Brown Butter Brookies

4.96 from 22 votes

Brown Butter Brookies

Brookies combine fudgy brown butter brownies with chewy chocolate chip cookies! Layering the two batters in a specific way ensures that everything bakes evenly without one layer over baking.

Prep Time35

Cook Time40

Total Time1 15

Course: Dessert, Dessert Bars

Cuisine: American

Keyword: Brownies, Chocolate Chip Cookies

Servings: to 24 bars

Author: Stephanie Simmons

Ingredients

For the Chocolate Chip Cookies:

14.5 tbsp salted butter 206 grams
3/4 cup dark brown sugar, packed 163 grams
3/4 cup granulated sugar 156 grams
2 large eggs, at room temperature
1 and 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
3 cups all-purpose flour, spooned & leveled or weighed out 390 grams
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 salt
1 and 1/2 cups chocolate chips 270 grams

For the Brownies:

3/4 cup salted butter, cubed 170 grams before browning, 140 grams after
4 ounces semi-sweet chocolate, chopped Chocolate chips work, too - 113 grams
1/4 cup vegetable oil 55 grams
3/4 cup cocoa powder 63 grams
3 large eggs, at room temperature
1 large egg yolk, at room temperature
3/4 cup granulated sugar 158 grams
1 and 1/2 cups powdered sugar 174 grams
2 tsp vanilla extract 10 grams
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup all-purpose flour, spooned & leveled or weighed out 65 grams
pinch of espresso powder optional
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips You can omit this in a pinch, but it does create delightful pockets of melted chocolate in each brownie! - 180 grams

For Topping

flaky sea salt, optional

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Prep: Preheat your oven to 350℉. Spray a 9x13 metal pan with nonstick spray and line with parchment paper (this makes for easy removal & slicing later).
Make the Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough: Melt the butter in a large mixing bowl. Whisk in the sugars. Add the eggs and vanilla, and whisk until smooth and combined, about 30-45 seconds. Stir in the dry ingredients, then the chocolate chips or chunks last. Divide the dough into two equal halves (about 640 grams each). Press half of the dough into the prepared pan, then lift out that piece of parchment paper and replace with a new piece. Set your layer of cookie dough aside and leave the rest in the bowl for later.
14.5 tbsp salted butter, 3/4 cup dark brown sugar, packed, 3/4 cup granulated sugar , 2 large eggs, at room temperature , 1 and 1/2 tsp vanilla extract , 3 cups all-purpose flour, spooned & leveled or weighed out , 1 tsp baking soda, 1 tsp baking powder, 1/2 salt, 1 and 1/2 cups chocolate chips
Brown the Butter: Add cubed butter to a medium saucepan over medium heat. Melt the butter, stirring occasionally. Once it's melted, turn the heat to medium-low, and continue cooking the butter, stirring frequently. The butter will get foamy and bubbly, then turn a deep golden shade with a nutty, caramely aroma. (This will take about 3-6 minutes once the butter has melted.)
3/4 cup salted butter, cubed
Make the Brownie Batter: Once the butter is browned, stir in your semi-sweet chocolate until completely melted, then whisk in the vegetable oil and cocoa powder. Set aside to cool slightly. In a large mixing bowl, add the eggs, egg yolk, and granulated sugar. Whisk for about 1-2 minutes, until the sugar is fully dissolved. (Feel the mixture between your fingers - if it's completely smooth, you're good! If you feel sugar granules, keep whisking.) Next, whisk in the powdered sugar, vanilla, and salt. Then, check that the chocolate mixture is no longer piping hot (it will be quite warm, though), and whisk it into the bowl of eggs/sugar/. Fold in the flour & espresso powder, then the chocolate chips.
4 ounces semi-sweet chocolate, chopped, 1/4 cup vegetable oil, 3/4 cup cocoa powder, 3 large eggs, at room temperature , 1 large egg yolk, at room temperature , 3/4 cup granulated sugar , 1 and 1/2 cups powdered sugar , 2 tsp vanilla extract , 1/4 tsp salt, 1/2 cup all-purpose flour, spooned & leveled or weighed out , pinch of espresso powder, 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
Assemble: Spread slightly more than half the brownie batter (you can just eyeball it) in the bottom of your lined 9x13 pan. Lay the sheet of cookie dough on top of this, removing that extra piece of parchment paper. Spread the remaining brownie batter on top. Form large, thick discs with the remaining cookie dough and set on top of the batter. (See photos in blog post above if you need some help visualizing this!). Press extra chocolate chips into any bare spots on the cookie dough if desired.
Bake: Bake the assembled brookies for 38 to 44 minutes. The cookies will be golden and the brownies will have a shiny top. A toothpick inserted into the center of a brownie spot will have some moist crumbs, but not wet batter. Do not over bake!
Serve & Store: Allow bars to cool in the pan on a wire rack for about 1 - 2 hours before slicing and serving. Sprinkle with flaky sea salt, if desired!
Store leftover bars, cooled, in an airtight container at room temperature for 3-4 days. I highlyyy recommend warming leftover slices back up in the microwave.
flaky sea salt, optional

Notes

Brownie Notes:

Brown Butter in the Brownies: You can skip browning the butter if pinched for time. But, make sure you begin with just 140 grams of melted butter, rather than 170 grams if skipping the browning step.

Cocoa Powder: Because this recipe uses no baking powder/soda, you can use any type of cocoa powder (dutch process and natural cocoa powder normally can not be used interchangeably because of how they react with baking powder vs. baking soda). You can use dutch process, natural, or black cocoa powder (black cocoa is the type they use in oreos - it makes these brownies taste a bit like oreos!).

Nutrition