Yield: 8″ pan chocolate chip cookie brownies // Total Time: 1 hr. 30 min. // Disclaimer: This post includes affiliate links. //
Brown butter chocolate chip cookies and fudge brownies put together to make the BEST brookies.
chocolate chip cookie brownies | a.k.a brookies!
Today we’re making the best brookies ever. The brownies are ridiculously fudgy, chocolatey, and have the classic beautiful crinkle top on top of them. The cookies are made with brown butter and they’re super soft, chewy and flavorful. So if you were wondering if you should make brownies or chocolate chip cookies, now you don’t have to choose! Also, if you want brookies but in a cookie form instead of a bar form, be sure to check out my marbled brownie chocolate chip cookies.
what is brown butter?
Brown butter is super simple to make so don’t worry! It’s just regular butter that is cooked on the stove until some of the moisture evaporates, allowing the milk solids in the butter to be toasted. The result is this butter with an amber hue and little speckles that has a toasted and slightly nutty aroma.
Because the butter gets cooked for a while, you do lose most of the moisture present in butter – just another reason I highly recommend weighing your ingredients! You should have 90g of butter left from the 113g at the start. Any less and you’ll want to add some water to the butter to bring it to 90g, or you’ll end up with some dry and crumbly cookies.
recipe tips
weigh your ingredients
Weighing your ingredients is important for getting the recipe perfect and getting consistent results. Not weighing your ingredients can lead to adding too much or too little of an ingredient which can turn your brownies from rich and fudgy to tough and chewy. If you haven’t already, I highly recommend purchasing a kitchen scale. This one is super cheap and worked well for me when I was starting out!
mix the dough carefully
When adding in the flour, only fold the mixture just until no flour streaks remain. Overmixing the dough leads to more gluten formation, which can make the brownies and cookies tough and chewy rather than fudgy.
how to get a crinkle top on brownies
The crinkle top (while beautiful and necessary for a perfect brownie) doesn’t matter as much here since you’ll be swirling the brownies with cheesecake on the top. However – the secret to perfectly crackled tops is actually quite simple! All you need to do is whisk together the eggs and sugar to get them nice, light and fluffy prior to adding them to the rest of the brownie batter. Whipping up the eggs and sugar brings more air into the batter, which after baking collapses, forming that perfectly crackled top.
how to know when brownies are done baking
Fudge brownies are a little hard to tell when they’re done baking because they are essentially meant to be a little “raw”. You won’t be able to use the toothpick test on these brownies, because if the toothpick is coming out clean, the brownies are severely overbaked. The brownies are done when the edges have completely solidified and the middle of the brownies only SLIGHTLY wobble. This took me 40 minutes for these brownies. The brownies will continue to cook in the hot pan so it’s important to not slice into the brownies until they’ve fully cooled to room temperature.
use a metal pan, not a glass pan
You should almost always use a metal baking pan over glass when it comes to baking treats. Glass does not conduct heat as well as metal, which means your bake is going to take longer and you will probably not get any crispy edges. If you’re using a glass pan, please note that your cheesecake brownies will take a bit longer to bake.
bloom your cocoa powder
The secret to getting more flavor out of your cocoa powder? Bloom it! The process of blooming your cocoa is simple. Just mix hot espresso or water into your cocoa powder prior to adding it into your recipe. Doing so exposes cocoa solids in the cocoa powder and in turn brings out more of their flavor. In this recipe, we’ll do that by mixing the cocoa powder in with the hot butter and chocolate.
ingredients and substitutions
For the brownies:
All purpose flour: lends some structure to the brownies and makes them slightly chewy. A 1:1 gluten-free flour would work well here if needed.
Salt: helps balance and bring out the sweetness and flavor of the brownies.
Unsalted butter: makes the brownies tender and gives them that melt-in-your-mouth feel. You can use salted butter in place of the unsalted, or a dairy-free butter stick (not oil) just be sure to omit the extra salt from the brownies if you’re using salted butter.
Semi-sweet chocolate chips: where the main flavor of these brownies comes from! I use chocolate chips as I have noticed that they are better for bringing out that crackled top when compared to using a baking bar. Make sure you use good quality chocolate chips here as this part makes up the entire flavor of the brownies!
Granulated sugar: sweetens the brownies, helps lock in moisture in the batter, and helps contribute to that perfect crackled top.
Dutch processed cocoa powder: lends a deeper chocolate flavor to the brownies than natural cocoa. You can use natural cocoa, just note that your brownies will be lighter in color and slightly less “chocolatey”
Eggs: binds the brownie batter together, adds moisture to the brownies, and is the main contributor in getting that perfectly crackled top.
For the chocolate chip cookies:
All purpose flour: for structure and chewiness.
Baking powder & baking soda: for helping the cookies rise.
Salt: to help balance and bring out the sweetness of the cookies
Unsalted butter: for tenderness and flavor. You can use salted butter in place of the unsalted, just be sure to omit the extra salt from the cookies. We’ll also be browning the butter for some extra delicious toasty flavor.
Granulated sugar & dark brown sugar: a combination of both gives us cookies with crispy edges and soft and chewy centers.
Egg: for binding and for moisture.
Vanilla: for flavor. I use and love this vanilla extract!
Semi-sweet chocolate: I recommend semi-sweet or dark chocolate. Please note that if you use all chocolate chips, the cookies will bake up a little thicker, and if you use all chopped chocolate, they will be a tad thinner.
how to make chocolate chip cookie brownies
Here’s a little look into the process of making these brookies. The full recipe is at the end of this blog post!
- Make the brownies. Start with melting together the butter and chocolate chips, then mix in the cocoa powder and set aside.
- Vigorously whisk together the egg and sugar until light and fluffy.
- Mix the melted chocolate mixture into the egg mixture.
- Then mix in the dry ingredients until just combined. Set aside.
- Brown your butter and let it cool down a bit.
- Whisk the sugars into the brown butter.
- Whisk in the egg and vanilla.
- Then, fold in the dry ingredients and chocolate chips.
- Spread 1/2 of the brownie batter into the bottom of your pan, then top it with a layer of cookie dough.
- Spread the remaining brownie batter over the cookie layer, then top with dollops of the remaining cookie dough. Bake, serve, and enjoy!
brookies q&a
can I double this recipe?
Of course! Simply double all of the ingredients and bake the brownies in a 9×13″ pan, or bake them in two 8″ square pans. Be sure to keep an eye on the brownies if baking in a different sized pan, as the bake times may vary. Please note that the 2x, 3x function on the recipe card only affects grams and not the cup measurements!
how to store these brookies
These brookies can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature. They will definitely taste the best on the day that they are baked, but will keep well for up to 3 days.
why do you measure in grams?
My recipes are all written in grams because it is the most accurate way to bake. When you use a kitchen scale, you ensure that your baked goods turn out as close to the written recipe as possible. Plus, the cleanup is way easier when using a scale! I will provide standard cup measurements but please note that I have not tested the recipe using cup measurements and therefore can not guarantee your recipe will come out how mine did. Here is my favorite kitchen scale.
a note on oven temperature
Ovens vary and fluctuate in temperature and aren’t always at the temperature they claim to be at. I highly recommend getting an oven thermometer. They are super helpful for letting you know when your oven might be lying to you! I use this one.
tools and ingredients
You can find all my favorite tools and ingredients that I use on my Amazon Storefront page, here!
did you make these brookies?
If you made chocolate chip cookie brownies I would love to see them and know your thoughts! Please leave a comment and review down below, and tag me on Instagram @freshbeanbakery. If you have any questions about the recipe I will gladly do my best to answer them in the comments below!
Chocolate Chip Cookie Brownies | Brookies
Equipment
Ingredients
Fudge Brownies
- 180 g semi sweet chocolate chips (1 c.)
- 113 g unsalted butter (8 tbsp.)
- 24 g dutch processed cocoa powder (¼ c.)
- 200 g granulated sugar (1 c.)
- 2 eggs
- 80 g all purpose flour (⅔ c.)
- ½ tsp. salt
Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies
- 113 g unsalted butter (8 tbsp.)
- 100 g dark brown sugar (½ c.)
- 50 g granulated sugar (¼ c.)
- 1 egg room temperature
- ½ tsp. vanilla
- 160 g all purpose flour (1 ⅓ c.)
- ½ tsp. baking powder
- ¼ tsp. baking soda
- ½ tsp. salt
- 130 g semi-sweet chocolate (¾ c.)
Instructions
- Make the brown butter. Add the 113g (8 tbsp.) of butter for the chocolate chip cookies into a small saucepan set over medium heat. Stir the butter occasionally until it turns amber in color and develops little brown specks.
- Transfer the brown butter to a medium sized mixing bowl. You should be left with at least 90g of brown butter, if you have a little less, just add in some water until you reach 90g. Set the brown butter aside while you make the fudge brownies
- Preheat the oven to 350°F / 175°C. Butter and line an 8" square pan with parchment paper.
Fudge Brownies
- In a small microwave safe bowl, melt together the chocolate chips and butter, stirring every 30 seconds until the mixture is smooth. Then, mix in the cocoa powder until smooth and set aside.
- To another small mixing bowl, add in the eggs and sugar. Vigorously whisk the egg and sugar together for 1-2 minutes, until the mixture is light and fluffy.
- Add the melted chocolate mixture into the egg mixture, and mix gently until combined.
- Add in the flour and salt. Use a rubber spatula to fold the ingredients just until no flour streaks remain. Set aside while you make the cookies.
Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Whisk both sugars into the bowl with brown butter.
- Whisk in the egg and vanilla until well combined.
- Add in the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Use a rubber spatula to fold the mixture together just until a few flour streaks remain.
- Add in the chocolate and fold the mixture together just until no flour streaks remain.
- Pour half of the brownie batter into your prepared square pan, smoothing it into an even layer.
- Use your hands to tear up pieces of cookie dough. Flatten them in your hands, then place them on top of the brownie batter, trying to form a flat, even layer of cookie dough on top of the brownies. Use approximately 2/3 of the cookie dough for this layer.
- Pour the remaining brownie batter over the cookie layer, smoothing it out into an even layer.
- Tear up the remaining pieces of cookie dough, scattering them on the top layer (It will not fully cover the brownies – this is what we want so that the top is marbled!)
- Bake for 40-45 minutes, until the edges have set and the middle is only *slightly* wobbly.
- Allow the brownies to set in the pan until they come to room temperature. Serve and enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
Please note that the nutrition facts are only an estimate and may vary based on different brands of ingredients and any substitutions made.