Crinkly Brownie Cookies and Dream Desserts

Dream Desserts: 60 Over-the-Top Recipes for Truly Fabulous Flavor, written by Amie MacGregor, features a collection of bars, cookies, cakes, cream puffs, cheesecakes, scones, and more in a fun variety of flavors. A few highlights include Crumbly Apple Pie Bars, Smoky S’mores Macarons, Decadent Bananas Foster Layer Cake, Tangy Key Lime Pie Ice Cream, and Sprinkles Galore Birthday Cake Rolls. I will also be sharing her recipe for Crinkly Brownie Cookies following the review.

Disclosure: I received this book from Page Street Publishing in exchange for my honest review. All opinions and statements are my own. This post contains Amazon affiliate links. If you purchase something through the link, I may receive a small commission at no extra charge to you.

Amie MacGregor

Amie MacGregor is a recipe developer and food photographer. She created the blog, Food Duchess, to share her creations and love for food photography with others. Her work has been featured on Modern Texas Living, the feedfeed, and more.

She is currently based in Alberta, Canada. This is her first cookbook.

Dream Desserts

Amie begins Dream Desserts with a short introduction. She discusses how she developed a passion for baking before jumping right into the recipes.

Chapters are divided according to the following: Irresistible Bars & Brownies, Killer Cookies & Macarons, Cake & Cupcake Extravaganza, Flavor-Stuffed Cream Puffs & Éclairs, Cheat Day-Style Donuts, Blissfully Delicious Cheesecakes & Pavlovas, No Oven Required: No-Bake Desserts, Tempting Tarts & Scones, and A Gluten-Devotee’s Guide to Bread & Rolls.

The contents include a list of recipes with page number for easy reference.

Amie also provides the photography. Every single recipe is paired with a beautifully styled, full page photo of the finished dish. There are also a few step-by-step photos to demonstrate the assembly of the “Wake Me Up” No-Bake Tiramisu Cheesecake and the Soft and Fluffy Pumpkin Pie Babka.

Measurements are listed in US Customary and Metric. Titles are written in English. Each recipe has a headnote with background information, tips, yield, and helpful notes.

Crinkly Brownie Cookies

These Crinkly Brownie Cookies had such an incredible texture and they were so easy too! No resting times, rolling, or cutting required.

Dark brown sugar, white sugar, eggs, and vanilla are beaten over high speed until fluffy, then melted chocolate and butter are blended in along with flour, black (or Dutch process) cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt to form the batter.

Scoops of the batter are transferred to parchment-lined baking sheets and baked until set. The result is a fudgy, brownie-like interior with crinkly, crisp edges.

This batter is best made immediately before baking. As it begins to cool, the mixture start to harden and become difficult to scoop.

A sprinkling of flaky salt over the tops of the cookies adds a wonderful contrast to the rich and sweet chocolate.

Other Desserts

I also made the Rainbow-Speckled Birthday Cake Shortbread Cookies, Fluffy Birthday Cake Madeleines, Chocolate-Covered Peanut Butter Truffles, and Chocolate Chip Cookie Scones.

The Rainbow-Speckled Birthday Cake Shortbread Cookies were such a fun and festive treat! A buttery shortbread dough is packed with sprinkles and baked until barely starting to turn golden. Before serving, they are dipped in a sweet glaze and covered with even more sprinkles.

I especially love all the birthday cake/funfetti recipes packed into this book! The Fluffy Birthday Cake Madeleines were another favorite. They have a light and fluffy texture paired with a vanilla glaze and additional sprinkles.

The Chocolate-Covered Peanut Butter Truffles were Evan’s favorite. Since they are no-bake, they are also kid-friendly. A sweetened peanut butter mixture is formed into balls, then covered in chocolate and a sprinkling of crushed peanuts.

The Chocolate Chip Cookie Scones were such a delicious addition to brunch. The light and flaky scones are packed with chocolate chips and baked until golden. They are perfect warm from the oven.

Dream Desserts is a great pick for those interested in trying an exciting variety of new dessert recipes. Many come together in as little as 30 minutes while others take a little more effort or require some time to rest/freeze before baking.

Most of the ingredients are readily available in the average American grocery store. A few items that may require further searching include maple extract, vanilla bean paste, pastry flour, Dutch process cocoa powder, Key limes, banana extract, coconut extract, dulce de leche, and almond flour.

Crinkly Brownie Cookies Recipe

Excerpt from Dream Desserts

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Crinkly Brownie Cookies

A recipe for Crinkly Brownie Cookies from the cookbook, Dream Desserts. These fudgy cookies have a crisp, crinkly exterior.

Course Dessert

Cuisine N/A

Keyword brownie, chocolate, cookie, dessert

Prep Time 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time 12 minutes minutes

0 minutes minutes

Total Time 27 minutes minutes

Servings 12 Cookies

Ingredients

• 7 ounces (198 grams) semisweet chocolate finely chopped
• 1/2 cup (114 grams) unsalted butter at room temperature
• 3/4 cup (165 grams) packed dark brown sugar
• 1/2 cup (100 grams) white sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup plus 2 teaspoons (136 grams) all-purpose flour
• 3 tablespoons (15 grams) black cocoa powder (double-Dutch) or Dutch process cocoa powder
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon table salt
• Flaky salt for garnish

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 350˚F (175˚C) and prepare two baking sheets with parchment paper.
• Put the chopped chocolate and butter into a heat-proof bowl and place over the top of a simmering pot of water. Ensure the bottom of the bowl isn't touching the water. Heat and stir until all of the chocolate and butter is melted. Allow it to cool slightly while you begin making the cookies.
• In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, combine the brown sugar, white sugar, eggs, and vanilla, then beat until the mixture looks fluffy and has almost tripled in volume- 3 to 4 minutes on high.
• Add the slightly cooled melted chocolate mixture to the stand mixer, then mix until well combined with the rest of the batter.
• In a separate bowl, combine the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and table salt, then whisk until well combined. Then add this mixture to the stand mixer and beat on medium-low until just combined and smooth.
• Using a 1 1/2-ounce (45 milliliter) cookie scoop, scoop the batter onto the two baking sheets (each sheet gets six cookies). The batter will be very thick and viscous- similar to brownie batter. It is best to work fast because the batter becomes hard to work with once it begins to cool.
• Sprinkle the cookies with a little bit of flaky salt, then bake the cookies, one sheet at a time, for 12 minutes each.
• Allow the cookies to cool completely before enjoying.