Heart Brownie Cookie
Come Valentine's Day, Angie Powell is extremely busy in Orem, Utah. In addition to decorating cakes at a local restaurant, she explains: My husband loves cookies so I like to make and ice this special heart on Valentine's and it's also my daughter's birthday!
Come Valentine's Day, Angie Powell is extremely busy in Orem, Utah. In addition to decorating cakes at a local restaurant, she explains: My husband loves cookies so I like to make and ice this special heart on Valentine's and it's also my daughter's birthday!
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 egg
- 1/8 teaspoon baking soda
- frosting:
- 3/4 cup brown sugar packed
- 1 tablespoon shortening
- 3 tablespoons butter softened
- 1 cup milk chocolate chips
- 3 tablespoons baking cocoa
- 1/3 cup butter-flavored shortening
- 1-1/2 teaspoons water
- 3-1/2 cups confectioners sugar divided
- 3-4 tablespoons milk divided
- red paste food coloring
- Carbohydrate 50.618771466779 g
- Cholesterol 23.4205648957961 mg
- Fat 20.7123887311293 g
- Fiber 1.521966703503 g
- Protein 2.85451887624739 g
- Saturated Fat 11.2247315555828 g
- Serving Size 1 1 (79g)
- Sodium 183.481033507329 mg
- Sugar 49.0968047632759 g
- Trans Fat 1.30269684640798 g
- Calories 391 calories
Step-by-step
- In a large bowl, cream shortening and brown sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the egg, water and vanilla. Combine the flour, cocoa, salt and baking soda; gradually add to creamed mixture until combined. Stir in chocolate chips. Pour into a greased and floured 9-in. heart-shaped baking pan.
- Bake at 375° for 15-20 minutes or until center is set (do not overbake). Cool for 10 minutes before removing from pan to a wire rack.
- In a large bowl, combine 1-1/2 cups confectioners' sugar, butter, shortening, vanilla and 3 tablespoons milk; beat until smooth. Gradually add remaining confectioners' sugar; beat until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add enough remaining milk to achieve a frosting consistency. Frost brownie with 3/4 cup frosting. Using food coloring, tint remaining frosting and decorate as desired.
The ingredient list does not tell you that combining shortening and butter in the base creates a dual-fat structure yielding crisp edges and a soft interior. Master this dynamic to achieve the precise textural contrast required for sturdy frosting adhesion.
The Chemistry of Fats
Butter provides moisture and flavor, while shortening has a higher melting point that prevents excessive spreading during baking. Creaming these fats with brown sugar incorporates tiny air pockets essential for rising without chemical leaveners doing all the heavy lifting. Baking at 375 degrees Fahrenheit for 15 to 20 minutes demands vigilance. Pull the pan the moment a toothpick inserted near the center emerges with moist crumbs rather than wet batter. Overbaking turns the dense crumb into a dry biscuit.Second-Day Transformations
Leftover slices lose moisture rapidly if left exposed to ambient air. Store the frosted baked good in an airtight container at room temperature with a slice of plain white bread inside to maintain softness for up to three days. Stale remnants require a different approach. Crumble hardened pieces over vanilla ice cream or layer them into parfaits with whipped cream and tart fruit to cut through the heavy sugar content.Common Pitfalls
Many home cooks ruin rich baked goods by adding flour and cocoa without sifting. Lumps of cocoa powder create bitter pockets in the finished crumb. Beat the egg thoroughly into the creamed sugar mixture before adding dry components to guarantee proper emulsion. Skipping the ten-minute rest in the pan before inversion leads directly to structural collapse.
