that I ADORE chocolate... I probably should join a support group, but I really am not quite ready to admit that there is a problem with my love of chocolate. I believe that no matter what you are feeling, chocolate makes it all better.

This weekend was a crazy busy weekend, but I still managed to find time to allow My Boys to have a couple of friends over for awhile on Sunday afternoon. I've gotten into the habit of using the time while they are busy playing with their friends to bake up something for them to enjoy. It's usually cookies, but I've also made other types of fun snacks.

This weekend, I broke out a new cookbook I recently bought, The Ultimate Shortcut Cookie Book. All of the recipes in this book are geared for the person who is short on time and has a few key items in the pantry such as cake mix, brownie mix or refrigerated cookie dough. I do love to bake from scratch, but sometimes things come up last minute. This book will be perfect for those times when you need to get cookies into the oven within moments without pulling out 10 ingredients first. If you want a sampling of some of the recipes, Camilla Saulsbury has started a new blog, the Shortcut Cookies Blog, that focuses on some of the recipes from the book.

The first recipe I made from this book was the Big Brownie Cookies. They are so simple, they can be in the oven in under 10 minutes. I made mine really big, so I didn't get as many as the recipe states. That was ok with My Boys and their friends. I got an overall "thumb's up" and "delicious" rating from each one of them. The cookies are like eating a fudgey brownie with chocolate chips throughout. They will satisfy your chocolate craving!




Big Brownie Cookies
Source: The Shortcut Cookie Book

Ingredients

• 1 (19.5 to 19.8 oz) package of brownie mix
• 1/3 cup vegetable oil or melted butter
• 2 large eggs
• 1 1/2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 1 cup chopped nuts - any variety (I left these out)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray cookie sheets with non-stick cooking spray (I used parchment paper instead).
2. Combine the brownie mix through eggs in a bowl. Using a wooden spoon combine until just blended and all dry ingredients are moistened. Stir in chocolate chips. (I would use an hand mixer next time, as the dough is very thick and hard to stir by hand.)
3. Drop dough by heaping tablespoonfuls, 2 inches apart on to prepared cookie sheets. Bake for 11-14 minutes until cracked in appearance and just barely set in the center when lightly touched. Allow to cool for 1 minute on cookie sheet, then transfer to wire racks to cool completely.

Makes about 30 big cookies.




Please note that all photos and content belong to Patsy Kreitman. If you want to use something please ask first.