Salted brookie bars combine fudgy chocolate brownies and chewy chocolate chip cookies for a crowd-pleasing homemade dessert that's salty, sweet, and SUPER 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!
What is a Brookie?
A brookie is a dessert that combines both a brownie and a chocolate chip cookie. Brookies are commonly baked in either cookie or bar form.
The perfect brookie bar recipe begins with outstanding recipes for brownies and chocolate chip cookies. My recipes for fudgy chocolate brownies and chewy chocolate chip cookies pair beautifully to create brookie bars that are rich, chocolatey, soft/chewy, and irresistible!
How to Make Brookie Bars from Scratch
These beautifully marbled bars are actually quite simple to make. Follow these easy steps for chewy, chocolatey brookie bars.
- Line a metal baking pan with parchment paper (check out my tutorial for how to easily line pans with parchment paper!)
- Make the chocolate chip cookie dough. Whisk together flour, cornstarch, baking soda, and salt. Beat butter and sugar, then add vanilla and an egg. Stir the flour mixture into the butter mixture. Finally stir in the chocolate chips.
- Make the brownie batter. Melt butter and chocolate, whisking until smooth. Add sugar, vanilla, and eggs, whisking until combined. Fold flour, cocoa powder, espresso powder, and salt into the batter.
- Drop spoonfuls of the brownie batter and cookie dough into the prepared pan and use a spatula or butter knife to swirl them together.
- A sprinkling of sea salt before baking adds a delicious contrast to the sweetness of the chocolate.
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.
Bring these salted brookie bars to a party and there won't be a single crumb leftover!
Love these salted brookie bars? Leave a review and be sure to check out these other chocolatey bar recipes!
- Chocolate Caramel Pecan Turtle Bars
- Small Batch Chocolate Peanut Butter Oatmeal Cookie Bars
- Chocolate Mint Creme de Menthe Brownies
Salted Brookie Bars
- Prep Time: 40 minutes
- Cook Time: 35 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
- Yield: 16 bars 1x
Ingredients
for the chocolate chip cookie dough:
- ¾ cup all-purpose flour
- ¾ tsp. cornstarch
- ½ tsp. baking soda
- ½ tsp. fine sea salt (plus more for sprinkling on bars)
- 5 T unsalted butter, room temperature
- ⅓ cup dark brown sugar
- 2 T plus 2 tsp. granulated sugar
- ¾ tsp. vanilla extract
- 1 large egg
- ⅓ cup semisweet chocolate chips
- ⅓ cup dark chocolate chunks
for the brownie batter:
- ¼ cup unsalted butter
- ¾ oz. semi-sweet chocolate baking bar, coarsely chopped
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 2 T plus 2 tsp. brown sugar
- ¾ tsp. vanilla extract
- 1 large egg, room temperature
- ⅓ cup all-purpose flour
- ⅓ cup unsweetened natural cocoa powder
- 1 tsp. espresso powder
- ½ tsp. fine sea salt
Instructions
- Line an 8″x8″ metal baking pan with parchment paper. Set aside.
- Make the chocolate chip cookie dough. In a small bowl, combine flour, cornstarch, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer (or in a large bowl using a handheld electric mixer), beat butter on high speed until creamy, about 1 minute. Add brown sugar, granulated sugar, and vanilla extract and beat until combined and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Scrape the bowl with a spatula as needed. Add egg and beat on high speed until blended.
- With the mixer running on low speed, slowly add the flour mixture and mix just until combined. Finally add the chocolate chips and chocolate chunks and stir on low speed just until the chocolate is distributed throughout the dough.
- Set the chocolate chip cookie dough aside and preheat the oven to 350°F while you prepare the brownie batter.
- 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 eggs and whisk until combined.
- Add flour, cocoa powder, espresso powder and salt and fold into the sugar mixture.
- Bake the brookie bars. Scoop dollops of the cookie dough and brownie batter into the prepared pan, alternating the two so that both are well distributed around the pan. Using an offset spatula (or a butter knife), gently drag the tip through the dough and batter so that they are slightly swirled together (the goal being to ensure that all bars, once baked and sliced, will contain both brownie and cookie). Then use the offset spatula (or a rubber spatula) to gently smooth the top of the bars without smearing the two together too much or pressing down to squash the dough/batter. Sprinkle a bit of fine sea salt over the top of the bars.
- Bake the bars at 350°F for 30-35 minutes. The bars are ready when a toothpick inserted into the center of the bars comes out clean or with just a few moist crumbs. (Note: If the toothpick is chocolatey, it may have been inserted into a chocolate chip and is not necessarily a sign that your brownie batter is still raw. Test another spot to be sure.)
- 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.
Notes
Storage: Leftover bars can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days (or frozen for up to 3 months).
This recipe can be easily doubled and baked in a 9×13 pan. Keep an eye on your bars as they bake and note that they may need an extra 5 to 10 minutes of baking time in the larger pan.
- Category: Dessert
Keywords: brookie, brookie bars, brownies, chocolate chip cookies, chocolate bar recipe
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