Cookie Brownies

I don't know about you, but I'm looking forward to this three-day weekend ahead of me. The weather is supposed to be nice (great for tennis!), I have a few dates with some of my dearest friends, and I have a kitchen screaming my name (begging to be used!). I hope I can find time to fit everything in!

Before I jump to this amazing recipe and leave you to start my weekend, I wanted to take a few lines and thank a couple of my fellow bloggers who have been kind enough to share some blogging awards with me over the past few weeks. Mateja from Indulging Life shared a Most Deserved Award and Lynn from Sprinkles of Flavor passed along a Stylish Blogger Award. Both of these foodies have amazing blogs with scrumptious recipes, so I highly encourage you to check them out! And again, thank you Mateja and Lynn! I'm truly honored that you would select Burn Me Not for these awards.

And now, how about some yummy goodness to set this weekend in the right direction. These brownies were awesome! They are cakey with a walnut crunch and a delicious cookie topping. I could sit down and eat a handful at a time because they are not overly rich... they are right on the money! I do wish the cookie topping was a solid layer, so next time I think I'll reserve half the batter for it (instead of one third). If you decide to try it that way, then I would recommend cutting the walnuts down to 1/2 cup. Either way, I think you'll be pleased with the results.

Have a great weekend!

Ingredients
Yields 20 brownies
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
3/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 cup raw sugar
2 eggs
1/3 cup milk
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 oz semisweet chocolate, melted
3/4 cup chopped walnuts
3/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips

Directions
Preheat oven to 375°F. Grease a 13x9 inch baking pan with baking spray; set aside.

In a small bowl, whisk together flour, salt, and baking soda; set aside. In a large bowl, using an electric mixer set on medium speed, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Combine milk and vanilla in a measuring cup. With your mixer on low speed, gradually add the flour mixture to the creamed mixture, alternating with the milk mixture. Beat just until ingredients are incorporated.

Remove a third of the batter to another bowl. Mix in melted chocolate with the remaining two thirds of batter. Fold in walnuts. Spread evenly into prepared baking pan. Add chocolate chips to the reserved batter. Drop by spoonfuls over the top of the pan and (gently) spread evenly.

Bake for 20-25 minutes or until top springs back when lightly touched. Cool on a wire rack before cutting.

Source: adapted from Taste of Home Fall Baking Cookbook magazine