Petit Fours - Cookie and Brownie bites

I approached this week's Great Blogger's Bake Off challenge with a little trepidation. The recipe choices this week were trifle (which I'm not keen on), floating islands (also something that I'm not very fond of) and petit fours (I didn't have a clear idea what these were). After a bit of research and Pinterest browsing I decided that petit fours were the way to go. There are lots of different variations, and I decided that I could come up with something that was tasty and small enough to pop in the mouth in one go.

So I made some cookie and brownie bites, smothered in melted chocolate and topped with a Malteser.

They took me most of the day to make as there are lots of different stages. My recipe makes plenty, I reckon enough to make at least 40 bites (allowing for natural wastage due to nibbling throughout the day). The brownie base recipe is from a chocolate brownie cheesecake recipe that is my brother's speciality, and the cookie recipe is the basic recipe that I always use.

To make the brownie base:

130g unsalted butter
170g icing sugar
2 eggs
130g dark chocolate, melted
75g plain flour

Cream the butter and icing sugar, beat in the eggs and add the melted chocolate and flour. Pour into a baking tray (mine measures 30 x 20 cm) and bake at 180C for about 25 minutes.

To make the cookie base:

4oz unsalted butter
4oz light muscovado or brown sugar
6oz self-raising flour
1 tablespoon syrup
Leftover chocolate cut into chunks, Maltesers etc.

Cream the butter and sugar then add the flour and syrup. Add chocolate chunks if you like, or perhaps the rest of the bag of Maltesers. Press out into a baking tray (mine measures 30 x 20 cm). Bake at 180C for about ten minutes. Remove from the oven when it has started to brown slightly on the top. It will still appear puffy and soggy, but it will flatten and harden up when it has been left to cool for half an hour or so.

For the assembly and topping:

Leftover dark chocolate (about 10 squares)
At least 200g of milk chocolate, melted
A Malteser for each cake

To put together:

Make up the brownie and the cookie bases. Use a knife or cutter (I used a small flower cutter) to cut them out into little bites, about an inch square. Leave in the fridge for a short while to harden and make assembly easier.

Melt the leftover dark chocolate, and use a small blob to stick a brownie piece on top of a cookie piece. Return to the fridge to set.

Melt the milk chocolate and use a spoon to pour over the top of the bites, allowing it to run down the sides. You could dip the entire petit four in melted chocolate for a more indulgent treat. Top with a Malteser, then return to the fridge to set.

I was so pleased with these petit fours, they were absolutely delicious! I think that they fit the criteria, and you can just about fit them in your mouth in one go if you open wide!

I'm linking up to the Great Bloggers Bake Off, hosted by Mummy Mishaps and The Crazy Kitchen.