The Infamous Brookie
Brookies!!!!!!!! A funky, cool name that adds to its allure, mystique and overall appeal. What could be better than your two favorite chocolate cravings mixed into one. A deeply rich fudge brownie with a chewy chocolate chip cookie baked all together. It’s a chocolate lovers dream!
The Introduction
The first time I ever had a Brookie was when I was working at a customer service job that I absolutely HATED. Don’t get me wrong , it had its perks but sitting in that gray cubicle day after day had the creative inside of me screaming for color! My brother Mike who is also a creative at heart, worked there me. Needless to say the idea of working in a cubicle was less than favorable, but you do what you have to, right! During our orientation one of my coworkers suggested a potluck to celebrate the end of training. I love to eat and cook so of course I was extremely excited. I decided I’d bring some baked ziti since the potluck would be around lunch time.
One of the managers asked our supervisor if she would bring brookies. Everyone in the class was like” what is that?”. I had never heard of it before but the name and the excitement in the manager’s voice and expression on her face caused me to be very curious. The supervisor, said “sure why not”.
The following day she brought in the Brookies. She’d made these muffin like treats that were a brownie on the bottom and a cookie on the top. I tasted them and instantly fell in love. I bit one and then took about three more and brought one to my brother. I was like “ Mike you have to taste these” he asked what they were and I replied with my eyes about to pop out my head “ BROOKIES” . He laughed and took a bite. His eyebrows raised in surprise. He then nodded his head and said “ Ok, brookies huh” . The slight surprise on his face was enough to get me super excited. I proceeded to ask the woman, how she made them. She said “ I simply take a box of brownies and a roll of store bought cookie dough and baked them together in a muffin pan. I said wow that’s it, while silently in my head thinking I’m so going to make these at home. So my wheels got to turning. After grabbing about 3 more Brookies with the intent to have the rest of my family try them I ended up eating them on the way home.
Making My Own
I went home and that weekend got to work. The Brookies my supervisor made were absolutely delicious but how much better would they be if they were made with homemade ingredients. I also decided to bake them in a square pan so I could make them bigger. I made my traditional chocolate chip cookie dough, brownie mix and added a little something special and put them thangs in the oven. When they came out I could barely wait for them to cool. If your family is like mine then you know that if there is any kind of dessert baking the sugar fanatics are on the scent. My dad called from upstairs and said “ do I smell cookies or brownies” I shouted back “ Brookies” he replied “what is that” I replied with a big smile, “you’ll see!”. I cut the Brookies into squares and took one to my official taste tester, aka daddy. He looked with a smile and intrigue and said “ Brookies huh”, then took a bite. His face lit up with the same excitement as mine did when I first tasted them. Then he looked almost confused as to say how does this taste so good. I then proceeded to tell him the story of how I came to try them at work.
The Brookie Brothers
I then let my brothers Mike and Mark try them. Mike smiled even bigger than he did the first time, took a step back and was like “Yooooo! You gotta bring these to work, they taste even better”. Mark nodded his head trying to hide his obvious affection for the chocolatey treat and agreed. In my mind I simply did not have the heart to bring something someone else had just brought to work in attempts to show them up. It’s just not my style, so instead I decided to add them to my menu.
No one really ordered them at first because they didn’t know what they were but anytime time someone asked for dessert table treats I suggested them. I was sure if they had the opportunity to try this chocolate dream they would get hooked just as me and my family did. Sure enough after adding them to a few dessert table orders the Brookies started to BOOM!
To my surprise the Brookies reputation began to precede itself. I made them mostly for baby showers, birthdays and graduation parties for close friends and family. When I watched guests consume the treats I was pleased to see that same intrigued and excited look I first had when I heard the name. Now whenever I’m amongst a group of people who know someone who’s had them, they ask me “so when are we going to get some of these infamous Brookies I’ve been hearing about?”. It’s gotten around so much that when I went to a dear friends Bridal shower, bridesmaids ( whom never had them before) where stuffing their purses with Brookies to ensure that they got some before the guests arrived.
It’s quite funny how something as simple as a brownie and a cookie can cause such a craze but I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t crazy about them as well. I only lasted at that customer service job for about a month but to this day I honestly believe God sent me there to be introduced to the infamous Brookie!