I Tried Cookie-Stuffed Brownies and I Can’t Get Over How Good They Are

Within just one day of watching Sarah Fennel (aka @bromabakery) make cookie-stuffed brownies on Instagram, I went to the grocery store, bought some brownie mix and frozen cookie dough, and got down to baking. She made it look so easy. Store-bought brownie mix with cookies baked right in the middle? Yes, please! Although I’m not usually a brownie person, the idea of stuffing buttery cookie dough in the center sounded like the best idea ever. Here’s how it went.

Read more: Cookie-Stuffed Brownies Are the One Sweet Treat You’ll Want to Make Every Week

The video seemed simple enough: Mix up a box of brownie batter and pour it into a parchment-lined pan. Snuggle discs of cookie dough into the batter, spread some of the batter over the dough to cover, then bake at 350ºF for about 45 minutes.

While there weren’t many steps involved in making this, the video was a bit short on details that I had to figure out along the way. Mixing up a box of brownies was straightforward, but when it came to the cookie dough, I had no idea how big each piece was supposed to be and just had to eyeball it. She mentions using homemade dough, but I just went and bought locally made frozen cookie dough to save me time.

After thawing the peanut butter-chocolate chip cookie dough (PB + chocolate forever!), I formed it into nine 1 1/2-ounce portions and formed each one into a 1/2-inch-thick disc. I plopped the discs onto the batter and pressed them in. But instead of elegantly smoothing the batter over the dough like the video showed, I ended up spooning some of the batter from around the discs over them, as I didn’t feel like there was enough batter to just start spreading it right away.

I baked it until a tester inserted into the center came out clean, which took about 50 minutes. My worries about the thin layer of brownie batter were unfounded, as the whole thing puffed up mightily and the brownie part perfectly surrounded the cookie center. After waiting for what seemed like forever for the brownies to cool down, I cut them up and had a (big) taste.

These brownies were no joke: At a towering 1 1/2-inches tall, they had a delightfully chewy, soft cookie center surrounded by fudgy brownie. They were just what I expected them to be: rich and comforting. I personally loved the contrast of peanut butter cookie and brownie, but a plain chocolate chip cookie, sugar cookie, or even snickerdoodle would be quite lovely in the center. These were pretty impressive and dead-simple to make — especially because I only needed one bowl to throw everything together and prep took less than 10 minutes. Because they’re so thick, I was able to get 16 servings out of an 8-inch pan.

1. Choose the right pan. I used an 8-inch square pan, which produced very thick 1 1/2-inch-tall brownies. For thinner brownies, use a 9-inch square pan, press the cookie discs a smidge thinner, and check on them a little earlier when baking.
2. Parchment is key. Don’t skip lining the pan with a parchment paper sling so that you can easily get the whole slab out after it’s baked.
3. Use the right amount of cookie dough. I recommend using 12 to 14 ounces of cookie dough to form the 9 dough discs, as this makes for a generous middle layer. I wouldn’t use more than 14 ounces or the cookie layer will be too thick. (By the way, store-bought dough works just fine!)
4. Layer the brownie batter and cookie dough. An easier way to get the cookie layer into the middle is to put a little less than half the brownie batter into the pan first. Top with the cookie discs, then spoon the remaining brownie batter over the top and smooth out.

Get the recipe: Cookie-Stuffed Brownies