Name: Salted Brookie Bars
Prep time: 35 min
Cook time: 35 min
Total time: 70 min
Ingredients: 1/4 cup unsalted butter, (melted); 3/4 ounce semi-sweet chocolate baking bar, (coarsely chopped); 1/2 cup granulated sugar; 3 Tablespoons light brown sugar; 3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract; 1 large egg, (room temperature); 1/3 cup all-purpose flour; 1/3 cup unsweetened natural cocoa powder; 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt ((plus more for sprinkling on top)); 1/2 cup unsalted butter; 1/2 cup dark brown sugar; 1/4 cup granulated sugar; 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract; 1 large egg; 1 1/8 cups all-purpose flour; 1 teaspoon cornstarch; 1/2 teaspoon baking soda; 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt; 1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips; 1/2 cup dark chocolate chips

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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!

Overhead view of scattered brookies on a piece of parchment with a pinch bowl of salt.

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?
Why You'll Love This Recipe
Ingredient Notes & Substitutions
Special Equipment
Step-By-Step Recipe Instructions
Recipe Tips
Storage Instructions
More Chocolatey Bar Recipes
Recipe
Comments

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:

Cookie dough ingredients with labels on a white background.

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.

Wet ingredients mixed together in a glass bowl with a metal whisk.

Step 1: Make the brownie batter. Melt butter and chocolate in the microwave. Add both sugars, then vanilla and egg and whisk until combined.

Brownie batter in a glass bowl with a wooden spoon.

Step 2: Add flour, cocoa powder, and salt and fold into the sugar mixture using a wooden spoon or rubber spatula.

Wet ingredients whisked together in a glass bowl.

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.

Cookie dough with chocolate chips in a glass mixing bowl with a wooden spoon.

Step 4: Whisk together flour, cornstarch, baking soda, and salt. Stir the flour mixture into the sugar mixture. Fold in the chocolate chips.

Hand scooping brownie batter into a parchment-lined baking pan with cookie dough balls.

Step 5: Alternately add scoops of brownie batter and cookie dough to an 8x8 baking pan lined with parchment paper.

Hand using a rubber spatula to pat cookie dough and brownie batter down in pan.

Step 6: Using a rubber spatula, gently press down the batter and dough to fill the pan.

Hand dragging an offset spatula through cookie dough and brownie batter in a baking pan to marble the two together.

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.

Overhead view of sliced brookies with one bar turned sideways for a side view of the marbled cookie and brownie.

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.

More Chocolatey Bar Recipes

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