Super Bowl Ultimate Brownie Fail

I found this recipe for the Ultimate Chocolate Chip Cookie and Oreo Brownie Bars, and I thought I would give them a try for a Super Bowl Party I was going to. Well, mine did not quite turn out like the recipe described. They started out amazing:

You really can't go wrong with chocolate chip cookies using Ghiradelli Chocolate chips:

 Then came the Oreo layer on top:

Baked with the brownie mix on top:

Looking good...but I hadn't cut into them yet and realized they were no good...

Once it was baked and cooled, that was when I realized there was a problem. I decided to sneak a tiny corner to taste test, and I realized the waxed paper that was called for to line the pan wasn't going to come off the sides. I then decided to see if I could salvage everything else but cutting the brownies into squares and throwing away the sides with the waxed paper stuck to them. That's when I realized they didn't cook through:

Fudgy gooiness is normally delicious...but raw gooiness...not so much.

 I had extended the baking time by at least 15 minutes, but the cookie bottom never quite cooked through and the waxed paper wasn't coming off the middle brownies either. I ended up tossing the whole thing. I cried a little inside. I tried one of the cooked sides, and they were kind of overwhelming. I didn't think this would be too much of a good thing, but it was. I think if I did try to make these again, I would bake the cookie bottom first and then add the brownie top after the cookie bottom baked for 15-20 minutes.

Hello unbaked cookie. I couldn't risk people getting sick...

Since I needed to make some sort of dessert for the party I was going to, I decided to make something with puff pastry since I had a box of it in the freezer. Enter fudgy brownie cups:

Not that attractive looking, but still good. At least the one, front/center, looked the way it was supposed to.

I found this particular recipe from www.puffpastry.com, and they were a hit. They were really easy to make-- unsweetened chocolate and butter are melted in the microwave, and then eggs, vanilla, and sugar are added. I need to improve my cutting and measuring skills since I ended up cutting 24 abstract squares instead of 20 perfect squares. They still tasted fine, but they looked a little unfortunate.