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. Next, be sure to use a 9 x 13 inch baking pan. These brookies will be THICK and a smaller pan simply won’t suffice. 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.
THINGS 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 VERY BEST BROOKIES
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 completely set with no jiggle when you nudge the pan.
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 slighty chilled for a clean cut.
HOW TO SERVE BROWN BUTTER 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 and I’ll meet you back here next week.
Happy baking!
If you like these Brown Butter Brookies, you’ll also love:
Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Blondies
The Best Brown Butter Brownies
Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Skillet Blondie
- 10 ounces bittersweet chocolate (I use 60% cocao)
- ½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
- 2 large eggs plus one egg yolk, room temperature
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup light brown sugar, packed
- 2 tsp vanilla
- ½ tsp baking powder
- ¾ cup plus 2 TBSP all purpose flour, spooned and leveled
- ¼ cup Dutch process cocoa, sifted
- ½ tsp espresso powder (optional)
- ½ tsp kosher salt
- 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, browned, strained, and chilled
- ½ cup, minus 1 TBSP granulated sugar
- ¾ cup light brown sugar, packed
- 1 large egg, room temperature
- 1½ tsp vanilla
- 2¼ cups all purpose flour
- 1 tsp baking soda
- ¾ tsp kosher salt
- 1½ cups chocolate chips (I use a mix of bittersweet and semi-sweet chips)
- **Note: brown the butter for the chocolate chip cookie layer first and refrigerate it for 45-60 minutes before you begin mixing the brownie layer.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Spray a 9 x 13 inch pan with non-stick baking spray and line the bottom and sides with parchment paper. Allow the edges of the parchment to extend over the sides of the pan for easy removal of the bars once cooled.
- In a medium saucepan over low heat, melt the chocolate and butter together. Stir often until the butter is melted and the chocolate is smooth and shiny. Remove the pan from the heat and set aside to cool slightly.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat together the eggs, egg yolk, sugars and vanilla on high speed for 4-5 minutes until the mixture is thick and pale in color.
- Reduce the speed to low and add in the cooled, melted chocolate and butter mixture. Mix until incorporated.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa, baking powder, espresso powder (if using), and salt.
- Remove the bowl from the mixer and use a spatula or wooden spoon to fold in the dry ingredients until just barely combined. Do not over mix.
- Set aside until ready to assemble.
- To brown the butter, place butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Stir occasionally until butter has melted. Continue stirring often as butter begins to foam and crackle. Do not leave the butter unattended at this stage. Stir the butter as it sizzles and after about 4-5 minutes, bits of golden brown butter will fall to the bottom of the pan. The crackling sound will stop and the butter will be aromatic and amber in color.
- Remove the butter from the heat and pour it into a heat safe bowl through a fine mesh strainer. Discard the brown bits of butter that remain in the strainer.
- Place the bowl of brown butter in the refrigerator for 45-60 minutes or until cooled and firm to the touch. You can speed this up after about 30 minutes by placing the bowl in the freezer.
- Once cooled, spoon the brown butter into the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment.
- Add the sugars and beat on medium high speed for 2-3 minutes until light and fluffy.
- Add the egg and vanilla and mix until well combined.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt.
- With the mixer on low speed, gradually add the flour mixture in 3 additions. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed. Do not over mix. A few streaks of flour remaining is ideal.
- Remove the bowl from the stand mixer and use a spatula to fold in the chocolate chips.
- Alternate spoonfuls of chocolate chip cookie dough and brownie batter across the pan, creating a mottled look.
- Continue until all of the cookie dough and brownie batter are used.
- Gently press the mixtures down with an offset spatula, leveling the top just slighty. Do not over work the dough or flattened the mixture too much.
- Bake at 350 degrees for about 35 minutes or until the edges are golden brown and the center of the brookies is set. If the cookie dough begins to brown too quickly, place a piece of aluminum foil loosely across the top.
- For firmer brookies, bake for closer to 40 minutes. For gooey brookies, bake for less time.
- Remove the pan from the oven and cool completely before slicing.
- For sharp edges and even slices, chill the brookies for one hour before slicing with a sharp knife.
Can a microwave oven be used
And I’m dying to make this
Hi! I don’t recommend making this recipe in a microwave oven. The brookies should be baked at 350 degrees in a standard oven.
Hi,
I’m dying to make these for my chocoholic husband and daughter. I have one quick question…do you bake these in the middle of the oven, or upper middle?
Thanks!
P.S. Looove your blog!
I’m so glad these tempted you! I bake these brookies in the center of the oven. Enjoy!!
Hi! If I want to make half the recipe, what size pan should I use?
I haven’t tried this recipe in a smaller pan just yet but if you want bake half of the recipe I would recommend a 8 x 8 or 9 x 9 inch pan. Let me know how it goes!