Salted brookie bars combine fudgy chocolate brownies and chewy chocolate chip cookies for a crowd-pleasing homemade dessert that's salty, sweet, and irresistibly chocolatey!
When it comes to recipes that put a fun twist on a classic dessert, nothing can top brookies! The combination of two of the most loved desserts - brownies and chocolate chip cookies - makes for one epic sweet treat!
Bring these salted brookie bars to a party and there won't be a single crumb leftover!
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What is a Brookie?
Brookies are a dessert that combines a brownie and a chocolate chip cookie into one delicious treat. Sometimes they take the form of a brownie (like these bars do), and sometimes they take the form of a cookie.
Why You'll Love This Recipe
These beautifully marbled bars are actually quite simple to make from scratch.
The perfect brookie bar recipe begins with outstanding recipes for brownies and chocolate chip cookies. My recipes for easy one-bowl fudgy brownies and chewy chocolate chip cookies pair beautifully to create brookie bars that are rich, chocolatey, soft/chewy, and completely irresistible!
Once the cookie dough and brownie batter are made, they're marbled together and baked into one mouth-watering bar.
Ingredient Notes & Substitutions
See recipe card at the bottom of this post for full ingredient list and measurements.
Brownie Batter Ingredients:
Chopped Chocolate - Choose a chocolate baking bar (I recommend semisweet), which can be found in the baking aisle at your local grocery store. I don't recommend substituting candy bars or chocolate chips, since both both contain additional ingredients and stabilizers.
Natural Unsweetened Cocoa Powder - Natural unsweetened cocoa powder teams up with the chopped chocolate to provide a rich, chocolatey flavor.
Sugar & Brown Sugar - Using both sugars adds just the right amount of sweetness, structure, and moisture (thanks to the brown sugar). I used light brown sugar but dark brown will also work.
One ingredient that you won't find in the brownies: chemical leaveners (baking soda and baking powder). We skip the rising agents in these brownies to keep them ultra fudgy.
Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Ingredients:
Unsalted Butter - Butter is key for both fat and flavor in the cookie dough. Using melted butter means we can skip creaming the butter in a stand mixer and simply whisk it in a mixing bowl.
Brown Sugar - You'll see brown sugar in almost all chocolate chip cookie recipes, and for good reason: it adds essential moisture and flavor to the cookie dough. I love dark brown sugar for this recipe, but you can substitute light brown sugar for a less molasses-y flavor.
Cornstarch - A little bit of cornstarch helps to create a chewy cookie texture.
Chocolate Chips - I like to use a mix of chocolate chips in different types and sizes for some extra flavor and texture variation. I opt for semisweet chips and larger dark chocolate morsels.
Special Equipment
In addition to essential baking equipment (like a mixing bowl and whisk), I recommend some special tools for making this recipe.
- A small cookie scoop, for scooping the brownie batter and cookie dough into the pan. This is optional, and you can use a spoon instead, though I find the cookie scoop makes it especially easy to portion the batter and dough into the pan.
- A small offset spatula (or simply a butter knife), for marbling the batter and dough together.
Step-By-Step Recipe Instructions
See recipe card at the bottom of this post for detailed recipe instructions.
Step 1: Make the brownie batter. Melt butter and chocolate in the microwave. Add both sugars, then vanilla and egg and whisk until combined.
Step 2: Add flour, cocoa powder, and salt and fold into the sugar mixture using a wooden spoon or rubber spatula.
Step 3: Make the cookie dough. Whisk together melted butter, both sugars, and vanilla. Add egg and whisk well until the mixture is glossy and a bit lighter in color.
Step 4: Whisk together flour, cornstarch, baking soda, and salt. Stir the flour mixture into the sugar mixture. Fold in the chocolate chips.
Step 5: Alternately add scoops of brownie batter and cookie dough to an 8x8 baking pan lined with parchment paper.
Step 6: Using a rubber spatula, gently press down the batter and dough to fill the pan.
Step 7: Drag an offset spatula or butter knife through the batter and dough to marble the two together. Sprinkle a bit of salt over the top.
Step 8: Bake the brookies at 350°F for 30-35 minutes. The bars are ready when a toothpick inserted into the center of the bars comes out clean with just a few moist crumbs.
Recipe Tips
Save a little bit of cookie dough and brownie batter in the bowls. You can use the extra to fill any holes after pressing the dough and batter down in the pan.
When smoothing the top of the bars with the spatula, be careful not to smear the batter and dough together too much. The goal is that, once baked and sliced, each bar will contain distinctive bits of both brownie and cookie.
If you're not serving the entire pan of brookies at once, only cut the brookies you'll be serving instead of cutting the entire pan at once. Keeping the leftovers uncut will help them to stay fresh longer.
This recipe makes one 8x8 pan, but you can easily double the recipe if baking for a crowd and bake it in a 9x13 pan! Just keep a close eye on the bars as they bake and note that they may need an extra 5 to 10 minutes of baking time in the larger pan.
Storage Instructions
Room Temperature: Bars can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 4 days if uncut or 2 to 3 days if cut.
Freezing: Bars that are baked and completely cooled can be sealed in an airtight container and frozen for up to 2 months. Allow to thaw at room temperature before slicing and serving.
If possible, avoid cutting the brownies before storing to help them stay fresh longer. For more info about the best way to store brownies (which also applies to these brookie bars), check out this article.
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Recipe
Salted Brookie Bars
Special Equipment
- Small (1 Tablespoon) cookie scoop (optional)
- Small offset spatula (or butter knife)
Ingredients
Brownie Batter:
- ¼ cup (57 grams) unsalted butter, melted
- ¾ ounce (21 grams) semi-sweet chocolate baking bar, coarsely chopped
- ½ cup (99 grams) granulated sugar
- 3 Tablespoons (40 grams) light brown sugar
- ¾ teaspoon (4 grams) vanilla extract
- 1 (50 grams) large egg, room temperature
- ⅓ cup (40 grams) all-purpose flour
- ⅓ cup (28 grams) unsweetened natural cocoa powder
- ½ teaspoon (3 grams) fine sea salt (plus more for sprinkling on top)
Cookie Dough:
- ½ cup (113 grams) unsalted butter
- ½ cup (107 grams) dark brown sugar
- ¼ cup (50 grams) granulated sugar
- 1 ½ teaspoons (7 grams) vanilla extract
- 1 (50 grams) large egg
- 1 ⅛ cups (135 grams) all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon (2 grams) cornstarch
- ½ teaspoon (3 grams) baking soda
- ½ teaspoon (3 grams) fine sea salt
- ½ cup (90 grams) semisweet chocolate chips
- ½ cup (90 grams) dark chocolate chips
Instructions
- Line an 8"x8" metal baking pan with parchment paper. Set the pan aside.
Make the brownie batter.
- In a large, microwave-safe bowl, melt butter and chocolate in the microwave in 30 second increments. Whisk until smooth.
- Add both sugars and whisk until combined.
- Add vanilla and egg and whisk until combined.
- Add flour, cocoa powder, and salt and fold into the sugar mixture using a wooden spoon or rubber spatula.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F and set the brownie batter aside while you make the cookie dough.
Make the cookie dough.
- In a large bowl, add melted butter, both sugars, and vanilla and whisk to combine.
- Add egg and whisk well until the mixture is glossy and a bit lighter in color, about 1 minute. Let the mixture stand for about 5 minutes while you prepare the next ingredients.
- In a medium bowl, add flour, cornstarch, baking soda, and salt and whisk to combine.
- Give the sugar mixture a quick whisk and then add the flour mixture. Use a wooden spoon or a spatula to gently stir the flour mixture into the sugar mixture. Stir just until mixed.
- Add both chocolate chips and stir just until blended.
Bake the brookies.
- Use a small cookie scoop or spoon to alternately add scoops of brownie batter and cookie dough to the prepared baking pan.
- Using a rubber spatula, gently press down the batter and dough to fill the pan.
- Using an offset spatula or butter knife, carefully drag the tip through the batter and dough to marble the two together. Sprinkle a bit of salt over the top.
- Bake the bars for 30-35 minutes. The bars are ready when a toothpick inserted into the center of the bars comes out with just a few moist crumbs.
- Let the bars cool in the pan on a wire rack. Once cool, pull up on the parchment paper to remove the bars from the pan. Slice into 16 squares and serve.
Ayesha says
Hi. Can i have the measurements in grams pls
Allison Ferraro says
Hi Ayesha! I've working on updating all of the recipe cards on my website to include this information, but I just corrected this recipe so that you can now toggle between US customary and metric measurements.
- Allison