Happy Valentine’s Day (aka, the day we can consume chocolate from morning to night, guilt-free!) How are you doing? Plans all in place? If not, don’t panic—at least not on the dessert end, ‘cause I’ve got the perfect, easy, quick and chocolate-y dessert that just screams I LOVE YOU!! Deep-Dish Brownie Cookies!! I guarantee you’re going to fall head over heels for these and for my Famous Fridays honoree (and creator of these decadent gems) Maria Lichty. She’s also the author of the new Two Peas & Their Pod Cookbook, and one half of the brains behind the wildly successful blog by the same name. Get ready for some major xoxo & ❤️❤️❤️❤️!!!

I’ve been a huge fan of Maria for years—love her down-to-earth, family-style cooking and her cute little kids too, so I was super excited when I learned that she was publishing her first cookbook, because I knew it would be chock full of great everyday recipes and photos. And I was not wrong. It’s such a pretty looking book, and so full of enticing dishes, like Salsa Verde-Chicken Stacked Enchiladas, Maple-Roasted Berry Yogurt Parfaits, Baked Brie with Apples and Salted Caramel Sauce, Spiced Cauliflower and Chickpea Tacos, Peanut Butter Fudge ice Cream Pie with Chocolate Cookie Crust…can’t wait to try all of these and more! It was very hard to narrow down and pick just one to showcase, but in the end, the chocolate won out, as it usually does! Lol!

Who can resist the idea of your own individual little gooey chocolate brownie cookie in a cup?

Not me!

And I bet you won’t be able to either!

Even if you’ve never baked anything in your life before, I promise you can turn these out with rock star success! You don’t even need a mixer! Or any fancy ingredients! So they’re perfect for last minute dessert needs, which is probably where you are if you haven’t decided on your Valentine’s dessert and are reading this right now! Anyhoo, they come together in just minutes with pantry staples and every single bite is gorgeously and lusciously chocolate through and through!

And if you serve them with a scoop of ice cream melting into all that hot molten chocolate, I pretty sure you’ll be rewarded with eternal devotion, which is of course, the end game here! So, pick up a copy of Two Peas & Their Pod—you’re going to love it and cook up some lovable dishes this weekend for those you love!!xoxox

Two Peas & Their Pod Deep-Dish Brownie Cookies-Famous Fridays

Makes 5 servings

Prep Time: 15 minutes; Bake Time: 18-20 minutes

Ingredients

• ¼ cup unbleached, all-purpose flour

• 1 ½ tablespoons Dutch-process cocoa powder

• ¼ teaspoon baking powder

• ⅛ teaspoon kosher salt

• 1 cup bittersweet or semisweet chocolate chunks or chips, divided

• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into cubes

• 1 large egg

• ¼ cup packed brown sugar

• ⅛ cup sugar

• ½ teaspoon vanilla extract

The Recipe

1. Preheat oven to 350ºF. Spray five 4-ounce ramekins with nonstick cooking spray and set aside.

2. Whisk together the flour, cocoa, baking powder and salt together and set aside.

3. Place the butter and ½ cup of the chocolate chips in a bowl set over simmering water (don’t let the water touch the bottom of the bowl) and melt, stirring gently until smooth. (You could also do this in a microwave using a microwaveable safe bowl. Nuke for 1 minute and stir. Then heat for another 30 seconds and stir until smooth).

4. Add the egg, brown and regular sugar and vanilla into the chocolate mixture and whisk until smooth. Gently fold in the dry ingredients and then the remaining chocolate chips. The batter will be very thick and stiff. Divide it evenly among the prepared ramekins and place them on a rimmed baking sheet.

5. Bake for 18-20 minutes until cookies are set on the edges but still soft and gooey in the middles. They’ll seem a little underbaked but that is good.

6. Let cool for a minute or two and then serve as is or topped with ice cream. You can also make these early in the day or even a day before, cover and chill them through Step 4 and then bake when you are ready.

Enjoy!

Note: Recipe adapted from Two Peas & Their Pod Cookbook by Maria Lichty. I cut the recipe in half but used more chocolate chips (of course!)