Brookie Bars are one of the best sweet treats with a chocolate chip cookie base, a layer of fudgy brownies and topped with another layer of cookie. An easy homemade brookie bar recipe that is absolutely irresistible.
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Why We Love These Brookie Bars
- An easy dessert recipe made with basic pantry staples.
- Great recipe to feed a crowd!
- The perfect treat for chocolate lovers.
- Makes the perfect addition in your kiddo's or spouse's lunch box.
- You get the best of both worlds! A combination of a chocolate chip cookie and a fudgy brownie!
Brookie Bars Recipe Ingredients
- Salted Butter
- White Sugar
- Brown Sugar
- Large Eggs
- Pure Vanilla Extract
- Baking Soda
- Salt
- Unbleached All Purpose Flour
- Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips
- Unsweetened Cocoa Powder
- Instant Coffee Granules
- Candy Coated Chocolates (M&M's)
Substitution Suggestions:
- Salted Butter: You can use unsalted butter, but I would add an additional ½ teaspoon of salt to the dough.
- Pure Vanilla Extract: Always use pure extracts. The imitation extracts are fake and chemically made and can leave an unwanted aftertaste in your baked goods.
- All Purpose Flour: Whole wheat flour and white whole wheat flour can be substituted for the all purpose flour. You can also use half whole wheat flour and half all purpose flour, it adds a nice flavor to the cookie bars.
- Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips: Feel free to use your favorite type of chocolate. Dark chocolate chips or milk chocolate chips are yummy too, as well as butterscotch and peanut butter!
- Instant Coffee Granules: This ingredient is optional, however I suggest using it! It really brings out the flavor of the chocolate in the brownie layer.
- Candy Coated Chocolates (m&m's): I use the milk chocolate candies that are dye free. I find them at Trader Joe's and Whole Foods. If you don't have any dye sensitivities you can use the traditional m&m candies.
These homemade brookies are a great way to enjoy the flavors of chocolatey brownies and chewy chocolate chip cookies all at once.
How to Make Brookie Bars From Scratch
Start with the cookie dough:
- Preheat oven to 350°F and line a 9x13 baking dish with parchment paper or grease it well with non-stick cooking spray.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together the softened butter, granulated sugar and brown sugar until light and fluffy.
- Add the egg and vanilla extract, beat until fully incorporated.
- Next, add the dry ingredients: baking soda, salt and all purpose flour. Mix on low speed just until combined.
- Take ¾ of the dough and press it into an even layer in prepared baking dish. Set the remaining dough aside.
- Sprinkle the chocolate chips over the cookie dough layer and lightly press them into the dough.
Next make the brownie batter:
- Melt the butter in a microwave safe bowl or on the stove over low heat.
- To the melted butter, add the unsweetened cocoa powder and instant coffee. Whisk well until completely smooth.
- Next, whisk in the granulated sugar.
- Now add the eggs and vanilla extract. Whisk together until fully incorporated.
- Switch to a rubber spatula or wooden spoon. Add the dry ingredients: salt and all purpose flour. Stir together until there are no more white streaks of flour.
- Spread the brownie batter over the cookie dough in an even layer. An offset spatula works great!
- Now take the remaining cookie dough and place chunks of it on top of the brownie batter.
- Sprinkle the candy coated chocolates over the top.
- Bake the bars for 40-45 minutes until the center is no longer jiggly or use a toothpick and insert it in the center of the brookies. The toothpick should have some moist crumbs or gooey brownie on it, but should not look wet. If the top cookie layer looks to be getting too brown, you can lightly cover it with aluminum foil.
- Let bars cool completely then slice and serve!
If you are a fan of cookie bars and brownies, give these sweet recipes a try!
Storing Brookie Bars
Storing: Store the cooled bars in an air tight container. Keep them in a cool dry place and they'll last at least a week, if not longer. If you notice the leftover bars starting to get a little dry, add a piece of bread or a flour tortilla to the container. It will add moisture back into the brookies.
Freezing: These brookies freeze perfectly! Place the baked and cooled bars in a freezer safe airtight container in single layers, between pieces of wax paper. Or you can individual wrap them in plastic wrap and then place in a freezer safe container or zip top bag. Label, date and freeze. The bars will last 3-4 months in the freezer.
Thawing: When you are ready to enjoy a delicious brookie bar, simply let them thaw at room temperature for at least 30 minutes.
Tips for the Best Brookie Bars
- Line the baking dish with parchment paper leaving an inch overhang on the long edge so you can easily lift the bars out of the dish once cooled.
- Use room temperature ingredients. It helps the dough and batter come together better.
- Always fluff your flour and then spoon and level it to measure. Doing this will prevent too much flour from being added and ultimately making the bars too dense and dry.
- After adding the eggs to the brownie batter, whisk like your life depends on it. The more airy the batter gets, the better.
- If the top cookie layer looks to be getting too brown, you can lightly cover it with aluminum foil.
- Let bars cool completely before slicing. They need time to set so they aren't a gooey mess.
- To get clean cuts, line the baking pan with parchment paper then once the bars are cooled lift them out of the pan. Using a sharp knife, slice in one smooth cut. Do not use a sawing motion to cut bars.
- Warm the bars and serve them with a scoop of vanilla ice cream for a delightful dessert!
FAQs
A brookie is a combination of chocolate chip cookie dough and brownie batter. They are layered to make delicious brookie bars.
The brookies are done when the center of the bars are no longer jiggly and the cookie layer is golden brown. You can use a toothpick inserted in center of the bars to so see if the brownies are baked long enough as well. The toothpick should have some crumbs or gooey brownie on it but it shouldn't look wet.
Yes, if you are in a real hurry you can use a box brownie mix for an 8x8 pan and prepared cookie dough. However, the from scratch recipe tastes so much better!
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Brookie Bars
Ingredients
Cookie Layer
- 1 cup salted butter, softened
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup brown sugar, lightly packed
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- ½ cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
- ½ cup candy coated chocolates (M&M's)
Brownie Layer
- ½ cup salted butter, melted
- ½ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- ½ teaspoon instant coffee granules
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1½ teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- ¼ teasoon salt
- ½ cup all purpose flour
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a 9x13 baking pan with parchment paper or grease with nonstick cooking spray.
Cookie Layer
- In a stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment, cream together the softened butter, white sugar and brown sugar until light and fluffy.
- Add the egg and vanilla extract, beat until fully incorporated.
- Add the dry ingredients: baking soda, salt and all purpose flour. Mix on low speed just until combined.
- Take ¾ of the dough and press it into an even layer in prepared baking dish. Set the remaining dough aside.
- Sprinkle the chocolate chips over the dough and lightly press them into the dough.
Brownie Layer
- Melt the butter in a microwave safe bowl or on the stove over low heat.
- To the melted butter, add the unsweetened cocoa powder and instant coffee. Whisk well until completely smooth.
- Next, whisk in the granulated sugar.
- Now add the eggs and vanilla extract. Whisk together until fully incorporated.
- Switch to a rubber spatula or wooden spoon. Add the dry ingredients: salt and all purpose flour. Stir together until there are no more white streaks.
- Now take the remaining cookie dough and place chunks of it over the brownie batter.
- Sprinkle the candy coated chocolates over the top.
- Bake the bars for 40-45 minutes until the center is no longer jiggly. If the top cookie layer looks to be getting too brown, you can lightly cover it with aluminum foil.
- Let bars cool completely then slice and serve!
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