Brookie Bars are the combination of two of my favorite things. You'll never have to choose between a cookie or a brownie again when you can just have both at once with this easy recipe! With a decadent fudgy brownie base and delicious chocolate chip cookie dough top, it's the ultimate dessert recipe!
The name Brookie comes from the mashing together of 'brownie' and 'cookie,' but maybe you got that already!
These cookie brownie bars really are a genius idea, and you can customize them to suit any occasion.
Try them with your favorite chocolate, baking chips, or crushed nuts to suit your preference; you really can't go wrong here!
Made with a brownie base that has moist crumbs in every bite, the top cookie layer is perfectly moist and chewy too.
You can make these brownie cookie bars in a large slab or assemble smaller dishes with the mixes, just reduce the cooking time if making smaller ones.
Serve them warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream or a dollop of whipped cream for a decadent dessert.
For more chocolate brownie and chocolate chip cookie magic, try my Cosmic Brownie Cookies, Chocolate Peanut Butter Cookies, Mini Chocolate Chip Cookies, and these Chocolate Pudding Triple Chocolate Cookies!
Shopping List
Wet Ingredients. Butter, Vanilla Extract, Egg
Dry Ingredients. All Purpose Flour, Granulated Sugar, Brown Sugar, Baking Soda, Baking Powder, Cornstarch, Dutch Process Cocoa Powder, Salt
Chocolate. Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips, Mik Chocolate Chips
How to Make this Brookie Bar Recipe
Pre-heat oven to 350 F. Line a 9x13 baking dish with parchment paper or spray it with cooking spray for easy removal.
Make Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough
Cut the cold Butter into cubes and cream it together with the Granulated Sugar in a large mixing bowl until fluffy. This will take about 2-3 minutes on medium-high speed with a hand mixer or in the bowl of a stand mixer.
Add Egg and Vanilla Extract, and cream until light and fluffy. Scrape the sides of the bowl as needed to include all ingredients together.
Mix in Brown Sugar and continue to cream for 2-3 additional minutes.
Gradually add All-Purpose Flour, Baking Soda, Baking Powder, and Salt to the butter mixture and mix until combined.
Stir the Chocolate Chips into the cookie dough and set it aside.
Make Brownie Layer
Melt the Butter and Chocolate Chips together in a large bowl in the microwave for 30 seconds. Stir the mixture and heat it for additional 30 seconds if needed to melt.
Add Eggs and Vanilla Extract to the butter mixture and mix to combine all ingredients.
Gradually mix in dry ingredients of granulated sugar, brown sugar, flour, cocoa, and salt into wet ingredients and mix until combined.
Brownie batter will be thick. Carefully spread brownie batter into the bottom of a 9x13 baking dish sprayed with cooking spray.
Drop spoonfuls of cookie dough onto the brownie batter in the baking dish. I find smaller spoonfuls of dough work best, allowing space and room in between to see brownie batter. Do not press the cookie dough into the brownie batter, it will spread out on its own as it bakes.
Bake at 350 F Degrees for 20 minutes, covered with foil. Then remove the foil and bake for 15 more minutes, or until the edges are set and lightly golden.
Allow Brookies to fully cool before slicing the slab into 3 rows by 5 rows.
FAQs
Dutch Process Cocoa Powder has a darker color and is more intensely flavored. Dutch Process Cocoa is made with cocoa beans that have had their acidity neutralized, meaning it reacts differently to leavening agents than Natural Cocoa Powder.
This is why we need Baking Powder as well as Baking Soda in this homemade Brookies recipe. I haven't tried this recipe with Natural Cocoa Powder, but if you need to make a different brownie layer, try my Brownie Mix Cookies Recipe.
Storage & Freezing
Store: Store these Brookie Bars once they have completely cooled in an airtight container or ZipLock bag. Cookies will stay fresh for up to 7 days, but they are best enjoyed within 3-4 days.
Freeze: Put the bars in a freezer bag or freezer-safe container for up to 3 months. Place a piece of parchment paper or plastic wrap between each bar to prevent them from sticking together. You can freeze the slab as a whole if you prefer, and cut it after defrosting it.
Substitutions & Variations
- Salted Butter. I always use salted butter for baking, but if you only have access to unsalted butter, you'll want to add a dash of salt to the chocolate chip cookie dough and also the brownie mixture.
- Add a topping. Add a melted chocolate drizzle to the top of the Brookies for an extra sweet finish. Dark chocolate would work well to balance out the sweetness, but milk chocolate or white chocolate would work too.
- Use different fillings. You can add just about anything to the brownie or cookie dough mix to get a different flavor and add more texture. Consider adding some chopped chocolate, Reese's Pieces, butterscotch chips, or crushed nuts.
- Frost the top. You could make these Brookies extra decadent by adding a layer of frosting over the cookie bars before serving them. This would be perfect for making a Brookie Bars birthday cake!
Pro Tips
What makes a good cookie? Does it have a soft center and crispy edges, and is it chewy? Each of these makes a great-quality cookie. To make perfect cookies every time, here are some pro tips.
Weighing Ingredients.
Baking is a precise science, and even the slightest deviation of ingredient amounts can affect the recipe. I'd recommend measuring dry ingredients accurately, and using a kitchen scale is the best way to achieve this.
If a scale is not available, be sure to properly stir and lift ingredients before scooping them into a measuring cup.
Room Temperature Ingredients.
In a lot of cookie recipes, you want the refrigerated ingredients to be at room temperature for them to mix together more easily. In this recipe, however, the
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Baking Sheets.
You can use an ungreased cookie sheet if you prefer. I like to use Parchment Paper to line baking sheets or a Silicone Mat for easy cleanup.
Equipment
- Kitchen Scale. I use this for accuracy in measuring, and it's a lifesaver when it comes to consistent baking.
- Mixing Bowls. A Large Mixing Bowl for mixing ingredients and small and medium mixing bowls for other ingredients.
- Cookie Sheet. Most recipes will take two batches to bake. It's great to have multiple baking sheets available.
- Parchment Paper or Silicone Baking Mat. Line the Cookie Sheet with parchment paper for easy cleanup and to prevent sticking.
- Storage Container. An Airtight Container to store cookies or a Ziploc Bag works great too.
- Additional supplies. Measuring Cups and Measuring Spoons along with a rubber spatula, are all helpful.
To find out more, check out my Pro Tips Guide to learn how to make the best cookies every time!
Have you tried this easy Brookie recipe?
Let me know what you think of this recipe! Tag @bestcookierecipes on social media so I can see how great your cookies turned out! I would also love to read your comments below. Let me know what you think of these cookies. It really does help!
More Delicious Cookie Bar Recipes
- Lucky Charms Bars
- Hello Dolly Magic Cookie Bars
- Salted Caramel Bars
- Cranberry Bars
- Monster Cookie Bars
- Buckeye Bars
- No Bake Avalanche Bars
- Strawberry Lemonade Bars
- Easy Blueberry Pie Bars
- Strawberry Magic Bars
Brookie Bars
Ingredients
Cookie Dough Layer
- ½ Cup Butter Cold cut into cubes
- ½ Cup Brown Sugar 106g
- ¼ Cup White Sugar 50g
- 1 Egg Large
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
- ¼ teaspooon Salt
- ½ teaspoon Baking Soda
- ½ teaspoon Baking Powder
- 4 teaspoon Cornstarch
- 1 ½ Cup All Purpose Flour 180g
- 1 ½ Cup Chocolate Chips Semi Sweet or Milk Chocolate
Brownie Layer
- ½ Cup Butter Melted
- ¼ Cup Chocolate Chips Semi Sweet
- 2 Eggs Large
- 2 teaspoons Vanilla Extract
- ¾ Cup All Purpose Flour 95g
- ½ Cup Granulated Sugar 100g
- ½ Cup Brown Sugar 106g
- ⅓ Cup Cocoa Dutch Process
- ¼ teaspoon Salt
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F Degrees. Line 9x13 baking dish with parchment paper or spray with cooking spray
Cookie Dough
- Cut cold Butter into cubes, and cream together Butter and Granulated Sugar in a large mixing bowl until fluffy. This will take about 2-3 minutes on medium/high speed with a hand mixer or stand mixer.
- Add Egg and Vanilla Extract and cream until light and fluffy. Scrape sides of bowl as needed to include all ingredients together.
- Mix in Brown Sugar and continue to cream for 2-3 additional minutes.
- Gradually add All Purpose Flour, Baking Soda, Baking Powder, and Salt to the butter mixture and mix until combined.
- Stir Chocolate Chips into cookie dough and set cookie dough aside.
Brownie Layer
- In a large mixing bowl melt butter and chocolate chips together in microwave for 30 seconds. Stir mixture and heat for additional 30 seconds if needed to melt.
- Add eggs and vanilla extract to butter mixture and mix to combine all ingredients.
- Gradually mix in dry ingredients of granulated sugar, brown sugar, flour, cocoa, and salt into wet ingredients and mix until combined.
- Brownie batter will be thick. Carefully spread brownie batter into bottom of 9x13 baking dish sprayed with cooking spray.
- Drop spoonfuls of cookie dough onto brownie batter in baking dish. I find smaller spoonfuls of dough work best allowing space and room in between to see brownie batter. Do not press cookie dough into brownie batter.
- Bake at 350F Degrees for 20 minutes covered with foil. Then remove foil and bake for 15 more minutes or until edges are set and lightly golden.
- Allow Brookies to fully cool before slicing into 3 rows by 5 rows.
- Store cooled bars in a sealed container.
Notes
Storage
- Store: Stored cooled cookies in an airtight container or ZipLock bag. Cookies will stay fresh for up to 7 days but best if enjoyed within 3-4 days.
- Freeze: Store cookies in a Ziploc bag or freezer-safe container for up to 3 months. Place a piece of parchment paper or plastic wrap between each cookie to prevent them from sticking together.
Grace
Perfect Brookie Cookie Bar. Love how fudge like the brownie layer is and topped with the best CCC dough on top. Great recipe and so easy to follow