Half-baked crumbly bars
12.20.2011 
I think I'll start a section on this blog called the Sleepless Chronicles. I am finding that I like to wake up and think about brownies at 3:00 in the morning. Is this normal? Don't answer that. So here, my chocolate-loving friends, is my second installment of the Sleepless Chronicles, also aptly named Half-Baked Crumbly Bars. These were inspired by my favorite ice cream, Ben & Jerry's Half Baked, and also by my constant need to consume sugary, chocolatey treats. The "crumbly" part of the title comes from the fact that, well, they are a bit crumbly. I personally like the crumbliness because it makes me inclined to throw everything into a big bowl of ice cream! Or just into my mouth. Picture Cookie Monster.
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MAKE THE BROWNIES.
Prepare a box of brownie mix according to the package directions (I used a 19.5-oz. box of chocolate fudge brownie mix) and set aside. You will only be using half of the brownies for this recipe, so serve the other half for dessert or crumble it up and throw it into some vanilla ice cream!
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F.
MAKE THE COOKIE DOUGH.
In a medium bowl, with a hand-held mixer, combine:
1/3 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup granulated sugar
4 tablespoons butter, softened
Stir in:
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon vanilla
4 tablespoons milk
Carefully stir in a 12-oz. package of mini chocolate chips. Cover the cookie dough with plastic wrap and set aside (do not refrigerate).
MAKE THE CRUST.
Place 20 Oreo cookies in a food processor and process until coarsely chopped. Or, chop the old-fashioned way with a Ziploc bag and a spoon. Transfer to a medium bowl and stir in 6 tablespoons of melted butter until the cookies are coated.
Spray an 8x8-inch baking dish with cooking spray and add the Oreo mixture. Firmly press down with fingers until the crust is evenly distributed on the bottom of the pan. Bake in the preheated oven for 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool completely.
Coarsely chop half of the prepared brownies and add them to the cookie dough. With your hands, incorporate the brownie chunks into the cookie dough. Pour the mixture over top of the cooled Oreo crust and press down evenly with fingers.
MAKE THE TOPPING.
In a microwave-safe bowl, combine:
12-oz. package milk chocolate chips
4 tablespoons milk
Heat in the microwave for 60 seconds. Stir and return to microwave, heating and stirring in 15-second intervals, until mixture is smooth. If needed, add 1 additional tablespoon of milk.
Pour the melted chocolate evenly over the cookie dough-brownie mixture.
Refrigerate for at least 1 hour and cut into small squares.
And yes, my husband gave me dirty looks after making this one, too.
Reader Comments (9)
This looks delish!!
These look like little morsels from Heaven. On the must-make list. Saw them on FG!
Oh my gravy those look good! I'm not sure which part I like more - the filling or the crust!
Holy Smokes. This is all I want in life right now.
Wow these bars look amazing! Love how thick and delicious they look. Yum!
Oh man these look absolutely amazing! I dream about different baking ideas. Then I wake up at 4am to make them. I feel bad for your lack of sleep but I am certainly enjoying what is coming from it.
You are on one. sweet. trip this holiday season! I'm loving all the yummy treats :) While I want to wish you some good sleep, I rather selfishly want you to keep waking up at ridonkulous hours to induce inspiration like this!
Ben and Jerry's Half Baked is my favorite ice cream too! These looks looks so insanely good, I'd probably eat the entire batch. YUM!! :)
Omg! Thse sound absolutely amazing, and how beautiful with all the layers! I am loving all the goodies that went into them as well. Hope you had a merry Christmas :)!