Easy Brookie Bars

Easy Brookie Bars put a fudgy brownie layer and a chewy chocolate chip cookie layer in one 9×13 pan, and you slice them into neat squares. You make two simple batters, stack them, and bake. Each square gets a dense chocolate bottom and a golden cookie top.

Why Make This Recipe

Brookie cookies are lovely, but scooping and baking tray after tray takes time. Bars skip all of that. You get 24 squares from one pan in about 35 minutes of baking.

Both batters use plain pantry ingredients. You don’t need a mixer for the brownie layer, and a wooden spoon handles the cookie dough fine if your butter is soft enough. If you’d rather have them as individual cookies, my Fudgy Brookie Cookies use the same idea in cookie form.

The bars also travel well. They hold their shape in a lunchbox or on a potluck table, and they taste even better the next day.

How to Make Easy Brookie Bars

Prep time: 20 minutes. Cook time: 32 to 36 minutes. Cooling time: about 2 hours. Makes 24 bars in a 9×13-inch pan.

Ingredients:

• Brownie layer:
• 3/4 cup (170 g) unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled
• 1 1/2 cups (300 g) granulated sugar
• 3 large eggs, room temperature
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 3/4 cup (65 g) unsweetened cocoa powder
• 3/4 cup (95 g) all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup (90 g) semisweet chocolate chips
• Cookie layer:
• 1/2 cup (113 g) unsalted butter, softened
• 1/2 cup (100 g) packed light brown sugar
• 1/4 cup (50 g) granulated sugar
• 1 large egg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 1/4 cups (155 g) all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup (175 g) semisweet chocolate chips
• Flaky sea salt for the top (optional)

Directions:

1. Heat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Line a 9×13-inch metal pan with parchment paper, leaving a couple of inches hanging over the long sides so you can lift the bars out later.
2. Make the brownie layer. In a large bowl, whisk the melted butter and sugar for about 1 minute. Whisk in the eggs one at a time, then the vanilla. Keep whisking for another 30 seconds until the batter looks glossy and a little lighter in color.
3. Sift in the cocoa, flour, and salt. Fold with a spatula until you can’t see any dry streaks, then stir in the 1/2 cup of chocolate chips. Spread the batter evenly into the pan.
4. Make the cookie layer. In a second bowl, beat the softened butter with the brown sugar and granulated sugar until creamy, about 2 minutes by hand or 1 minute with a mixer. Beat in the egg and vanilla.
5. Add the flour, baking soda, and salt. Mix until just combined, then fold in the 1 cup of chocolate chips. The dough will be thick.
6. Pinch off walnut-sized pieces of cookie dough and drop them all over the brownie batter. Flatten each piece a little with your fingers. Some gaps are fine, since the dough spreads as it bakes.
7. Bake for 32 to 36 minutes, until the cookie top is golden and a toothpick in the center comes out with moist crumbs but no wet batter. If you’d like, sprinkle flaky salt on top as soon as the bars come out of the oven.
8. Let the bars cool completely in the pan, at least 2 hours. Lift them out by the parchment and cut them into 24 squares with a sharp knife, wiping the blade between cuts.

How to Serve Easy Brookie Bars

At room temperature, the brownie layer is chewy and the cookie top is a little crisp at the edges. That’s how I serve them most of the time.

For a plated dessert, warm a bar for 10 seconds in the microwave and top it with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. The chocolate chips soften again and the ice cream melts into the brownie layer. If you like gooey desserts served warm, you’ll probably also like this Easy Chocolate Chip Skillet Cookie.

Cold milk and black coffee both go well with these bars. They’re sweet, so a plain drink is the better choice.

How to Store Easy Brookie Bars

Keep the bars in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 4 days. A slice of bread in the container helps the cookie layer stay soft.

The fridge makes them dense and fudgy, which some people like. They’ll keep there for about a week.

To freeze them, wrap the bars individually in plastic wrap and put them in a freezer bag for up to 3 months. Thaw them on the counter for about an hour. I keep a few in the freezer for days when I want something sweet and don’t feel like baking.

Tips to Make Easy Brookie Bars

• Use a metal pan. Glass holds heat differently, so the edges brown faster while the center stays raw. If glass is all you have, lower the oven to 325°F and add 5 to 8 minutes.
• Don’t overbake. The bars keep cooking from the pan’s heat after they come out. Moist crumbs on the toothpick mean they’re done. A clean toothpick means you’ve gone a little too far.
• Cool the melted butter before you add the eggs. Hot butter can start to cook the eggs and make the brownie layer greasy.
• Wait the full 2 hours before slicing. Warm bars tear and smear. If you’re short on time, put the pan in the fridge for 30 minutes.
• Natural and Dutch-process cocoa both work here, since baking soda only goes in the cookie layer. Dutch-process gives a darker, smoother brownie.
• Don’t snack on the raw dough. Both layers contain raw eggs and raw flour, and the FDA advises against eating raw dough for food safety reasons.

Variation

Swap the cookie layer’s chocolate chips for peanut butter chips, or stir 2 tablespoons of creamy peanut butter into the cookie dough along with the butter. You can also add 1/2 cup of chopped toasted walnuts or pecans to the brownie batter for crunch. For a holiday version, mix crushed peppermint candies into the cookie dough and add a few more on top for the last 5 minutes of baking. If you like layered chocolate desserts, try my Easy Chocolate Ganache Brownie Cups next. Both of these bars are a mashup of two classics, the chocolate brownie and the chocolate chip cookie, so you can play with either layer.

Easy Brookie Bars

A fudgy brownie layer topped with a chewy chocolate chip cookie layer, baked in one 9x13 pan and cut into neat squares. Two simple batters, one pan, and no mixer needed for the brownie layer.

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 20 minutes mins

Cook Time 36 minutes mins

Cooling time 2 hours hrs

Total Time 2 hours hrs 56 minutes mins

Servings: 24 bars

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients

  

Brownie layer

• 3/4 cup unsalted butter 170 g, melted and slightly cooled
• 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar 300 g
• 3 large eggs room temperature
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder 65 g
• 3/4 cup all-purpose flour 95 g
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips 90 g

Cookie layer

• 1/2 cup unsalted butter 113 g, softened
• 1/2 cup light brown sugar 100 g, packed
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar 50 g
• 1 large egg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour 155 g
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips 175 g
• flaky sea salt for the top, optional

Method

 

1. Heat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Line a 9x13-inch metal pan with parchment paper, leaving a couple of inches hanging over the long sides so you can lift the bars out later.

Brownie layer

1. In a large bowl, whisk the melted butter and sugar for about 1 minute. Whisk in the eggs one at a time, then the vanilla. Keep whisking for another 30 seconds until the batter looks glossy and a little lighter in color.
2. Sift in the cocoa, flour, and salt. Fold with a spatula until you can't see any dry streaks, then stir in the 1/2 cup of chocolate chips. Spread the batter evenly into the pan.

Cookie layer

1. In a second bowl, beat the softened butter with the brown sugar and granulated sugar until creamy, about 2 minutes by hand or 1 minute with a mixer. Beat in the egg and vanilla.
2. Add the flour, baking soda, and salt. Mix until just combined, then fold in the 1 cup of chocolate chips. The dough will be thick.

Assemble and bake

1. Pinch off walnut-sized pieces of cookie dough and drop them all over the brownie batter. Flatten each piece a little with your fingers. Some gaps are fine, since the dough spreads as it bakes.
2. Bake for 32 to 36 minutes, until the cookie top is golden and a toothpick in the center comes out with moist crumbs but no wet batter. If you'd like, sprinkle flaky salt on top as soon as the bars come out of the oven.
3. Let the bars cool completely in the pan, at least 2 hours. Lift them out by the parchment and cut them into 24 squares with a sharp knife, wiping the blade between cuts.

Notes

Use a metal pan. If you only have glass, lower the oven to 325°F and add 5 to 8 minutes. Don't overbake: moist crumbs on the toothpick mean the bars are done. Cool the melted butter before adding the eggs so the brownie layer doesn't turn greasy. Wait the full 2 hours before slicing, or chill the pan for 30 minutes if you're short on time. Natural and Dutch-process cocoa both work. Store the bars airtight at room temperature for up to 4 days, in the fridge for about a week, or wrapped and frozen for up to 3 months (thaw about 1 hour on the counter). Don't eat the raw dough, since it contains raw eggs and flour.

FAQs

Can I use boxed brownie mix for the bottom layer?

Yes. Make one 18-ounce box of brownie mix following the fudgy directions on the box, spread it in the pan, and top it with the homemade cookie dough. The baking time stays about the same, but start checking at 30 minutes.

Can I make these in an 8×8 pan?

Halve both batters. For the brownie layer, use 2 eggs instead of 1 1/2. For the cookie layer, use just the yolk of the egg. Bake for 28 to 32 minutes.

Why is my cookie layer brown while the middle is still raw?

Your oven is probably running hot, or the pan is dark. Lay a sheet of foil loosely over the top for the last 10 minutes so the center can catch up without the top getting darker.

Conclusion

This is the recipe I make when I need dessert for a crowd and don’t want to spend all afternoon baking. Two bowls, one pan, and a little patience while they cool. Give them a try, and next time you might add peanut butter chips or nuts.