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brookie recipe bars stacked on cream plate showing golden cookie base and fudgy brownie layer with flaked sea salt
Luna Hossain

Brookie Recipe

This brookie recipe makes fudgy brownie bars over a chewy cookie base — one bowl, no mixer, flaked sea salt finish. Perfect for make-ahead.
Calories: ~380 | Carbs: ~48g | Fat: ~19g | Protein: ~4g | Sugar: ~32g | Sodium: ~160mg
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Prep Time 25 minutes
Cook Time 42 minutes
Cooling Time 2 hours
Total Time 3 hours 7 minutes
Servings: 16
Course: Bars & Brownies
Cuisine: American
Calories: 380
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

  • Cookie Base:
  • 1½ cups 190g all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled
  • ½ cup 100g packed brown sugar
  • ¼ cup 50g plain white granulated cane sugar
  • ½ cup 113g unsalted butter, melted and cooled
  • 1 large egg room temperature
  • 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
  • ½ tsp baking soda checked for freshness
  • ¼ tsp fine sea salt
  • 1 cup 170g semi-sweet chocolate chips (45–55% cacao)
  • Brownie Layer:
  • ½ cup 113g unsalted butter, cut into pieces
  • 4 oz 113g bittersweet chocolate (60–70% cacao), finely chopped
  • ¾ cup 150g plain white granulated cane sugar
  • 2 large eggs room temperature
  • 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
  • ½ cup 63g all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled
  • 2 tbsp 12g Dutch-process cocoa powder
  • ¼ tsp fine sea salt
  • Finish:
  • Flaked sea salt such as Maldon, for topping
  • Extra semi-sweet chocolate chips for pressing on top

Equipment

  • Kitchen scale (strongly recommended)
  • 9x9 inch (23x23cm) light-colored aluminum baking pan
  • Parchment paper cut with overhang on two sides
  • Two medium mixing bowls
  • Small saucepan or microwave-safe bowl (for melting brownie butter and chocolate)
  • Whisk
  • Silicone spatula
  • Instant-read thermometer (optional but useful for confirming chocolate has cooled before eggs go in)
  • Sharp knife and cutting board for chopping chocolate
  • Oven thermometer (recommended — most home ovens run 15–25°F / 8–14°C off)

Method
 

  1. Step 1: Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C) with rack in the middle position. Line a 9x9 inch (23x23cm) light-colored aluminum pan with parchment paper leaving 2-inch overhang on two opposite sides.
  2. Step 2: In a medium bowl, whisk melted cooled butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar until smooth and glossy, about 60 seconds. Add room temperature egg and vanilla and whisk 30 seconds until slightly thickened. Add flour, baking soda, and salt and fold with a silicone spatula until no dry streaks remain — do not overmix. Fold in chocolate chips. Press dough evenly into prepared pan.
  3. Step 3: Bake cookie base alone for exactly 10 minutes until edges are just set and pale golden. Remove from oven and set on wire rack. Leave oven on at 350°F (175°C).
  4. Step 4: Melt butter and chopped bittersweet chocolate together in a saucepan over low heat, stirring constantly, until smooth. Transfer to a medium bowl and cool until the mixture reaches below 90°F (32°C), about 8–10 minutes.
  5. Step 5: Whisk granulated sugar into cooled chocolate mixture. Add eggs one at a time, whisking well after each. Add vanilla with the second egg. Whisk for a full 45 seconds after both eggs are in until batter looks thick and ribbony. Fold in flour, Dutch-process cocoa, and salt with a silicone spatula in 15–18 slow strokes until just combined.
  6. Step 6: Pour brownie batter over par-baked cookie base and spread gently to edges using surface-only spatula strokes — do not press into the cookie layer. Scatter extra chocolate chips on top and press lightly to anchor. Bake at 350°F (175°C) for 28–32 minutes until edges are set, top shows crackled brownie skin, and toothpick inserted in center comes out with moist fudgy crumbs. Immediately scatter flaked sea salt over the top.
  7. Step 7: Cool in pan on wire rack for minimum 2 hours at room temperature. For cleanest cuts, refrigerate 30 additional minutes after cooling. Lift slab out using parchment overhang, cut into 16 bars with a sharp knife wiped clean between each cut.

Notes

Use a kitchen scale — gram weights are the numbers this recipe was tested with and produce the most consistent result
Bar chocolate only for the brownie layer — chips contain stabilizers that prevent even melting and will affect the fudgy texture
Dutch-process cocoa only — natural cocoa is acidic and will interfere with the brownie surface chemistry that produces the crackled top
Cool melted cookie base butter before adding to dough — hot butter produces a greasy base that does not bake evenly
Par-bake step is non-negotiable — skipping it produces an underdone cookie base that the brownie batter insulates during the full bake
Do not cut before 2-hour cooling — the brownie center is still setting and will collapse at the knife
To double: multiply all ingredients by 2 except baking soda — use ¾ tsp total, not 1 tsp, or the cookie base will taste soapy. Bake in two separate 9x9 inch pans
High altitude bakers: reduce baking soda to ¼ tsp, add 1 tbsp (8g) flour to cookie base, increase oven temperature to 365°F (185°C)
Storage: lidded hard-sided container, parchment between layers, room temperature up to 3 days or refrigerator up to 5 days
Freeze individually wrapped bars up to 2 months — thaw at room temperature 1.5–2 hours
Contains: gluten, eggs, dairy, soy (chocolate chips)