Frosted Cookie Brownies

Last Friday I spent the better part of my day preparing a home-cooked meal for a friend's family. They'd been dealing with a lot in the past week and frankly I just thought relieving the stress from planning one meal might be helpful.

I got busy in the kitchen and made a big pan of lasagna, Parmesan-garlic breadsticks, salad and these brownies. I love doing things like this for others! If I had an endless supply of money and time, I could see spending my days making up meals for others and surprising them. It's a passion I share and I hope they can feel the love that goes into each and every single dish.

It's been years since I've made these bars. In fact the last time I remember making them, I was newly married and our middle child was only a few months old. I made them for a fundraiser, a friend's daughter was needing to undergo multiple surgeries and they were having a huge benefit and bake sale.

Taste of Home was where I first spotted these, as were many of the recipes I first learned to prepare. I've since made a few changes, mainly replacing the store bought cookie dough with my own homemade version. It doesn't take much time to mix up.  The bars are very rich and decadent, just like a good brownie should be.

I split the recipe into two small 8x8 inch pans, but typically you can prepare these in a large 9x13 pan. If you feel like surprising a neighbor or friend, I highly recommend making the two pans. There's certainly plenty for everyone! Or stash the other pan in the freezer for another day, or when you need dessert but short on time.

Frosted Cookie Brownies

Ingredients:
1 batch of chocolate chip cookie dough
3 cups mini marshmallows
12 oz. bag semi-sweet chocolate chips
2 sticks butter
4 eggs
1-1/2 tsp vanilla
1 cup flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt

Frosting:
2 cups mini marshmallows
1/4 cup milk
1/2 stick butter
2 oz. unsweetened baking chocolate
3-4 cups powdered sugar

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease either two 8x8 inch baking pans or one 9x13 pan. Press cookie dough into prepared pan(s) and bake for 13 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a saucepan, place marshmallows, chocolate chips, and butter and cook over low heat. Stirring often, let cook until melted and smooth. Remove from heat and transfer to a large bowl to let cool. Once cooled, beat in eggs and vanilla. Gradually add in flour, baking powder and salt and mix together well.

Pour brownie mixture over cookie crust and bake in oven for another 35 minutes. If using two smaller pans, you'll probably need to increase time to 40-45 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in middle comes out clean. Remove from oven and let cool completely.

To make frosting: combine marshmallows, milk, butter and chocolate in a small saucepan. Let cook over low heat, stirring frequently, until melted together and smooth. Remove from heat and whisk in powdered sugar, until frosting is smooth and reaches your desired consistency. Frost brownies with the icing and cut into bars.