Brown Butter Brookies

Satisfy all of your cravings with a batch of these soft and chewy brown butter brookies. Made with equal parts brown butter chocolate chip cookie and rich, dark, ultra fudgy brownie, these one pan wonders are the ultimate chocolate lover’s treat. Get the best of both worlds with this crowd pleasing dessert!

So here’s the thing.
You know how I always say that classic chocolate chip cookies are my all time favorite dessert? Well…I take it back. One bite of these dangerously delicious brown butter brookies and I’m like “chocolate chip cookie who??”. If you aren’t yet familiar with brookies, allow me to introduce you to the most chocolatey, chewy, fudgy, crazy delicious cookie bar ever!! It’s a real double doozy of a dessert and you’re going to LOVE them.

WHAT EXACTLY IS A BROOKIE?

Brookies are the ultimate dessert lover’s treat for those times when you can’t decide between a cookie and a brownie. Pretty much sums me up in a nutshell. What can I say? My sweet tooth wants it aaallllll!! With a brookie, you get a cookie and a brownie all rolled into one rich and decadent dessert. You simply can’t go wrong. The concept is brilliant really and the person that invented the all mighty brookie deserves a gold star. These brown butter brookies are made with equal parts of my go-to chocolate chip cookie with a twist {hello brown buttah!} paired with a deep, dark, ultra fudgy brownie.
Brookies can be made in cookie form as seen here with my brookie ice cream sandwiches. But they are even better made into bars if you ask me. I don’t even care that this recipe feeds a crowd because I want them all to myself.

BEFORE WE GET STARTED

A few notes worth mentioning before we dive right into the recipe for these seriously delicious brown butter brookies. First, don’t skip the brown butter. Just don’t. The flavor of the brown butter in the cookie dough really can’t be beat and it’s worth going the extra mile. And since I know you’re going to ask, the answer is yes. You do have to chill the brown butter before creaming it together with the sugars. Don’t mess with a good thing I always say and this recipe is a very good thing. These brookies are hella good straight from the oven but for those clean, sharp edges be sure to cool the bars completely and consider chilling the pan in the fridge for a bit before slicing with a sharp knife.

INGREDIENTS YOU NEED FOR BROWN BUTTER BROOKIES

The beauty of this recipe is that it comes together in about an hour with standard ingredients that you likely already have in your pantry. There are a few steps involved as we are working with both cookie dough and brownie batter but neither is complicated on its own. Check this list for ingredients you need for the best ever brown butter brookies and get baking!
Flour. Just regular all-purpose will do. Nothing fancy here.
Butter. You’ll use both brown butter for the cookie dough and regular melted butter for the brownie batter in this recipe. No need to set butter out in advance to soften so you can get to baking the minute the craving strikes. If you haven’t browned butter before, don’t you fret. Check out this post for the how-to and everything you need to know to brown butter like a pro.
Sugar. Grab the granulated sugar and the brown sugar from your pantry bakers. The combination of white and brown sugar adds both sweetness and moisture to these brookies. Dark brown sugar will work just as well if that’s what you have on hand.
Eggs. Don’t forget to set your eggs out in advance to reach room temperature before beginning to mix your dough and batter.
Baking soda and baking powder. We need both types of leaveners in this recipe to help give the brookies texture and rise. Check your expiration dates to be sure they are fresh.
Chocolate. That high quality cocoa powder and high end chocolate chips are totally worthy of these brookies. Use the good stuff here friends.

TIPS FOR THE BEST COOKIE BARS

Brown that butter. At risk of sounding like a broken record, don’t skip this step. Brown butter is pretty much liquid gold. It gives the most delicious, slightly caramelized flavor that pairs perfectly with the bittersweet, fudgy brownies. If you are new to browning butter, follow this step by step guide for everything you need to know.
Use good chocolate. I’ve made this recipe both with chopped dark chocolate and with bittersweet baking chips. Both are winners in my book but I’ll let you decide which is best. Either way, I highly recommend using a chocolate with at least 60% cacao.
Do not over mix. Less is more when it comes to mixing. Use a light hand when mixing both the cookie dough and the brownie batter and use a spatula to fold in the chocolate chips so that you do not risk over working the cookie dough.
Watch your oven. Every oven runs differently so keep an eye on your oven to prevent over baking. To keep the top from browning too quickly, place a large piece of aluminum foil loosely over the top around the 25 minute mark. The brookies are done baking when the edges are golden brown and the center is almost set. The bars will continue to bake when removed from the oven.
Cool completely. Waiting for this pan of soft, chewy, rich chocolatey brookies to cool is not exactly my idea of a good time, but I promise you it is well worth the wait. These bad boys will slice up perfectly when cooled completely and slightly chilled for a clean cut.

HOW TO SERVE BROOKIES

You’ll be happy to know that these one pan wonders are super freezer friendly, although I’m guessing they won’t actually make it that far. Truth be told, I love noshing on them straight from the freezer on a hot day. Or top with a giant scoop of vanilla ice cream and a drizzle of hot fudge for a positively decadent treat. If you do decide to store your brookies in the freezer, wrap the squares in a layer of plastic wrap followed by a layer of aluminum foil for safe keeping. Defrost the bars at room temperature.


There’s a lot to love about these half cookie, half brownie treats. They really are the perfect dessert and I have a feeling these brown butter brookies are going to be your new favorite. If you make ’em, I want to hear all about it. Enjoy every morsel my friends!
Happy baking!
If you like these Brown Butter Brookies, you’ll also love:
Brookie Ice Cream Sandwiches
Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Blondies
The Best Brown Butter Brownies
Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Skillet Blondie