At the beginning of Super Bowl Weekend, I decided I was going to bring some easy and fun desserts to my friend Maria's house for the Super Bowl. I'm not sure what triggered the search for cookie bark or brittle, but I found myself looking for all sorts of recipes from brownie brittle to oatmeal brittle and even chocolate cookie brittle. By the time I was done, I had a list of different recipes.
I started with Nestle's Chocolate Chip Cookie Brittle since most bloggers were using this recipe. I decided to make it as directed and see how it tasted. The first batch was delicious. The brittle was crispy, with tones of caramel, chocolate and nuts. Being a chocolate chip cookie fiend, these definitely made my list of (really) good chocolate chip cookies. I served them to some friends that Friday night during game night...yes, we had a game night, our very first and we had a ball! They got devoured to rave reviews ending in, "Please take these away from me, I think I've eaten the entire tray!" OK, very addicting.
On Sunday, I decided to change up the recipe a bit, I wanted to use mini-chips, rather than regular chips since these cookies were thin and instead of nuts, I would use Heath Bar Toffee Bits. This recipe tasted even better than the first batch with a stronger chocolate caramel flavor. What's nice about this recipe is the ability to adapt the flavor through mix-ins. If you like raisins and nuts, I'm sure they would be delicious, the same with white chocolate and macadamia nuts. Take out the chocolate and heath bar bits and use your favorite chips, nuts or candy. Think of pairing different combinations.
Off to the Super Bowl Party we went, carrying a big tray of cookie brittle. The next few posts will highlight the other brittle we made: Oatmeal Brittle, Brownie Brittle and Saltine Toffee. The reviews to date were that everyone really liked the brittle...and for a few reasons:
1. It's fun and different. People don't normally make cookie brittle so a favorite chocolate chip cookie gets to be crispy and crunchy.
2. No matter how big or small the piece, people can break the brittle and enjoy the amount of dessert they want. My girlfriend, Di, and I were breaking and sharing pieces all night. " Here, try another piece!"
Valentine's Day is next week, what a great treat to send to school, into the office or to your favorite valentine. Easy to make and easy to enjoy. Put Chocolate Chip Cookie Brittle on your list of "Things to Make" this weekend. You won't be disappointed.
Ingredients for Chocolate Chip Cookie Brittle with Heath Bar Bits
(Adapted from Nestle's Very Best Baking)
1 cup of butter or margarine, softened
1 cup of white sugar
1-1/2 teaspoons of vanilla
1 teaspoon of kosher salt
2 cups of flour
1 cup of mini semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 cup of Heath Bar Toffee Bits
Preparation:
Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees and line a cookie sheet (approx. 12 x 18) with aluminum foil.
1. Cream butter, sugar and vanilla in a large bowl until well blended and creamy.
(I do this by hand, but you can use a mixer.)
2. Add salt and flour and mix until incorporated.
3. Mix in mini chocolate chips and toffee bits.
4. Break up pieces of dough and sprinkle on the cookie sheet.
5. Press dough to form a layer across the bottom of the pan.
6. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown.
7. Allow to cool, lift the cookie out of the pan, using the foil.
8. Peel back the foil and break the cookie into pieces.
Enjoy!
Written by Tricia White
